2022 Dec 18th Sunday Morning Service

Thank you. Pastor Dave, my microphone on good morning. Wish you all a. Merry Christmas want to thank Pastor Dave, for inviting me to come and share with you.

I don't have a lot of props and there's a lot of different scenes and what I'm going to be doing. So you'll have to use your imagination and that might be okay, but I'm going to try to portray to you the life of a man that is often forgotten at Christmas time, you see him standing at the manger and that's a buddy, Joseph. A God had called him and chose him to Evie. Stepfather or played the role of a of a father to, to Jesus. That's, I tried to portray that. I hope that will. Appreciate Joseph, just death. Just a little more. And you're trying to portray to you Joseph slave from the time that he met Mary. until the time, when they took Jesus to the temple to arm at the age of 12, also takes sticks in that that time. Wow. I hope cross that it'll help you appreciate this, man. Just a little more and understand what what he went through.

I marry. so good to see you again and I'll wave we've known each other for quite a time now and had several dates together and I've gotten to know your parents and you know that we're from the same lineage and and add more than that. Mary. I I really gotten to appreciate you and Falling in love with you. and,

I know, I know I'm quite a bit older than you are and I'm not wealthy, although I, I do have a good trade and I'm a hard worker but Mariette, I'd like to ask you to marry me. You will. That's great. I I I know we're going to be happy together. I'm I'm going to try to be the best husband I can to you and if God should bless us with a family of certainly tried to be a good father. So, let's let's make this plan to get married. Now, I know you told me that you were going to Go to to see your cousin Elizabeth and the priest Zacharias. And so you'll be gone for a while and I'm sure going to miss you but while you're gone I'll make some preparations for our wedding and so on. So I hope you have a good time with with your cousin.

Hi, Mary. I sure. Missed you. I'm glad you're back. And did you, did you have a good time with your cousin?

They're having a baby. I thought they were well on in years.

I don't think Elizabeth is a spring chicken anymore.

Old Sac. He's getting up there in years too but that's need. They're having a special baby. Zechariah, can't talk. Took his voice away. Wow. Well at that age, maybe that's a good site. I don't know. But but that that's neat that there that they are having a baby but

You saw an angel. A real angel. Did he talk to you?

He told you, you're going to have a baby. That's neat. I I was hoping we could have a family and all this. So many people, Elizabeth that can handle children. So I'm glad we're going. You're, you're going to have a baby soon.

Your what? Brandon. I'll come on. Marry you you know that we haven't slept together and I

So, who's the father?

Holy Spirit. you know, Mary I I know I don't have all that much schooling, but I know enough about the birds and the bees that it takes a man and a woman to have a baby.

I can't, I can't believe that I trusted you. I thought you were a virgin and, and

how are we going to explain this to your parents and You know. You know, Mary I could I could I could have you thrown for this that's adultery.

Anyway, I I don't, I don't want to have any part of this site. I don't want to have an illegitimate child.

Maybe. I'll go to the priest and see if we can ever our engagement to nolden and maybe you can go back to Elizabeth and have the kid up there or whatever I ask. Anyway, I am out of here. I I I can't I can't handle this. An angel. Unbelievable.

Joseph. Son of David.

Do not be afraid to take to you Mary as your wife for that, which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a son. And you will call his name, Jesus. Or he will save his people from their sins.

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord, through the prophet saying. Behold the Virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel. Which is translated God With Us.

Wow. An angel. A real life angel.

Mary said was true.

God damn, I'm sorry. I I didn't believe married.

But, why me?

Why should I be there? Perineum. God.

God wishes.

if you really want me to, I'll I'll certainly try to be a good. Father. Jesus.

I don't even know if Mary will take me back after how I treated her.

Just believe.

Mary. I know you were upset with me and probably don't want to talk to me after how I treated you, but Guess who? I saw an angel. yeah, we live Angel and I believe what you said was true. is hard to believe, but

you know, you said we're going to have this baby. You're going to have this baby. And you to call him. Jesus Emmanuel God With Us. He's he's going to be God. I can understand this but

Will you marry me? You will. Thank you, Mary.

Going to be difficult for us to explain this to our parents and to the people here in Nazareth. But

We're going to have to do the best we can. I can't believe why God would choose you and me, I mean, where nobody in and Meet the Parents.

Godson.

Are Mary, I just got news that we're supposed to go to Bethlehem. There's a Caesar is doing a census and Probably, there'll be some taxation involved. He's always after money him. So we have to go to Bethlehem. That's where I was born and I sure like you to come with me. I know you're you're heavily pregnant and it's about 70 miles down there. You want to go? Okay, we are let's let's leave in the morning. I I've got a little donkey back. There will take with us and maybe you can ride him sometimes and what will make the will try to do the best we can.

I'll marry. You look so tired and still quite a ways to go. Maybe, maybe we should stop here and spend the night. No, you you want to go to the rest of the way you. you read in the prophets that baby is going to be born in Bethlehem.

Okay. I guess we better better. Keep going.

I sure hope we can find a nice place to stay in. Where you can be comfortable and and have our baby in.

Mary. I've been Everywhere looking for a an in for us to stay. But it's all full. All these people are here for the same reason we are and there's just nothing. There's there's one more place I want to check.

Good evening, sir. I would like to rent a room. We come all the way from Nazareth and you can see, my wife is heavily pregnant and we need a room. You have nothing. Nothing at all. We can't we can't just be out here on the street.

You have a barn.

You want to stay in that Barn.

You know, she might give birth to this baby tonight. If you want. Him to be born in the you do, who this is? no, you you wouldn't know

Mary. I can like to spend the night in the barn. If nothing else, we checked everywhere. You're okay with that.

Okay, we'll just after the best we can. I

You look so tired. I wish I wish I knew a midwife in town here. Somebody to help us. But it's just you and me and And God.

I'll try to get some blankets and maybe some stuff to make diapers with her, or maybe you can find some hard water or something to help us him.

Mary. What a beautiful little baby.

Do you know, Mary? This is God's son.

Wow. You're so brave. I'm so proud of you. How you handled all this? Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but he's here. I'll make a little bed for him in this crib and get some fresh hay. And We'll treat him like a little lamb and put them in here.

What's what's that noise out there? You could be up in the middle of the night. I'll go check.

Hello.

You're Shepherds. Yeah, I can smell that.

Looking for sheep. I've looking for sheep. For a baby. You saw angels. Yes, I believe in angels. A whole bunch of them. They send you here.

To worship. Yes, we have a baby. Yes, he said kind of a different baby butt.

Well, if Angel send you, I guess we'll let you in. So come on in but please don't stay long. His mother is very tired with kind of had a rough night and come on in Isn't she beautiful?

you know, he's he's actually going to save people from their sins. Yes, going to be king over Israel. I'm not his phone on. You won't understand that either.

Well, thank you, thank you for coming and Paying homage to. Godson.

Have a good night. Yes, you can. You can tell anybody where I don't care world's going to know about this. Anyway, tell the other Shepherds and anybody else that you meet, so ever have a good night.

Well, Mary, it's been eight days since Jesus was born. And, you know, the law says, we are to take him dedicated to God and have him circumcised. And so we will take him to the, the priests in Jerusalem. And I believe, it's Simeon and Anna that are there and will resend them to God.

alright, send me your nana, we brought our child to dedicate them to God and have him circumcised and You've been expecting him. Yes, he's kind of different.

Okay, would you would you accept our little offering and got a couple of Dubs here? And, and do the circumcision and thank you. Thank you so much. You, you can die now. Don't don't die. Now

Okay. Well anyway, thank you so much for blessing, our child and and God bless you.

You know, Mary. You're still pretty weak. And, and Jesus is so little and help us out where you say, we

We spend a little longer here in Bethlehem I can. We can rent a room and I'll get ahold of some tools and get a job here and maybe we can spend a couple of years here and you'll Jesus is a little older and you're okay with that. Okay. Will get herself a room and raised Jesus here for a while.

Mary, there's somebody at the door. Coming around here.

Hello.

Your kings. God is yours. Persia the east. Wise men. What are you doing here?

Worship the king of the King Herod is in Jerusalem there.

no, you were follow the star.

That is some hulking star.

And I brought you here.

What what what are those things are? Those are, those are gifts.

Frankincense and myrrh. Go home. We can sure use that gold. It's been kind of

Tight around the earth. That's all that gold will certainly help us when you came to worship The baby is, is going to be a king. Yes, you know, you're probably be a king. Come on in and see him.

There he is.

Yeah, he's a little King but he's can't. You You stop by Harrods. King Herod.

He told you to. come back when you found him and he told him he was going to be a king. That doesn't sound good for her. I want you to come back cuz he wanted to come and worship him. I wouldn't do that.

You're not going back.

I told you not to go back to another way. So well that's good. That's a good idea. Thank you, thank you so much for coming and worshiping this. Thank you. For those gifts are certainly going to be helpful. So God bless you as you go back to your Homeland.

Will marry you. Jesus is 12 years old now. She's grown up to be a fine young man. Such a good kid and you know, the losses at 12 or become the man, we are to take him to his arm, it's run.

So we we need to go. Need to go back to Jerusalem to the temple there. And Dad.

Forgot the part where you said, I heard from.

Another angel. and she told me that we need to take, Jesus a way because Herod is killing all the babies. 2 years old and younger and we're supposed to go to Egypt.

Egypt. That's where our ancestors were slaves. but you said Jesus would be saved there, so, So we better pack our bags, we don't have that much anyway in let's go, let's go over to Egypt and keep Jesus safe.

Well, we've been here for some time.

So another Angel Mary, she told me we should go back to Judea. Herod died. And so Jesus should be safe and so let's go back, let's go back to Bethlehem my still got my tools and stuff there, and it'll be nice to see some of the people that we and we got to know there. So

very, Another angel. Told me we shouldn't go to go to Bethlehem but we're supposed to go back to Nazareth because there's other king is kind of a turkey too and he doesn't like other things being born. So Something about he'll be called a Nazarene, so he needs to be raised in Nazareth. So,

going to be tough trying to explain. I mean, people figure out what happened and so and yeah, they won't believe that. He's God. But let's do with the angel said and I'll, I can get my job back there. I'll start doing my carpenter work. Maybe I can teach Jesus out of you, a carpenter, be a fun thing to do. So, So let's let's head back to Nazareth.

now, Cheese's Jesus is. 12 years old. We need to take him to your room to dedicate him. So go down to Jerusalem and dedicated Feast of the Passover there it'll be a lot of people there. Be nice to see some of our people again and show off our good-looking son. So I know some people from Nazareth be going down there too. So

It's nice to be here, he sent Jesus, and, and I'm sure he hasn't had a good time. Being up there in the temple and dedicating Hamlet about, we need to go back. Need to go back home now, to azerrz.

Mary have have you seen Jesus? I thought he was with you. You thought he was with me. Maybe, maybe he's with his cousins, or somebody here.

I've looked everywhere. I, I can't find him. He I don't know why he disobey doesn't didn't stay with us. That's it. We got to go back to find them. We can't leave them here.

There is. talking to the priests and the elders and Just listen to. Question said he's asking and answering.

Amazing. Jesus, we need to go home. Why are you why are you? Why did you abandon us? And not stay with us and with her family?

You what? You had to be about your father's business. Look, Jesus, I'm your fault. oh, your real father. I keep forgetting.

Okay, but we still have to go back. I'm glad that you have good conversations and raible to talk to other people, but we need to go back now.

That's the last we hear about Joseph tradition tells us that he died when Jesus was a probably in this latter ladder, teens but I hope that this has helped you to I understand Joseph a little more than what he really had gone through.

But, you know, Christmas is not about Joseph. It's all about Jesus. The fact that he came. Ornan the humblest loneliest way. Knowing full. Well, that he came to die.

Christmas without Good Friday and Easter would not be so great. But it's because he died for your sins and mine and rose from the dead and the fact that he's coming again. This time, he's coming out as a baby in the barn, but is king of kings and Lord of lords.

I'm wondering this morning. Do you know him? Not to know about him but you know, him personally.

And I'd like to pray for you before we go we didn't just come to present Joseph. We came to represent Jesus and There's anyone to hear that. Like to have prayer. I'll be glad to pray for you. Maybe you're praying for the need that you have or praying for someone else. And

Who would just raise your hand and there's no way. I don't know you but you don't know me but I will pray for you.

Okay. Okay.

Anybody here that you don't know Jesus and You would like to accept Jesus, if if you are that person that you're what, this could be the greatest Christmas that you've ever had by inviting Christ into your life. And if you haven't done that, come and talk to me or talk to Pastor David, Make this the best Christmas by giving him or receiving from him. The gift of eternal life is the greatest gift that you get have. Do that. Lord Jesus. I thank you for Christmas.

And I thank you for Easter. And I thank you for. The day that they're you promised that you would Raptor us or take us home. Be forever with you in a beautiful place called heaven. Thank you for allowing us to present part of the Christmas story, but especially 2%, Jesus. Bless this church, Raeford that lady that has special needs a minister to her and I'm sure there's other needs here today. Great. Especially if there's anybody here, that doesn't know you personally that they'll open their hearts to you. Less Pastor Dave. In this congregation, give them a wonderful Christmas. We thank you for this beautiful church and the people that make up the church, We love you, Lord, Jesus. And we praise you in your name, amen.