Do Not Fear - Joy to the World

Announcements:

Christmas Dinner-to-go - Thanks to all the volunteers, itw as an amazing success!

Christmas Eve Service

Call to Prayer

Some of our programs will resume in the new year

Youth

Soaking service

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offering box at the back

Missionary Update

We support a missionary family, Dan and Jen Chaloner, and their SIX children

We have a short video update - this was filmed in early October.

They recently published this written update.

Dear Friends and Family, We are pleased to announce that we will be joining the PAOC International Missions team as new global workers to Italy. We are writing this letter to ask if you will please pray for us as we enter full-time ministry. We want to get started on the right foot, and are asking you to join us with the following prayer requests: For the ongoing training and leadership development of the leaders who joined our Empower training program earlier this month, in Bologna, and for the deepening of those meaningful relationships. For us as we embark on language training, and especially for the kids as they will be in a new context and want to make friends. Without some language it will be challenging for them to make those friendships in the early months That God would smooth the visa process for our family so that we can leave early in 2022.

So, there’s two stories that I want to focus on this week.

Luke 2:25–32 NIV

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Simeon has this amazing encounter - with the baby Jesus, no doubt!

Recap the story

Specifically

Simeon’s a devout jew

Guided by the Holy Spirit

Led to a specific place

Hinged on a promise

At Christmas, the Holy Spirit began to do something new in the world

We see this leading up to the Christmas story as well:

Luke 1:39–41 NIV

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

and we are looking at this from the other side of the cross - we need to understand, the amount of times the Holy Spirit is moving here is a BIG deal.

Talking about John, Jesus says this:

Matthew 11:11 NIV

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

So Jesus says, this person, John, who the holy spirit was connected to even in the womb - they’re the greatest that all of human history has mustered spiritually. But in the new kingdom - he’s the least.

All the heroes of the faith, the guys we put on such pedestals - the holy spirit was doing a new work, and his work was going to take them from the high bar to the low bar.

And this isn’t dragging THEIR value down - it’s about how the spirit was starting to do so much more.

The Spirit was moving - and He was doing great things. And he kept moving and moving.

All through the new testament, you see tons of amazing things. You see healings, people raised from the dead. Sight given back to the blind.

You’re seeing all this power in ways that nobody had ever seen before.

But Jesus challenges that perspective.

TALKING ABOUT DISCIPLES DRIVING OUT DEMONS AND HEALING PEOPLE.

Luke 10:20 NIV

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

So, Jesus says, as amazing as everything looks - that’s not the REAL point here.

At Christmas, God began to draw everyone back to Him

Matthew 2:1–12 NIV

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 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. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Fun fact - the text doesn’t say that there were 3 magi - it only says that there were 3 gifts. We just assume it was 3 magi.

We don’t know much about the identity of these Magi. Best guess is, they were learned advisers from Mesopotamia, Persia, Babyon. They may played a role something like, advising the king when he wished more learned advice or direction.

Daniel and king nebuchadnezzar, magi were among the people the king summoned to help him interpret a dream.

It’s unlikely they were jewish.

Recap the story

Specifically

They were not jewish

Guided by the Holy Spirit

Led to a specific place

Hinged on a promise

So in the story of the magi, we see this fantastic story of this group of gentile, learned advisors travelling across countries to come and meet the new King - not just the king of the jews, but the king of the whole world.

Because, see, in the spirit - God is beginning to draw all people to Himself.

We see through the life of Jesus, him continue this pattern.

He speaks to jews, and non jews. He meets with the pharisees, and the prostitutes. He meets with the jewish leaders, and the tax collectors.

He heals people, all kinds of people. He heals a jewish leader’s daughter, and a roman centurion’s servant

The entire OT, God is working his plan through Israel. But there’s prophecy after prophecy after prophecy, where God promises that one day, he’s going to start pushing further.

Not just Israel, but the whole world. Jew and gentile alike.

And it’s important to note here - even THIS is an extension of what the Holy Spirit is doing.

We like to believe that, if the info is there, good and intelligent people are going to go for it.

But see, Jesus says this:

John 6:44 NIV

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.

John 12:32 NIV

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Jesus places the start of this process squarely on God. He says, you can’t make it here unless you’re drawn by God. And God is going to draw everybody.

In the story of the magi, we see people far away, no part of israel, being draw to Christ across countries. simeon gets prompted by the spirit to go to a specific place in the temple at a specific day, to meet the new-born King

And it doesn’t stop there. The history of the early church reads like a list of ‘how can we get the most unique people under one banner.’

You have peter, paul, james and john, timothy, all radically different people.

Some theologians believe that the church in philippi was started by a jailer, a socialite, and a servant girl who had been possessed by a demon.

God is drawing anybody and everybody, it doesn’t matter who.

God is inviting you today

That is our message as a church. That is God’s message through history.

What qualifications is god looking for - you’re breathing. You’re alive, he made you, he wants you. Jesus said it himself - he’s looking to bring everybody in.

We encourage you, accept this invite. There’s no better time than Christmas to want to start a new life in God.

Accepting this is easy

Romans 10:9 NIV

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Let’s pray