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Good day and welcome back to the way podcast my name is Izzy and I'm joined with Zoe hello and a new special guest our queen from the North

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Sullivan

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Welcome welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today? I'm doing well. I'm enjoying. I'm enjoying the tree good

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Yes, they picked it themselves. I believe I've heard

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Watch the vlog. I shall. I'm very typical because that is for Christmas and today we're doing part two of our Christmas series

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So last week we were looking at the

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Announcement of Jesus coming. We looked at a bit of

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ordinary

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Honorable Joseph very catchy and then this week we're looking at Jesus here who was coming to visit and how it's not God in the perfect

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but just in the

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unlikely places

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That's what we're going to do. We're going to look at some of the characters mostly in Luke

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So if you've got your Bibles get that out

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But let's jump right into it shall we?

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Right here. Well, let's jump straight into it. So we're going to begin reading from Luke chapter two verses one to seven

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Solomon, we'd like to do us the honors. I will be delighted. Thank you do it. It's really small. Okay

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Oh gosh, that's quite small. Right. Okay

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In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a censor should be taken of the entire Roman world

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This was the first censor that took place while we're in sus

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In sus as a tough one

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Was governor of Syria and everyone went to their own town to register

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So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea

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The Bethlehem the town of David because he'd been he belonged to the house and line of David

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He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child

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While they were there the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn son

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She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there were no guest room available for them

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Well read so what's going on here Zoe give us some context what's happening? What's happening is

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They're doing their first ever census, which means they have to go back to their birthplace of town

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Their towns sure birthplace checks out checks out and basically say where they live now. What is it?

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They just they just have to write the names down say that they still alive they exist

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It's not as nice crossing some city. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a bit of admin

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They're going to Joseph's place. They're going to Joseph's birthplace because Joseph is like the head of the family

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He's the man and in that cult in that culture. Yeah, Mary's about to burst. Yeah, Mary's it. She does

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Anything else any other helpful context. Yes

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There is there is there is another man mentioned in this passage

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Cheeky fella by the name of Caesar Augustus. I've heard of that man. I've heard of him. Haven't we all tell me more well

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I think it's just not a mistake that Luke's put him in there, you know

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That there is there is something going on that is of course it's to sort of

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Put this story not as a once upon a time story, but hey, this actually happened. Let's put it in historical context

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So Caesar Augustus, okay first actual emperor of Rome coming off the back of like a hundred years of of pretty shaky

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Leadership in in Rome ever read Shakespeare. It's pretty pretty rough. I haven't read Shakespeare. Yeah. Oh, well

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There's like everyone's stabbing each other. Yeah, you know, everyone's mad at each other

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Everyone's trying to grab this kind of like thrown this piece of power and Augustus has come out on top. Yeah, mm-hmm and

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now Rome for the first time in a long time has a bit of has a bit of peace

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He is quite literally the bringer of peace here people are calling him the son of God people are calling him savior and

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I think Luke is trying to highlight

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That there is a a

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Contrast between human power and heavenly power. Yeah, yeah, right because while the world is sort of looking at

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Augustus who is just doing all of this stuff with this wake of bloodshed

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Coming from behind him and it's and everyone's going wow

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That's that's some serious power, right? That's really impressive

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Yeah, and Luke is kind of sitting there and he's kind of saying like nah now let me show you what real power is and then he takes us to some

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Pregnant teenager in a town in the middle of nowhere

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Right, so Luke is sort of drugs to pose in these two sons of God, right and by doing so is almost like I've used my hands a lot when I thought also

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It's sort of like

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subverting how we know power

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Right and every time Jesus called Lord every time he's called savior in this in this book

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It's pulling it back to Augustus and it's reminding the reader

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Hey, here is here is the real son of God. Let's let's reapply these words to who they were actually made for, you know

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That's what I think anyway. I think when we look at it through that lens. We get so much more out of the text

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Yeah, yeah, I think it's also cool to remember these are like real people that are writing this stuff as well

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And he was intentional with it. It's either guy that's like a doctor is Luke the doctor

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Yeah, intelligent guy, so he's being intentional with what he he speaks about and who he mentions

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Which then goes on to the like what we're about to look at he's very intentional with who he mentions and the details that are in the story

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So shall we continue? Let's do it. Let us let's go. We're gonna look at some of the shepherds

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So they would you like to read for us this time? Yes, I'd love to please may you read Luke chapter 2 verses 8 to 14

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Yes

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King

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And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night

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An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified

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But the angel said to them do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people

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Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah the Lord

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This will be assigned to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger

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Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying

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Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests

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What a sight that would have been

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Can you imagine it? I actually can't imagine it. I actually can't imagine it. Just on the field. It's a little much

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It's only the savor of love. What do you think what stands out to you? What do you think the significance of God come and to meet these shepherds are?

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I'll let you start this one. Yeah, I mean, I'm like initially

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Initially, I mean, I'm immediately

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Like the fact that they just live out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night. These are very ordinary men with like

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A very laborsome job and probably I think they were the outsiders of the time

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Literally they lived outside

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and also outside of

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The town away from people people probably would have been like are they're just the shepherds?

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They kind of smell like sheep and

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They just make sure the sheep stay in check

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But yet God chose to come to the shepherds the people that

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The people that would have been overlooked by the others in society and I think we see

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God's

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Like what what you were saying earlier off camera

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God's humility

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Even in the nature of coming to people that are overlooked we talked about that last week with him choosing Mary

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And also like

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The fact that

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Jesus is described as the shepherd

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Later on in the New Testament and so he chooses to come to shepherds first

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Well, not first, obviously Mary Mary first

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But he's one of the groups of people that he comes to first and it's like

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There's just something really significant about the role of a shepherd and

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Keeping watch over your flocks at night. Yeah, like going

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Stooping to the level of the sheep to ensure that they are safe. Yeah, that's actually what Jesus did for us is that he stooped down by

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Descending from heaven to earth as a vulnerable little baby to then grow up and

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Look after us sacrifice himself on the cross rise again

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He literally stooped to the lowest place possible

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Being born in a manger surrounded by animals. Yeah, so that he could lift us up

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Wow

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Fresh revelation

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And I but you're so right about there is significance in the shepherds

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He uses that throughout a lot of the Old Testament. I think of David. You think of Abraham Moses loads of shepherds everybody's a shepherd

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They think in love she

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But he used a lot of those those people that were just very ordinary and normal and I think a verse that really stands out to me in this bit is

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Verse 9 says the age of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them

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And they were terrified and I think we often read that as like the glory of God shone around the angels

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But I don't think that's what it's talking about. I think it's about the glory of God shone around the shepherds

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And that is all about that is the story of Jesus coming to this earth

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It is bringing his glory not keeping it in heaven but actually bringing it down into the normal around us

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So we we can have access to him and that's literally the entire point of

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Of God is so we can have up. Yeah, so we can have access to him

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And so I think that I love that verse. It's it's about that's what it's about

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Yeah, and we can remember that as well today that is us in the ordinary as well

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Yeah, it definitely says something about the character of God

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He's that he's chosen to first announce the news to

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Something as lowly as shepherds and he's so comfortable in aligning himself with

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people on the either outskirts of society sort of

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unnoticed

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Not cared for not respected and yet God chooses to honor them anyway

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And I really I love that, you know, I think so often we can

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Think we aren't enough and that we aren't ready to go up to God. Oh, but God's God's waiting

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And he's ready to come see you instead where you are not when you kind of

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Put yourself back together, right? Yeah, but he's more than happy to come find you in in the darkness

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There's a verse Isaiah 9 right light in and paraphrasing here, but it's like

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Like into that, but I think it's also mentioned in Matthew 4 light into darkness, right that God's gonna send light

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Not until not God's gonna send light into darkness not when the darkness is dispersed

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Not when there is peace but right in the middle of the chaos. Sorry. This is going a little off track

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No, no, no, but I don't know something about the character of God is revealed

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Absolutely so much of this cats even like just being in the ordinary

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Yeah, like they were just doing their jobs

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Yeah, doing their daily stuff

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I don't know if they were sleeping if they were doing whatever

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But they were in their normal usual routine and God came in that and I think that's also I'm thinking about how we can use this to like

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Apply to our own life where one is like God comes to us in the ordinary

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It's not just like kings and rulers. It is actually very ordinary people

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Yeah, also, it's in our every day. It's in what how where we work it's in the people that we spend time

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We're like God can break through in that and we should be on the lookout for that as well

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There's there's a there's a text it's like a I think it's like fourth century. It's called the missioner. It's this

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well very old

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Jewish

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Text where it writes down the oral traditions of the Jewish people and in that it talks about these

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Shepherds in Bethlehem and because of their proximity to Jerusalem, they were likely

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Sort of looking after temple sacrifices

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These these sheep were destined to go to the temple of sacrifice and I think that there is something of like a foreshadowing there

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That the sort of some in some in that's a little something that we can read into it

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You know that there's a the first people to

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Meet the Lamb of God are the very same people that their entire life. Sorry bang this their entire life is is

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spent

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Preparing

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Well lambs

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That's crazy. They're gonna go meet the me meet another one me another one. Well, let's keep reading and see what they do about it

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I guess I'll read this one. We're gonna read

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Verses 15 to 20

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When the angels had left them and gone into heaven the shepherd said to one another let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened

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Which the Lord has told us about so they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who's lying in a manger

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When they had seen them they spread the word concerning what had been told

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Them whoa what had been told them about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherd said to them

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But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart

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The shepherd's returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told

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Babe I'm Mary. How to come on back in from

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Come on so how

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Did they respond?

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What do they do? They evangelize? Yeah, well

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And it's early

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They just told people they shared the good news that they heard and knew and also like I think it's so

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powerful how

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Okay, well, this is just my assumption of how the shepherds would have been perceived is that

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People wouldn't have wanted to be around them because they start

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Oh

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I think like I feel like people would be less inclined to listen to a shepherd over like a king a king or just like anyone else in the village

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Like even a breadmaker or something but anyways what I'm trying to get out is I think it was

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Their encounter with God and with the angels that gave them the

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The boldness and the courage to speak out of the truth that they that had been revealed to them

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And it's like it's not I don't think it came from just themselves

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I think it was the the revelation that God gave them that empowered them to have the confidence to then go out and

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Speak to other people. Yeah, and that's really encouraging for me because

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It's it can be really scary to evangelize sometimes to tell people of the goodness of God that you've seen

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Experienced encounters. We've had with him and then suddenly you got into your everyday life

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You're at school. You're in college. You're at uni. You're working and there's all these people around you that don't know Jesus

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And it's like I don't want to say anything

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But then remembering I mean these guys didn't have the Holy Spirit living in them and they still went out and

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Yeld it from the rooftops, but we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of our hearts and we can actually

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Pray in the moment and be like Holy Spirit give me the words to speak come and have your way in me

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May you will be done. Okay, I'm gonna go for it. Give me the boldness. I need and God will he's right there with you and I just like

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Like the the closeness and the nearness of God feels super

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Prevalent in this verse

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It's my touch feel. I mean, they also went together, which I think is interesting

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Right is it it's like a little group you know, I imagine conversations were had and I know it's

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Like it gives us like a tiny bit of dialogue like a type like one like oh, that's all go

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But I mean, there was definitely like a conversation that like what has just happened, you know, all the worldly sort of

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Beings kind of coming down. You know, it's gonna be like yeah, yeah, that's sick. Yeah, let's go. Yeah

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No, you know, I'm gonna have a second you can be freaking out, right? Yeah, so I imagine that I don't know how many they were

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But they probably spoke about it briefly

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They probably add out some reservations and hesitations, but encouraged by one another

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They went anyway, right? And I think how do we apply that to our own lives? I think it's really important to find a

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Community a faith community specifically that you can lean on that you can be encouraged by you can be led by right and

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And in turn you lead them at the same time and you encourage others

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And I think there's there's something to be said about that

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Yeah, I also love that it says they they hurried

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And I think like they hurried off and found Mary and I think that's what happens when you truly encounter the glory of God

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You can't just sit still

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Yeah, you've got to like get up and do something get up and go and that's what they did

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And I think that's a really beautiful example. They they hurried. They did what they were told and they shouted about it

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But in contrast Mary

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What a Mary contrast in contrast read it verse 19, but Mary treasured up all these things and pundered them in her heart

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Thoughts on thought's on Mary love her. I love a big fan big fan. She birthed our savior. Good good job Mary. Good job Mary

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But it's like this verse

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19 but Mary treasured up all these things pundered them in her heart

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Direct contrast to the reaction and response of the shepherds like the shepherds were

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Shouting out until okay

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Tried to be on in a little worship sawing in browser

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You don't know that one shout it out and lift up one voice in worship wait

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I also don't know this one. I thought it was okay anyway, sorry

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Sorry, but how the shepherds were loud and

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instant and telling people

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Whereas Mary was reflective and quieter and literally pondering these things in her heart

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So she's not even thinking them out loud with her husband. She's

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Having this moment between her and God. Yeah, and treasuring them. It's like

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It reminds me of that verse of like our treasure not here enough for their in heaven

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And how Mary knows that and she's storing them in the place that matters which is her heart

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Yeah, and

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Well, and I think it highlights that there's no

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One response to the power of God. Yeah, I love that and there's no

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One response that is better than the other and that God actually

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Loves both responses. Yeah, like

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Which I that person takes a pressure off for me because when I'm in environments like church environments

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Um

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Especially you're like church conferences or summer camps like

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Where people around me are maybe responding to God in a very different way than why I am maybe they're crying

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Maybe they're lying down on the floor. Maybe they're just very quiet you're reflecting

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Um, it's actually okay

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That there's a difference and there's a beauty in the difference because I think it shows the vastness of

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God and how he encounters us in such different ways because we are individuals. Yeah, and I think

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It probably reflects the characters that we each own. Yeah, that we each have possess ourselves. Yeah, I think we can get so

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Long up on like the big moments

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Like the hype and the feeling and we can get I think sometimes we elevate them a little too much

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This this idea of feeling and how we feel um and

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The scary thing to me is sometimes when that feeling stops right what what happens to our faith

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And I think I think Mary here. It's a great reminder that faith is yes very exciting very fun

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But it's not just that there is also this beautiful inward thing right and that God is an intimate God

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And he wants to and he and he will use those quiet moments just as much as he will use those big moments

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Right just because it's not loud doesn't mean that it's not working like hidden seasons right not wasted seasons

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Quiet seasons not wasted seasons

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Growing seasons. That's what I would say anyway. That's so powerful. Yeah

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Maybe it's like tangent. I don't think it is there so us

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I just wonder what Mary was thinking when these shepherds turned up

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But that must have been so weird. I don't know what she was like expecting like she's gonna birth to the savior

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Then had a little knock on the door and she's like all these was up Mary like

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Hey, we were told those there was a savior and so here I am like I wonder what she's set like

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I do wonder part of her like pondering and treasuring this and like she's probably taken in also like what are you doing God?

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Yeah, I don't know what she was expecting or who she's better in turn up at her door as her first guest. Well, yeah, but strangers

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Strangers

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And smelly strangers many she's looking strangers. Yeah, like I do wonder that and I do I think that's that's also beautiful too because I think she was very

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um, she's very faithful and faith-filled and I think she she knows that God would have been doing something with it

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But I don't know what she was actually feeling in that time. Yeah, but I think it's beautiful

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Actually in the midst of all this that what on earth is like I'm actually giving this to God

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And I'm just gonna ponder that in my heart. Yeah, give that to God and let it all you know

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Do what's that? That that she reminds me of first Peter 5.7. What does it say? Which has cast all your anxieties on him God

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For he cares for you because he cares for you and it's like that's so true Mary probably did have

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Some form of anxiety or love potentially speculation

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She probably did have some form of anxiety or like

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Confusion like what are these shepherds doing here? Actually God. I'm gonna give it to you because this is your story that you're writing

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And I'm happy to be an obedient servant in that story and honored as well. I think that was very much a large

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portion of Mary's attitude to her role in this story

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Hmm

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Just beautiful. What's some practical takeaways you can take from the shepherd's and Mary? Hmm

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I think

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don't be

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Afraid to tell others about how God has moved in your life

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Because he is with you and he

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He is trustworthy and he's a faithful God and he won't abandon you nor forsake you nor leave you when you're in your moments of

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Fair or need or about to evangelize like God is with you and also there's a beauty and

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um

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Like a treasure in your own personal quiet times with God. I think that's another thing is

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God through Mary we see highlighted the power and the importance of

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Spending your own time with God even when big things are going on around you to continue

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like

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Investing in your relationship with him

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Um by reflecting on what he's done in your life by reading his word by praying by

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Yeah, I just think like

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Keeping that intimacy with Jesus is like is really important and is highlighted here

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That we can still do that when life feels really busy

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Big up ordinary Mary ordinary Mary Mary Mary what she like ending for you

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I think you covered it you you pretty that was a pretty solid summary of what we've been talking about

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That was great. Oh, thank you. Well there we go. Well, let's move onwards. We are now flipping to Matthew everyone

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Get those pages moving

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Okay, go into Matthew to and we're gonna look at some of the the magi or the wise men or

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Some nativity is called we discussed what they're called magi magi

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I think most people would say magi. I don't know. I want to call the magi. You make whatever you would like

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That's it. No, I'm sure it's not as you know what major might not be right either, but we're gonna stick with that

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So well as you're so good at pronouncing it would you like to read for us? Um to

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Capture versus one two nine please one to nine. I can thank you. So I have on my phone here. It's a little easier to read

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After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod

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magi

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Whatever you want

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Let me do it again. No, no, that's good. No go go go

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Magi from the east came to Jerusalem. Wait, what do we call them again?

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No, that's great. You're doing great. It's authentic

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Mike my arm magi

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May guys

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My it's in my head now. It's gonna be magi. I can't change it. It's just it's called all them will let you off

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magi wow

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That's crazy

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Magi

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Look at that. Sorry community right encourage each other

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Okay, made magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked where is the one who has been born king of the Jews

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We saw his star when it rose and I've come to worship him

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When King Herod heard this he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him

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When he had called together all the people the people's chief priests and teachers of the law

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He asked them where the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem in Judea they replied

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For this is what the prophet has written

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But you Bethlehem in the land of Judah are no means least among the rulers of Judah

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For out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel

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Then he would call the

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Magi

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Here's right secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared

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He sent them to Bethlehem and said go and search carefully for the child as soon as you find him report to me

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So that I too may go and worship him

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After they had heard the king they went on their way and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was

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There's nothing else on this page

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There's nothing else on this page scroll down was oh, wait no where the child was when they saw the star

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They were overjoyed. There we go

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It's so we figured it out. Just look at it reading. Oh, I was really tough. Okay. Yeah, so who are the major? I'm why do they matter?

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The magi are the wise men. They are scholars wise guys men who studied the stars

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Maybe worship them too. I don't know just do that in there for fun. They're a bit of a strategy a little bit

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Strongly yet. I don't know which one

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Thank them just want to me. Is that the study and then astrology is when you worship them? I'm pretty sure

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They're stars involved. That's not involved. That's not involved stars involved

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And why do they matter? Why do they matter?

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They in this story why do they matter in the story? I think because

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Well, these are the first Gentiles that are thrown into the mix. What is a Gentile? Tell us we are all Gentiles

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And a Gentile is somebody that is not Jewish

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So basically everybody apart from that is relights. Oh, is that correct apart from the Jews? Yeah

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And the reason why this is significant is it reminds me of verse 10 of loop two at the very end where it says that

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um

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The Lord's glory came for the great joy of all the people. He word all

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And how Jesus has come for everybody. Yeah, not just the Jews and um, I don't know yet. It's just pretty cool

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Yeah, this is the start of the gospel and this isn't this isn't the first time that

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May dry

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I have to slow down every time I say it. I've been mentioned in the text

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I mean that all the way back in exodus seven eight with Moses Pharaoh's

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Magicians, right? And then there's

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The guy with the talking donkey what his name Balaam the false prophet

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Balaam

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Yes, yes, I'm gonna thumbs up. I'm right. That's good

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And then there's another one book of Daniel right these relights were kind of getting into a bit of

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A bit of trouble with with the Magicians in Babylon and

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This is actually well, it's not the first time we've seen May dry in in the scripture

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It is the first time that they're shown positive positively, right? The first time there's actually something good

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About them and I think that kind of highlights the the redemptive nature of the New Testament and the New Covenant

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Yeah, so do you that those things that were maybe

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Not so great and now being redeemed and I don't know it's quite exciting

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I'm super excited. I'm gonna slightly butch this point. I'm gonna try my very best to a further explain it

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But my father's a preacher he's a pastor and he talks about

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This this and one of his preachers that he does and it's all about the star

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um because if you think of it that scientifically like

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When stars come on turn on

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Start burning like it takes how many light years like us to see it because of the distance from the earth

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So then for the major it's a then spot this star. It means it would have had to have turned on so to speak

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So far in the past way back when so it's like the question is it well God's like master planning

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It could have even been turned on when Adam and Eve like fell from a garden

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It could have been from that point on God goes here's a star that's gonna then show to like he he's so in it

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Oh, he's so big his story is so much faster and bigger than we could ever imagine

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And the fact that he uses a star to do that yeah shows that yeah

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And you also were saying a point before we're filming about using the stars. Yes. Please. Please. Please share

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Thank you very much for passing on the baton

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Also, you that was amazing and also super interesting. Thank you. It's your dad. Look at find find it

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Really cool. Yeah, I'm mr. Marivan. Shout out mr. Marivan possible. Marivan

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Okay

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Oh, yeah, so a friend of ours was

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Basically had an encounter with God and God spoke to her and basically revealed to her that

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He used the star

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The bright star to speak and direct the magi to jesus. Mm-hmm. Why is this significant?

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Because the magi would have studied the stars would have had an extreme focus

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Intrest potential worship to the stars. Yeah, and instead of

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um

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Using their made their like

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potential idolization of the stars or just like

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Yeah, instead of using that to bring them shame or condemnation

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God actually decides to use the very thing that

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They know loads about or worship whatever it is to guide them back to him and it's like

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So telling of the character of God that he knows each of us individually. Yeah, and is willing to come and meet us in the places where we

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Can understand him potentially or see the signs that he's bringing us. Yeah, like in a space where we're more familiar with that then leaves us

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Into where he is. I don't know if I explain that well, but just in like

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Just in how God will come to us

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In places that we might not expect. Yeah, or in places that we've potentially thought were too dark

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Or too messy or too far from God. Yeah, um, but yeah, it uses our interest and uses what we what we know about and reveal himself in that which is beautiful

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I do think these these wise men

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um

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Did we mention how far it was how far they've gone? No, I'm eight hundred nine hundred ish miles which is

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Bowl from them to be on it pretty bold see a star very bold. Let's go travel very bold right and it's they'll be in traveling

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We're taking what a year?

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Maybe more

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I think their excitement on day one

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Would have looked vastly different from their excitement on day 40 if there was any right and I think

404
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Well, how can we apply that to ourselves if we want durable faith

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First of all, we don't base it on on how we feel but instead we we stay true to what we know what is that

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Uh, we keep praying even when we don't want to

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Right, we believe and trust in God despite uncertainty

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And it's actually implied in the story that the star weren't missing for a second

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Which means at some point they probably were like oh man, it's gone. Are we just insane and then it comes back and

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I think there's also stuff to learn there any step towards Christ right always bears some kind of fruit

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Right in the in the wise men's I'm avoiding the word wise that magi magi magi magi magi thank you

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Any step towards Christ's best fruit in the magi's

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Story they got they got to meet Christ right I think in hours

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Well, I wouldn't be able to say but what I would say is that God doesn't overlook a seeking heart

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Right, and that is exactly what we see in

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The magi story

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What's probably quite like costly for them like they yeah traveled a lot

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Leaving probably people behind like lots of travel. Yeah. They they really quite bold with it

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Where they were really seeking God out and then yeah, and then found Jesus and they're probably dangerous as well

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Yeah, probably I don't know the

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Herod in there herod was filled with hatred. That was his response to doing this being born. We're the kids grumpy get out my way

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Yeah, top deceiver as well. Yeah, like verse eight

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He sent them to Bethlehem and said go and search carefully for the child

424
00:34:15.420 --> 00:34:20.300
As soon as he find him report to me so that I too may go and worship him

425
00:34:20.300 --> 00:34:22.540
He lion. He literally wanted to kill him

426
00:34:23.020 --> 00:34:24.780
And that is easy

427
00:34:24.780 --> 00:34:26.300
Well, then let's try out live

428
00:34:26.300 --> 00:34:29.180
So we read 11 and verse 11 and 12 because that also gives a little bit more about

429
00:34:29.820 --> 00:34:32.540
How that ended with herod on the river you do you read?

430
00:34:32.780 --> 00:34:34.220
Okay, on coming to the house

431
00:34:34.300 --> 00:34:37.740
They saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshiped him

432
00:34:37.900 --> 00:34:42.380
They then they open to their treasures and presents him with gifts of gold frankincense armor

433
00:34:42.780 --> 00:34:47.580
And haven't been warned in a dream not to go back to herod. They returned to their country by another route

434
00:34:48.780 --> 00:34:50.940
That obedience is

435
00:34:50.940 --> 00:34:52.940
So yeah, they're pretty cool amazing

436
00:34:53.500 --> 00:34:55.500
Like

437
00:34:55.500 --> 00:34:57.500
I'll say it

438
00:35:00.380 --> 00:35:02.380
Wait

439
00:35:03.020 --> 00:35:08.060
Well, I think they moved in uncertainty where the shepherd's had I mean pretty clear, you know with the

440
00:35:09.020 --> 00:35:14.300
Angels in the white globe with everything. Yeah, I mean, it's like yeah, that's that's right man. He's these these

441
00:35:14.780 --> 00:35:16.780
Yeah, magic men these wise guys

442
00:35:17.740 --> 00:35:20.540
They just went they just went off was and I do love they're like well

443
00:35:20.540 --> 00:35:25.980
They originally went by a herod thinking he would be a good support and whatnot and then once they encountered Jesus

444
00:35:26.540 --> 00:35:31.980
They actually they had discernment and they they changed and like they're path changed because of meeting Jesus

445
00:35:31.980 --> 00:35:37.100
Which I think is again still very relevant for us today is like when we meet Jesus often our path changed

446
00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:40.140
So not be of the world but to be in God's will and and for him

447
00:35:40.780 --> 00:35:43.020
Which I think we can be encouraged by

448
00:35:43.740 --> 00:35:46.460
I agree I also agree

449
00:35:47.740 --> 00:35:50.060
Yes, that's great. That's good

450
00:35:51.580 --> 00:36:00.620
I think one thing I would like to add about the major is that we you touched it slightly about how it put in the years to come across and it speaks in the text of how um, I think

451
00:36:02.300 --> 00:36:04.140
Jesus would have been around like two or three

452
00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:07.500
To um when they they came to the house

453
00:36:08.220 --> 00:36:10.220
And it speaks about um how

454
00:36:10.780 --> 00:36:13.340
In the next account that we're actually not going to have a good time for it

455
00:36:13.900 --> 00:36:20.460
But you can read it yourself, but it speaks about how um herod found out and he was really angry and then

456
00:36:20.860 --> 00:36:26.620
Try to basically kill all the all the boys off all the kids off beneath the age of two. I think he did kill a little yeah

457
00:36:27.020 --> 00:36:29.660
Yeah, yeah, yeah, herod's not it herod's not a very nice guy

458
00:36:30.300 --> 00:36:34.140
That's his response to it and because of that it led to Joseph and Mary

459
00:36:34.700 --> 00:36:37.660
Having to flee to Egypt and so the beginning of this story though

460
00:36:37.740 --> 00:36:42.140
It's so beautiful and it's grand and it's God coming to the earth and these beautiful details

461
00:36:42.220 --> 00:36:49.260
It's also filled up a lot of like darkness and um difficulty and then having to flee and being displaced and put it

462
00:36:49.260 --> 00:36:53.100
Not knowing anyone or all this fear and confusion um and that is so much of

463
00:36:53.980 --> 00:37:00.460
I don't know what's the Bible but it is like God is in those ordinary places in those difficult places and even when he came

464
00:37:00.860 --> 00:37:11.100
He chose to enter the world in a very ordinary way in a in a very unlikely spaces um and and that is the beginning of of his his life as a human

465
00:37:11.180 --> 00:37:13.420
Yeah, and I think it shows the

466
00:37:14.300 --> 00:37:20.780
The like tension between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Yeah, we see that really clearly here

467
00:37:21.260 --> 00:37:25.580
And it reminds me of John 1 chapter 5. I mean, oh John chapter 1 verse 5

468
00:37:25.820 --> 00:37:32.460
Yes, which is the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Yep. And I think there's a real encouragement there

469
00:37:32.940 --> 00:37:39.340
That even when we have pushback as believers even when we encounter um

470
00:37:40.300 --> 00:37:48.380
Pursuit persecution and that can look very different um for us in the west and it does in the east um yeah

471
00:37:49.020 --> 00:37:54.380
But when we do encounter just difficult things and hardships as Christians due to our faith

472
00:37:55.260 --> 00:38:01.020
Actually the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus has won the victory

473
00:38:01.820 --> 00:38:03.820
He's won the battle and I think

474
00:38:04.620 --> 00:38:10.620
It's just a really comforting reminder that he's the one that fights on our behalf. Yeah, yeah

475
00:38:10.780 --> 00:38:15.180
His only spirit is praying for us. Just remembered that Romans 8, which is so

476
00:38:15.820 --> 00:38:22.780
Comforting yeah, and it's just like we are so covered by the blood of Jesus and by the light that his birth

477
00:38:23.020 --> 00:38:25.020
Yeah, and life

478
00:38:25.820 --> 00:38:29.820
So and I do love that this whole account gives all the details

479
00:38:29.900 --> 00:38:33.580
It's not just the good things, but it is the the the difficult things as well

480
00:38:34.060 --> 00:38:37.100
I think that again, it just shows a kind of god that that we serve

481
00:38:37.180 --> 00:38:41.500
It's a god of real humility that this is how we chose to come in and a god that really understands

482
00:38:41.980 --> 00:38:45.100
What it means to be a human and understands us. Yeah

483
00:38:45.900 --> 00:38:47.900
Oh, thank you god

484
00:38:49.500 --> 00:38:51.500
That's the end

485
00:38:53.820 --> 00:38:55.820
I think I was like he both did it at the same time

486
00:38:56.220 --> 00:38:58.780
I just want always there's something going on. Oh, is this a

487
00:38:59.820 --> 00:39:03.100
This a bit you'll get you'll get a split it the more podcast you'll get a figure it out

488
00:39:03.980 --> 00:39:06.300
But that's that's all we've got for today guys

489
00:39:06.620 --> 00:39:12.220
You're looking at the shepherds looking a bit Mary looking a bit of wise guys the wise guys the what they call sorry madgees

490
00:39:12.940 --> 00:39:14.940
Madgees made eyes made eyes

491
00:39:18.220 --> 00:39:24.460
I'm like king emojis and in the coming. Yeah, yeah, that was topical. Yeah, for Jesus or all the the magees

492
00:39:26.220 --> 00:39:30.140
But thank you so much for watching have a magnificent Christian

493
00:39:31.180 --> 00:39:33.180
Christmas

494
00:39:33.420 --> 00:39:35.420
They say Merry Christmas at the same time. Okay

495
00:39:36.380 --> 00:39:39.420
Merry Christmas to Merry Christmas. Oh

496
00:39:41.420 --> 00:39:48.220
I hope it's filled of love and joy and peace and fun and may you know more of Jesus this year

497
00:39:49.100 --> 00:39:51.100
Amen amen like comment subscribe

498
00:39:51.740 --> 00:39:53.740
See you next time

499
00:39:55.820 --> 00:39:58.780
You