1 Jan 2023, AM

So I know Christmas is passed. What began at Christmas. It's the biggest Story of All. My Children is your help to remember the Christmas story. So, I'd like to know children, adults later, if you get inside, okay, in the Bible's Christmas story, he told me things that are in the Bible is Christmas Story.

Jesus is in the Bible. Christmas story. That is an excellent answer.

They're shepherds in the Christmas story. There are you, tell me what happens to the shepherd? Somebody, tell me what happens to them.

The shepherd's. See some angels. Okay, that's good. Any other things in the Christmas story at the back?

Three wise men come and visit bring gift that definitely happens in the Christmas story as well and any other things that happened in the Christmas story who can come get more things yet yet.

Okay, we forgot that one other little things that we had a Christmas or in the Christmas story.

Jesus was born. That is definitely sent to the Christmas story and

we celebrate his birthday Christmas and another one here. Mary and Joseph were in it and angels are in it and one more. There's a census. The other is there's a census. That's really good are there. Okay. Grand ups are. There are there any bits were missing? I think we proved it up everything there.

A stable may be asleep on me. Yes, I'm animals. We go in manual.

New donkey technically in the Bible. If you look at it closely, but it's still our even if there is no donkey, it's not there. You can, you can text me on this. The reason I don't think there is a star.

There's an angel.

Anjali.

There is King Herod in the Christmas story. To that, won't go as a King Herod in the Christmas story. That is pretty good guy. Isn't it for weeks and weeks? If we didn't remember anything that happened? That would be quiet. Bad news, but we were remember quite a few of the things that are happening. Well done. I want to focus in on one b, a b we've already done in one of our Christmas Gatherings, and it's the bit where, if you remember, it, Joseph things Mary has been bad cuz she's going to baby inside her. And so he is going to leave her. But then, an angel shows up and explain to him what's really going on. And so he is going to come and read that little bit of the story for us and then went to think about it together, okay?

Thank you, Siri.

This is how the birth of Jesus. The Messiah came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirits. Because Joseph, her husband was faithful to the law and yet did not want to expose her to Public Disgrace. He had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after you've considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to him a son and you want to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people, from their sins.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said to the prophets, the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means god with us. When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and he took Mary home as his wife, but he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son and she gave him the name of Jesus. Thank you very much.

I want us to think about just 2 words from that story. Just 2 words as we look back at the Year this past. And they're not just any two words, their two names given to the child by Mary, and each of those names is God, a special meaning. Now, the first one is when we've talked to Matt already, some of our amazing contributors for what happened in the Christmas story reminded us of the name. Jesus, never very familiar with the name Jesus, right? But Jesus isn't just a name or just a curse word, like we would use it. And some people would today, it's something that means something. The angel points to that. Cuz he says, Joseph, you should give the baby the name Jesus and he says, why you should give him a name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Now, in the English language, there is no way at all to get from Jesus to he will save his people from their sins. Tell me what Matthew means. Tell me what Matthew means gift of God. I mean, like, you couldn't tell that, Who else? Who else knows the meaning of their own name? Who knows the meaning of the rain in yet. And I'm sorry. What is your name? Christy means father Christ. I didn't know that Christy that's really cool.

Rachel means you as, in female sheep apparently. So that's uplifting and encouraging. I got another one in the back.

Kieran means little flat kid. Okay. Okay. Okay. All right. That's good and Zoe.

Zoe means spiritual life in the back.

He didn't tell me that one more time.

Eric means. Ruler. Wow. Okay, okay, your parents a big plans for you. That's that's that's good. What about what about Jesus? Now, remember the the angel gave us that hinge, right? You can call him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins, but that's not exactly the meaning of the word. Jesus itself. Jesus is the English rendition of a Greek name. And the Greek name is a representation of a Hebrew one. And the Hebrew one is this, which says, Yeshua or your shua or yahushua or something like that to your parts, right? It's made up of two parts. The first bit is yeah. And then the second bit is shua shua okay. And those two parts mean, Lord and save and it's different ways you can kind of plug them together. So some people think it means the Lord of Salvation. Some people think it means salvation of the Lord, Jesus, his name put together saving and God will save his people. That is Jesus, is going to save his people, but what is he going to save them from? Are they like on a train track? And there's like you on noisy thing coming in like there's a train. Somebody needs to save his people is is that what he's saving them from? Remember what they told us he will save his people from their sins. Have always been thin thing that they need saving from. Here's a really simple way of understanding. What Sin is Sin is saying no to God, say the same talk to the hand, no interest don't care. I ain't listening. Listen is wrong. Thing is bad. Sin is evil but soon also done something. I'm going to send us is it? It is separates us separated from one another and it separates us from God. Now I'm going to need some help here and I'm going to need some people if you are okay, with being on camera, on the livestream and some people who are familiar with these sorts of nobly objects. So I need, I need two teams. I've got a space for a team over here and so maybe you do you guys want to come and help me, okay. I'm going to need another team. Are you guys going to come help me on team to? Okay, so team won over here. But with Legos. Okay and see if Timor never here, come over here, if you're going to be kind of crime, Sam team to you're coming over here, okay. Boys versus girl. I think there's a mild element of danger in boys versus girls. So I think we're going to do we going to do the teams as they came. Okay. And what I want you to do, you want to get a baseboard with a Lego person and I started building a wall around the person, that's why I'm done. So, what do I need to do is I'm going to give you 45 seconds can give you 45 seconds. And you are job, is to build as big and as tall and as intimidating looking a wall as possible around that minifigure in 45 seconds to start yet. Ready? iPhone jumbo I'm 45 seconds. Every time we say no to God, it is like putting Another Brick in the Wall between us and him every every time we say, no. It's like building that wall fire. Keeping him out more know. I'll do what I want. No, I'm going to look after myself, not them know. I'm not going to forgive that note. That the thing you're asking me to do is too hard, too difficult, I want to do it now, I've got my own plans for what I'm going to do with my own life. Building that wall up a notch and you're keeping God out, your boxing yourself in 6 seconds.

Note 3.

Times of Balenciaga here.

This is not like a potentially intimidating bull. I should have given them clear instructions. So you can use any breaks, you build yourself a big one. Okay. You want to find your sins? Can I let me see what I got. This is interesting, very creative construction here, like, you know, you'd never get planning consent for that. This is nothing but this, this is very so now. Can you see the minifigure to all blocks away? But, thank you very much too. Young to take your seats for a minute. That's awesome.

Terrible job in a way. Because what you've done is you've shown us what it's like to be cut off from going to be separated, from to be trapped, to be locked in the wrong things. We do me, and we can be with y'all, but they also mean we can't get together.

Here's the good news of the Gospel, right thing, that separates, but Jesus, he will save his people from their sins. Jesus is going to rescue. He's going to rescue from that Prison from that wall, that we build around ourselves together. Now, I have prepared myself for it. So I'm going to repair that when I talk, we're going to look back on the year. That is past. I'm going to think about where is we said no to God, where we said, no to his words where we said, no to his ways and I want to invite each one of us to share. Maybe just one word or just 2 words about somewhere that has been true. In our life. I'm going to use this thing called Sly. Do. What you couldn't join there but I need to login activate my question. So, hold on a second. And if you are with us from home, you can do this too. And

I have power there now.

so, Prince children, you might turn into an adult near you and ask him to put something in for you. You can just ask and that little tired. And then you can just pop in a word or two is going to be anonymous. We're just going to put these on together, just one minute to think about, in the year that's past was separated, you from God, right? Where, where have you put these big bricks between you and God bless things have you done?

Just a few more seconds.

What we can do with these things, as we look back on the Year, this passes, we are going to say, sorry to go on together. I'm going to look to Jesus. The one who says he is going to save us from our sins. So I'm going to do in just a moment and I really appreciate you sharing these things. It's not always easy to come up with these things to dare to put them out. There isn't

So, we're going to use a prayer words from the screen. And if these are your words, then I love you to say these long as I'm going to move on from the police. Even though I know people are still typing, sorry peeps, but you'll be there. I'm going to use these words together to say, sorry to Jesus and children. If, if you can't read these words yet, what you can do is just simply say sorry to God in your heart, in your own words and he hears that just as well, but I don't see if you were happy to say these words, then. Let's talk to him together together. We've done and said and thought lots of wrong things in his past year we know there are more than we listed out or even could list. Please save us from our sins through Jesus through his death on the cross in our place. Please forgive us our sins so we can walk into this New Year clean and write with you on men. Now, what we going to do is we're going to sing together about what it is that can save us from our sins. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Thank you, to remember. I said, we're going to think about two words from the story to help us as we look back on the year, past two names given to a child with a married. With a second name, shows up in verse 23. And here is where is 23 for us. The Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel, which means god with us to think about what it means is another name, that means something like that. Verse told us is a Hebrew name. And one of the cool things with these Hebrew names, as you can kind of plug. Together will also things into one phrase and it can be like a whole sentence in one word, and a manual is like that Emmanuel breaks down into three little pot. So here it is again, and we're dear icing, and you a l e Ms with and who is us and a old is God. Only one, we're just kind of jammed together. Who is it? Who is it? That is going to be cooled Emmanuel, back to verse 23. It is the child within Mary is the child within Mary. That means Jesus is this with us gone, right? If Emmanuel means god with us like a corn cob with us. Jesus Is God With Us, cool. But So I won't. What why does it matter with a gun is with us or not? Picture this like a picture. This imagine somebody has fallen into the sea. I'm going to fall into the sea when it is, wild and dangerous and deadly and the dark clouds overhead. There's crashing waves on both sides and they are struggling in the seating. No, they're not going to stay out very long in the seat spinner sooner or later they're going to go down. There is also a rescuer, okay? There's somebody who is meant to get you out of the sea. Once you falling into somebody's, went to grab you and hold, you have. That's their job. That's the real and imagined are, you are, okay? You're in the sea, the waves are crashing all around you. And something you get like a I didn't get the message on your phone and somehow I meant the crashing waves, you managed to pull your phone out of your pocket without drowning and have a little look at the screen and weather looks bad. Sorry stayed home Swim West. Is it going to be any help to you when you're in the Seattle? Sometimes, there's just no way to help someone. Without entering into there trouble yourself. That is true for us and God there's no way he could help us without entering into our trouble for ourselves. There's no way that we could be helped from a distance. There's no way we could have pulled ourselves out or Swim hard enough to get ourselves too sure.

Remember. Anthony's. Get this. Be the only one who could rescue us. Isn't she the one that we build a wall against the one that we build a wall to keep them down? When we separate ourselves from by saying no to him again and again since separate. So how can you have a manual? Done with us. If sin separates, if we built this wall, well, the answer is you can only be a manual going with us. If he is also Jesus, the one who saves us from our sins, Jesus breaks into our world is like he comes to join us inside the one, we bill, You can come and join us in there. That's how this is going to work. Remember, the person in the see the person in the wild? See, what does it take to rescue from that? Take somebody diving in to the Sea next to you. Coming to rescue Jesus freely, chooses to enter into our will to enter into the mess, we made. You could have just stayed home but he chose to do it. It was no other way to rescue us. He loved us so much that he did it anyway. He shows us his love by coming to join us because, you know, coming to join us inside. This prison is going to cost him everything, it's going to cost him his life.

Jesus isn't just like a a moral example, kind of showing what it is like to lead a good life. He's not just like a great teacher with some good ideas for how you could dig your way out through this wall. That's not only is Jesus, is The Rescuer. He's the one who comes to save us. From our sins. He is the God With Us in the middle of this mess. So what we going to do now is when I pray a prayer together giving him, thanks for that, being gone with us and then went to sing about the Amazing Story of what he did, it was the girl came to be with us in this world and then we have one last chance by children is a short chat. Okay, don't panic

So more words up on the screen if you believe these things, then again will pray together and they're too cute on these on your words. Don't worry. We're glad you're here just to stay quiet as no problem.

So, let's pray together. Jesus, after everything people have done. After all the wrong things, we ourselves have done. You could have just walked away and left us to it, lost in our mess. Thank you, that you loved us enough to take your own flesh and get your hands dirty instead. Thank you that you are both Cheese's the one who saves us from our sins and Emmanuel The God Who can be with us because you save us from our sins. So we praise you. I'm in let's spending the things together.

Jesus comes inside of it. He doesn't just come inside to be with us, but instead he smashes the wall down.

Can you break some breaks off the edge by? Yes, from God, the wall that separates and you know until after after he's done with it, Not even that much. Can you break it down some more like it was hard to get off? The baseboards, you have to appreciate this children. Yes, this is really tricky. The last brakes are really hard.

This is why this link is done. Thank you very much. You can hold this up. You can say, yeah, I like that. I like that.

Yes, that's what it's like.

That's what it's like we were not known me, not separated from him anymore but we cannot cannot be separated from him to the power of sin. The power of those bricks of wrong that wall. It's all destroyed. There is nothing now that can separate us from God. Now we have the Church of just started working our way through the gospel of Matthew. I'm going to be taking it bit by bit through the coming months, following the story of Jesus as told by Matthew and I witness would love to have you join us on Sunday mornings as we do that will take a little bit of the time. We've been looking at chapter one this morning ride the beginning. I want to take a sneak peek ahead cuz you know what's at the end. You know what's at the very end as we close

The very last sentence from the very, last verse Jesus says, at the end of Matthew's gospel, he says, surely I am with you always. Surely. I Am With You, Always to the very end of the age and this is present tense, not future. Not like, I'm going to be with you, I am with you now. Always it's in fantastic in the original language by myself. And with you Jesus no longer walk the earth, but he's still with us because the wall that we built around herself has separated us from God has been broken down. So the last thing I want to do this morning as we look ahead to the year that ahead, I don't want you to think about things you know we're coming your way, things that you are maybe worried about things, you might struggle with things. You know, you're going to struggle with Things you going to find it hard to get through and I want you to just share what they are as well. And just a couple of words again using this, this will give us a couple of things that are coming in the year ahead that, you know, we're going to be difficult and again children, if you got things, they're going to be difficult in the year ahead. Just get your parents to check a couple of words up for you too.

And what we going to do. Can keep it Anonymous. What we going to do is we're going to acknowledge the amazing truth that Jesus is with us through all these difficult things. Yeah.

Big things in life. They're going to be hard in the year ahead.

I guess the thing to think about this is, these are the ones that we know are coming. Or the ones that we suspect are coming. You know, these last few years of Thomas, there's all sorts of things we never even. Imagine, they're heading our way, they're going to be difficult as well.

I want a lot of difficult things.

Jesus is told us. And he didn't leave himself any wiggle room at all. That he is going to be with us in these things with us. Always to the very end of the age. There's no ifs or buts, that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. Much of this is still going to be hard. It doesn't mean it's not going to her, but there is a law of her and sadness. But it does mean that he will be with us. It does mean that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Just the last few moments.

Fallout difficult things. When I pray together, one last prayer from the screen.

so, Together. Lord God. There's a lot of trouble. I can see coming in the year ahead, many difficult things, hard, things, painful things and there many things that don't even see coming. Thank you for the big trees that you are with me in it, all with me through it all. Thank you that nothing now can separate me from you. Thank you that you're with me, always to the very end, help me to trust your words and to know you're with me all year long.

What we can do now is going to close his one last song, it's a big song. Declaring, some of the big truths that we believe is Christians, and sometimes as a follower of Jesus, as a Christian, it's hard to believe some of these big trees. Sometimes, it can feel dangerous, even to say them out loud. But they want to encourage you to sing these words and hope I wanted to believe these things help me to believe these things. So, let's stand together and sing.