Carols for Shoppers

[0:00] Well good afternoon friends and welcome to our 30 minute carols for shoppers. I thought we'd just start with a short prayer to ask for God's help. Dear Heavenly Father we just pray that you'd be with us now through your spirit, you'd guide our thinking, help us to understand why your son Jesus Christ broke into this world all those years ago and what impact that ought to have on our lives and we ask in Christ's name. Amen. So it's carols for shoppers and I was just wondering how your shopping is going. Has anybody completed their Christmas shopping, got everything, all the presents, anybody done it all? Yes, good, one or two. I always have difficulty with Christmas shopping.

[0:51] Each Saturday morning I put out a banner on the railings outside, I don't know if you've seen it. Have you seen a big banner, a big white banner, it says tomorrow right across it and each Saturday morning I come in at nine o'clock and I put the banner out. Well last Saturday morning I came in here at nine o'clock, I got the banner and I walked out the back door, everywhere else is closed in the church I walked out the back door with a banner under my arm and as I walked out the door and saw the door closing. I thought to myself my keys are inside the building and the door slammed shut and I was locked out and until 1.30 when I was able to get another key off somebody I had enforced Christmas shopping around the city centre. So I was walking around from just past nine o'clock until half past one. I put the banner up incidentally and then I was walking around and I bought, what did I buy?

[1:49] I bought three pairs of socks for myself, I bought an electric light bulb with a screw fitting for my bedside lamp and I bought a book for somebody. So my Christmas shopping last week wasn't very successful. I hope you've all had a little bit more success than I had last week. Our first carol, you'll see it in the order of service, is once in Royal David City and it's about where and why Jesus was born. I wonder if, I can see there might be someone here under 16 years of age, I wonder if you could look at this as we sing it and think to yourself where was Jesus born from this carol and why? Why did he come to this world? That's a bit more difficult but you'll see the answers to both of those questions in this carol before us and after the introduction we stand to sing.

[2:47] the beer at Elsk the show. Amen. Amen.

[3:52] Amen. Amen.

[4:52] Amen. Good.

[5:19] So do we see from the carol where Jesus was born. Can you give me any ideas where Jesus was born, particularly if you're under 16 years of age?

[5:32] Any ideas from the carol where he was born? Royal David City. Do we see it there? And then also, this one's a little bit more difficult.

[5:43] Look at the carol there. We'll see also why Jesus came. And you'll see that. Do you see the end of verse 2? Our saviour, holy. Do you see? That's why he came.

[5:54] He came as saviour to this earth. And also, the end there of verse 3. He leads his children on to the place where he is gone. So that was Jesus Christ.

[6:06] That's where he came and why he came, to lead his children on to the place where he is gone, which is heaven, isn't it? Isn't that a marvellous message?

[6:18] And if you look now, down to the reading in front of you, you'll see Luke chapter 2, verses 1 to 7. And this is Dr. Luke's account of Jesus' birth. And as I read it, I'd like you to notice how Luke locks his account into history.

[6:35] Are you with me? Luke locks his account into history. And he's not going to allow anybody to say that this Jesus is just a myth. He's just made up.

[6:45] Now, this is a historic document, Luke's account here. And it's detailing a historic event. So notice how Luke records names and places and government policy and official records.

[7:05] So I'll read it. And just have your antennae up as I read the passage before you there. So this is Luke's account, chapter 2, verses 1 to 7.

[7:17] In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. That's all the Roman world. Verse 2. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria and all went to be registered, each to his own town.

[7:35] And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

[7:50] And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.

[8:07] Someone once showed me a website called Google World. Has anybody seen that website? Google World. Somebody once showed it to me, Google World.

[8:18] And it's satellite imaging of what? It's satellite imaging of the whole of the world. And you can sort of hover over Scotland and you can zoom in to a particular street.

[8:31] It's really quite interesting. And I was looking on Google World and I zoomed in to George Square. So you can just zoom in to where you might find your house on it, actually. You can go around.

[8:42] You can even go on holiday if you want. I went to Italy as well with Google World. I went to Rimini and had a look around there. It's an amazing website, Google World.

[8:53] And if there were satellites, think about this. Way back in the first century, we could have zoomed in, couldn't we, to the birth of Jesus, the coordinates, Bethlehem.

[9:04] Jesus breaks into history. And our next carol, our next carol zooms in for us. It zooms in to a manger outside an inn where, what do they keep in a manger?

[9:16] Anybody know that? Normally keep cattle, don't they? So our next hymn is Away in a Manger. And you'll see that on the order of service. And again, we stand after the introduction.

[9:28] How For The Friend Thank you.

[10:11] Thank you.

[10:41] Thank you. Thank you.

[11:41] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[11:53] Thank you. Thank you.

[12:25] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[12:37] food of the Holy are life you for mortuary fact. The Roman Empire reset the dating system to Jesus' birth.

[12:49] It says even the evening times today and the Roman Empire tells us that Jesus Christ really broke into history. And that's what Dr. Luke is communicating to us here.

[13:01] So friends, don't let anybody tell you that Christianity is anything, are you listening, anything less than a historic event. Don't let anybody say that it's any less than a historic event.

[13:15] The evidence is just too overwhelming for that conclusion. And so God's arranged everything, hasn't he, for the birth of his son, Jesus Christ.

[13:27] All the Old Testament part of the Bible was pointing to it, that there was to be a king born in the city of David, which is Bethlehem.

[13:38] I'll just read to you a little verse from the Old Testament, and it's from a book called Micah. Chapter 5 and verse 2. And it tells us about the coming Messiah.

[13:49] But you, O Bethlehem, Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from the ancient of days.

[14:06] So there's a prophet there writing 700 years before Jesus comes, and he's pointing to this little town of Bethlehem, where the Messiah is going to be born.

[14:18] So the whole evidence in the Bible is pointing towards this birth. And we also see that Jesus would be part of David's family tree.

[14:31] Do we see that? Just look at the reading there. You'll see that at the end of verse 4, Luke tells us there. Because he was of the house and lineage of David, in verse 4.

[14:45] And he would come to save his people. So everything seems to be in place, doesn't it, for the birth of Jesus. And listen to this.

[14:55] We were thinking about Micah the prophet. There's also Isaiah the prophet. And Isaiah said, around 700 years again, before Jesus came, he said, well, he won't seem very impressive, this Messiah.

[15:11] Don't expect a palace. Isaiah wrote this. Listen, you might be familiar with these words. Isaiah said, we esteemed him not. Girls, could you be quiet or could you leave?

[15:23] One of those two. Thank you. So Isaiah says, we esteemed him not. And then the angels announced the birth, didn't they, to Mary in chapter 1.

[15:35] Now, there's just one problem. There's one problem at the beginning of Luke chapter 2. There's one problem. Mum and Dad are in the wrong place.

[15:50] Do you know that? Mum and Dad are in the wrong place. They're in Nazareth and not Bethlehem. And so, like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle, are you listening?

[16:00] God begins to slide everything into place in order to have Jesus, the Messiah, born in Bethlehem. I'll just read that process again.

[16:11] I'm going to read the passage again and just think about that process. Jesus sliding everything into, God sliding everything into place so that Jesus is born in Bethlehem.

[16:22] Just listen to the process again. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

[16:35] And all went to be registered, each to his own town. Do you see how it's all coming into place so that Jesus is born in Bethlehem? Verse 4. And Joseph went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

[16:59] So do you see how God's sliding everything, all the events of history into place so that the Messiah is born in Bethlehem? And so, as we listen in, listen, as we listen in, we hear a child's first cry, don't we?

[17:15] Think about this. This birth, this birth, it sort of strangely brought all of us together today, hasn't it? Am I right? It has, hasn't it, this birth? It's brought us together just now and we sort of cross paths, you and me.

[17:30] Am I right? And God meets us, doesn't he, in his word and through his son, Jesus Christ. So things go on outside, don't they? The vendor sells his newspapers across the road.

[17:43] We buy our Christmas presents. Christmas music rings out from all of the stores. All this sort of thing's going on. Thousands of people are pouring down Buchanan Street.

[17:54] Yes, it is. It's Christmas 2005. And God, the author of history, is always sliding things into place. Yes, he is. He puts things into place.

[18:05] And we can't escape what he's doing for us. It's very real, isn't it? God's in sovereign control of everything. Our next carol is Our Little Town of Bethlehem.

[18:21] And just have a look with me at verse 1. Just have a look at verse 1. There's some beautiful poetry. Do you see verse 1 in the middle? Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.

[18:35] Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light. Isn't that marvellous poetry? So after the introduction, we'll stand to sing.

[18:46] Praise in God. Thank you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. That truth of watermelon tree flushes, but still темing ye by aloo.

[19:08] And on the cross I need and we must be the silent time for my life. Yet in the cross we shine, the everlasting light.

[19:28] Where hope and fear the golden years are headed in the light.

[19:40] For Christ in the world of healing, the hell the Lord of God.

[19:52] And on the cross we see the alien being, the God of God we know. So God is that you ever, in the Holy Ghost.

[20:13] And we can see to God the king and peace to all the earth.

[20:25] To silently, come silently, the wondrous king will give.

[20:37] To God in the cross, to heaven and heart, the everlasting light. Your love and fear is coming, for the great world of sin.

[20:59] When each song fills with me, the earth is like the world's sin.

[21:11] So we shall come and fear, the end to us we pray.

[21:23] And that the strength and victory, the heart in us we pray. We hear the praise the name of the Lord, and with the light in the air.

[21:45] O come to us, the high river, our Lord, Emmanuel.

[21:59] So Joseph and Mary, they were in the wrong place, weren't they? And God slided everything into place so that they were in the right place.

[22:12] They got to Bethlehem. God arranged everything so that they got there for the birth of Jesus Christ. And friends, you're in the right place today. God's hand is operating in your life.

[22:25] Yes, he is. It wasn't that today he's had an off day and he's not sovereign today. He's not in control of the whole of Glasgow and our lives. No.

[22:36] Think about this. Christmas is around us, isn't it? If you think about it. Christmas is around us. But is it in us? Do we have Jesus in us? What I mean is, the fact of Jesus is coming, the fact of that is clear to all people, isn't it?

[22:54] We literally can't escape it. We've been thinking about that earlier. But the reason, the reason for Jesus is coming is something else. For the reason of Jesus is coming, are you listening?

[23:08] To slide into our lives, we need to do something about him. And perhaps there's one or two listening. Girls, could you just be quiet? We've nearly finished now.

[23:19] Just be quiet for two minutes. Would you do that? Thank you. So, if there's one or two here, you might be thinking that you'd like to explore Christianity a little bit more.

[23:33] Well, 2006 would be a good year to do that. You see, if you look in front of you on the pew, there's some cards there for our Christianity Explored course, which begins in January 2006.

[23:48] And wouldn't it be good to start the new year by exploring Christianity? The course is for folk who want to check out Christianity for the first time, or else to come along just as a sort of a refresher to go through the basics of the Christian faith.

[24:03] And let me tell you, the catering is absolutely superb. So, the cards are there. Do let me encourage you to take them with you. And if you intend to come along, just let me know about that.

[24:14] We need to know for catering purposes. Well, thanks for listening, friends. And our final carol is, Our Come All Ye Faithful.

[24:25] Our Come All Ye Faithful O The światłaś которую tọa nie zedem linda Now mатыł i zedem linda Taient stanyakap list God bless you.

[25:25] God bless you.

[25:55] God bless you.

[26:25] God bless you.

[26:55] God bless you.

[27:25] God bless you. God bless you.

[27:57] Do let me encourage you to stay for a cup of tea and coffee. The trolleys will just be brought out shortly. There's also a bookstool here. And there's some excellent books and there's also some CDs for sale.

[28:10] And think about this, their presents with an eternal message. If you want to think about browsing there and you might have somebody in mind to buy a present for. And it's no different from the first century when Jesus was born.

[28:24] There was a lot of distractions. Some people listened and others didn't choose to listen. So it's just the same today. But it is a glorious message that we keep proclaiming amidst this world and especially at this time of year.

[28:38] Shall we close with a brief prayer? Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ. And we just pray that you'd work in us through your spirit and you'd just help us to see why he came and help us to apply that message to our lives so that we can be drawn into that eternal kingdom of yours.

[28:57] And we ask in Christ's name. Amen.