Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Well, this morning we are starting our Christmas series. How Many People Love Christmas?
Yes. Great. How many people have got the Christmas tree up already?
[00:00:12] Speaker A: How many have had it up for the last five months?
Hey, we've got a few people.
Well, over the next few weeks, we're going to be looking at some of the characters in the Christmas story.
And today we are looking at the wise men.
The wise men, or the magi, they were royal advisors to the king. They were experts in astronomy. How many kids can tell me what is astronomy?
Anyone know what astronomy is?
Study. What are you studying? You studying the stars? Yeah. You can be a kid today, Juan. That's great.
Studying the stars. And they would study the ancient prophecies to see what was what had been foretold, but was what was still to come.
They were highly educated men. They were from Persia or Babylon. What's interesting is that the fact that they were from Persia and Babylon meant that they were deeply connected to the Israelite history.
Because remember Daniel? How many people remember Daniel, the prophet? Daniel was a prophet in Babylon. And so he led the Magi many, many years earlier.
Now, in their world, kings did not like competition.
When the king was the king, he wanted to stay the king for as long as he could, and so he did not like competition.
Now, there's going to be a villain called Herod in the Christmas production. I want you to give him the biggest boo you can muster when you see him get on the stage. Right. No rotten tomatoes, though. We'll keep those.
But kings didn't like competition.
So the wise men, they arrived in Jerusalem and they said to King Herod, where is this king born, the king of the Jews?
They were risking their lives even before they met Jesus.
Now, Herod was an evil man, like, truly evil man. When you think of all of the kings in history, he would have been probably one of the worst.
He was told that he even murdered some of his own family. That's how evil he was.
Anyone who was found to be a threat or in competition with him, he would have them executed. What a horrible, horrible man.
In fact, when he heard that there was a potential king, he had no hesitation to send out a group of people to execute and kill every young boy that could have been that king.
So these wise men, they come to this king to say, we want to find the new king because you're not the king anymore. Herod didn't respond very well to that.
So when the magi, the wise men, disobeyed Herod. It was an act of bravery, and it Cost them a lot, but it showed their devotion to God. So this morning I've got a team. They're going to help me preach because they bought three gifts. And I wonder if there's a child that can tell me what, what the three gifts were. I'm going to come bring my microphone and come down the front here.
[00:03:15] Speaker B: Frankenstein.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Frankincense, gold and.
[00:03:26] Speaker A: Myrrh. Myrrh. Gold. Frankenstein's a myrrh.
[00:03:31] Speaker A: Or gold? Frankenstein and myrrh, yeah.
But this morning, to talk about the gold, we have Jason Ham. Come on, Jace.
[00:03:42] Speaker C: Wonderful stuff. In Discoveryland, we always have a bit of rivalry between the boys and the girls. And I think I should bring that here today. Do you think? Because the boys we know are better, so we always.
[00:03:52] Speaker D: Oh, really? Oh, really?
[00:03:53] Speaker C: Okay, here's that.
[00:03:56] Speaker C: Whoa.
Could be a. Can be a. Yeah. Don't know what's gonna happen. After three. Boys and men, I want you to shout gold with all the enthusiasm. Okay. After three.
[00:04:05] Speaker D: One, two, three.
[00:04:07] Speaker C: Good.
[00:04:08] Speaker D: Okay, that was really good. Girls, can you do any better? One, two, three.
[00:04:14] Speaker C: Vasty, you're quite.
[00:04:17] Speaker C: I know you're a lady. Please don't. Who won? Who won?
[00:04:24] Speaker C: The ladies one. Got something. Okay, well, we've got to do it all together, but we do have a. I. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking of a song by Spandu Bally, aren't they? Here we go. Let's play it. Av.
[00:04:37] Speaker C: Okay, I'm gonna point to you.
[00:04:46] Speaker C: That was good. We had to get out of our system, didn't we? Because I know you were thinking about it. So I had to get out of our systems. There we go.
[00:04:52] Speaker D: Gold.
[00:04:53] Speaker C: The gold fit for a king. Historical significance of gold was quite something. In the ancient world, gold was a symbol of royal authority. Used for crowns, thrones and royal treasures. Think the coronation crown. I've got a picture back here. St. Edward's crown. Solid gold frame. Nothing but the very, very best. A gift deserved for kings, emperors and gods. The most expensive and long lasting metal.
[00:05:25] Speaker E: Gold.
[00:05:25] Speaker D: Men. We recognize you as royalty.
We recognize you as royalty by laying gold before Jesus.
[00:05:34] Speaker C: The wise men declared Herod is not the true king. Jesus is the true king.
Now this was a dangerous statement. Everyone go. Dangerous statement.
[00:05:50] Speaker A: Dangerous statement.
[00:05:52] Speaker D: That was good.
[00:05:53] Speaker A: You want form?
[00:05:53] Speaker C: This is good. This is good. Honoring Jesus meant dishonoring Herod.
[00:05:58] Speaker D: And Herod was known to kill anyone.
[00:06:00] Speaker C: Who challenged his throne. And here's a picture of Herod.
[00:06:04] Speaker D: Oh, no, he's not a happy bunny. When the wise men showed up in Jerusalem. Where is the one who has been born. King of the Jews.
[00:06:13] Speaker C: King Herod. Here, he panicked.
It says here Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2, 3.
[00:06:21] Speaker D: He felt threatene.
He felt disturbed, he felt scared. He was obsessed.
[00:06:28] Speaker C: Obsessed with keeping power. And that would never happen to country leaders nowadays.
[00:06:35] Speaker C: Joke, joke.
You see, Brian, gold was a dangerous statement.
[00:06:42] Speaker C: Come on.
[00:06:43] Speaker D: Dangerous statement.
[00:06:46] Speaker C: But one that was totally fitting and correct for King Jesus.
Gold also symbolized value given the best.
[00:06:55] Speaker D: No dodgy look alikes, no getting a.
[00:06:57] Speaker C: Breeze block from B and Q, painting it gold.
[00:06:59] Speaker D: Here it is. Jesus. No, no, this was gold. This was gold. Real gold.
[00:07:04] Speaker C: They were bringing the very best because Jesus was born.
What else did it symbolize?
[00:07:10] Speaker D: It symbolized purity.
[00:07:12] Speaker C: Gold is one of the purest and most enduring metals on earth.
[00:07:17] Speaker D: It doesn't rust, fade or fall apart over time.
[00:07:21] Speaker C: No matter what you put it through. Gold stays gold.
[00:07:25] Speaker D: And how that's true of Jesus life.
[00:07:28] Speaker C: True.
[00:07:29] Speaker D: His heart, his actions, his motives and his love. He never sinned, never acted selfishly, and never treated anybody with anything less than compassion and truth. He stayed pure throughout his whole life.
It symbolizes also kingship.
[00:07:47] Speaker C: Jesus wasn't just on any old baby.
[00:07:49] Speaker D: He was the promised king.
[00:07:51] Speaker C: When the wise men bought gold, they weren't giving Jesus a random gift that they got off Amazon, because I'm sure Amazon was around that day.
[00:07:58] Speaker D: Of course, gold was a royal gift, something he would present to a king. And that's exactly who Jesus is.
[00:08:08] Speaker C: Jesus was born a king.
[00:08:10] Speaker D: He didn't grow into the role or.
[00:08:12] Speaker C: Wait for a crown. From the moment of his birth, heaven.
[00:08:15] Speaker D: Announced as him as the king. The angels declared a savior, Christ. The Lord and the star guided wise men to worship him.
You see, gold signified importance. The very best. There is no one better, no one higher.
This was good news.
[00:08:39] Speaker C: Now I've got a bit of an illustration. I need Ezekiel, wherever you are, my friend, to come up. Everyone, applause. Ezekiel.
[00:08:50] Speaker A: There we go.
[00:08:51] Speaker C: Okay, we've got 100 star jumps. No, I'm joking.
I'm only joking. Joking. Okay, what I need you to do is I would love you to tell me about your perfect Christmas dinner. Okay, describe the plate to me. You up for it?
What do you like to eat on Christmas day? Okay, are you ready? Okay, just keep on talking and go for it. One, two, three, off you go.
[00:09:16] Speaker E: Potatoes.
[00:09:18] Speaker E: Yorkshire puddings.
[00:09:22] Speaker D: Oh, you're still talking. Oh, he's still talking.
[00:09:24] Speaker A: Sorry.
[00:09:25] Speaker D: Oh. Oh, that was a bit harsh, wasn't it?
[00:09:27] Speaker C: Okay, I watched another question. I have it.
[00:09:29] Speaker A: What?
[00:09:29] Speaker D: What are you looking forward to?
[00:09:30] Speaker C: Christmas present wise. There we go. Mum, take note.
[00:09:33] Speaker D: You don't really mind.
[00:09:34] Speaker C: Oh, okay. Well, tell about what you've had in the past.
[00:09:37] Speaker D: Can you remember what you had in the past?
[00:09:47] Speaker C: Where's my mouse?
[00:09:50] Speaker C: All right.
Do you know, I was very rude. I'm so sorry. And it was a point there, Ezekiel. It was a point because I've got a question for you. I've got a question for you.
I'm going to my next page.
Was I given Ezekiel my very best and my whole attention?
[00:10:08] Speaker C: Okay. We asked earlier, the boys, was I give him Ezekiel, my very best?
[00:10:14] Speaker C: Who said, yeah, the girls.
[00:10:18] Speaker C: That's more like it. You're my size.
I'm sorry, Ezekiel, but this is a point of illustration, which I'm going to come to. But for now, round of applause for Ezekiel.
Thank you.
[00:10:32] Speaker C: You see, gold reminds us that Jesus.
[00:10:35] Speaker D: Deserves our best attention and honor.
[00:10:39] Speaker C: Alison, are you free? Jump up for me. We have a verse to encapsulate what I'm going to talk about. So got next slide. Here we go.
[00:10:49] Speaker B: John 3:16.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
[00:10:59] Speaker C: Fantastic, Alison. Thank you so much.
[00:11:02] Speaker A: Brilliant.
[00:11:02] Speaker C: Absolutely brilliant.
[00:11:06] Speaker C: So I've got a question for you all.
[00:11:10] Speaker C: Who thinks it's easy and thinks it's a good thing to do to read the Bible?
Yeah, that's good. Who thinks it's good to pray? Yeah, that's good. Who thinks it's good to dedicate a whole life to follow Jesus?
Good. That's good. Your hands are up. That's a good sign.
In this scripture, God gave his best to his son, his only Son, to save us from our sins.
And we're going to think for just a few seconds of things that distract us from following Jesus. Like gold. It was the very best.
[00:11:39] Speaker D: We want to give Jesus our very best.
[00:11:43] Speaker C: What things can distract us and I wonder, as I say this list, whether any phrase or any word jumps out for you. God will illuminate to you. Of things we need to recalibrate in our life.
Screens and phones. When we spend more time scrolling or gaming than talking to God, worry or fear. Jesus says to trust him. But when we focus more on what might go wrong, then trusting God is with us.
[00:12:07] Speaker D: Busyness, comfort. When we choose the easiest option instead.
[00:12:11] Speaker C: Of the right one.
Jealousy, keeping it bottled within us. When we compare ourselves to others instead of remembering we are uniquely made entertainment. We spend too long on Netflix, TV, YouTube, music, games. We can pull our hearts away from God, if they become our main focus.
Laziness, pride, not paying attention when God is speaking, but when doing something else.
So as we wrap up thinking about gold this Christmas, when we have time to perhaps more chill and relax, it's time to recalibrate and think.
2025 is nearly over.
[00:12:49] Speaker D: We absolutely can make changes this side of the year. But of course 2026 is also a fresh clean start.
[00:12:55] Speaker C: It's a question for all of us. How can you give Jesus your very best this Christmas and into next church too? Just like the wise men, giving gold, representing the best that there can be.
[00:13:06] Speaker D: How can we as rediscover church, give.
[00:13:09] Speaker C: Our very best to Jesus, not just on Sundays, but in our everyday.
Jesus wants to speak to us, guide us, be our very best, best friend.
Let's offer all of our life to him.
Rosie, thank you.
[00:13:33] Speaker E: Good morning everyone.
[00:13:36] Speaker E: I'm going to tag right off the back of Jason and jump straight into the next gift the wise men brought Jesus. Frankincense.
Now, frankincense was an expensive resin from trees that grows in Arabia and East Africa. To get frankincense, it was quite the process. First harvesters had to cut deep into the tree and wait for the SAP to drip out. Then they would gather it over weeks and months and then finally refine it for temple worship. So frankincense was rare, precious, time consuming to produce and extremely costly.
In the Bible, frankincense was used in temple sacrifices, in priest worship rituals, in prayer offerings and for anointing holy places. For thousands of years, frankincense symbolized the presence of God. It represented prayer, worship, holiness and access to God. So when the wise men gave frankincense as a gift to Jesus, they were declaring something incredible about him. This child is not only a king, he is God.
I find this completely incredible because frankincense wasn't just given to anyone. It wasn't just given to any random person. No. It was only reserved for the holy, the sacred and the divine. It belonged to God alone. But here we have a baby born in a manger in Bethlehem, surrounded by animals, being honoured in the sea way. Priests honored God in the temple. The wise men recognized who Jesus truly was. And they bought this gift as an act of worship to him.
Frankincense was also more valuable than gold in many nations. Carrying it meant the wise men were traveling with a treasure that costed a small fortune. They risked danger, robbery and even the threat of King Herod. Yet they chose to honor Jesus anyway. Their worship really cost them something. And it shows us something so powerful. God desires someone whose life is completely laid down at his feet, even when it costs them something. You know, Jesus loves our songs and our prayers, but what he really desires is a life that is fully handed over to Him. I forgot to bring this up with me earlier, but I have a remote here now. A remote controls everything that happens on the tv. The channel, the volume when something plays, when it pauses, and when it turns off completely. Whoever holds the remote decides what happens next. And if you've ever watched TV with siblings or friends, you know exactly what happens. Everyone fights for the remote because the person holding it gets to choose. In life, we often want to hold the remote for ourselves.
We want to choose the channel that feels easiest. We want to control our plans, our timing, our choices, and our direction. We want to be in charge of our own story. But frankincense, a gift given only to God, shows us something different. The wise men were recognizing Jesus as God and surrendered to his authority. You know, I find this amazing because the wise men were kings themselves. They deserved worship.
[00:16:51] Speaker A: They deserve.
[00:16:52] Speaker E: They deserved to be honored. But instead they gave that worship to Jesus and they surrendered that to his feet. And that's exactly the kind of worship Jesus is inviting us into.
Worship means letting Jesus choose the channel of your life.
Sometimes that means switching off a channel we like because God is calling us into something better. Sometimes it means turning down the volume of the world so we can hear God more clearly.
Sometimes it means pressing pause on our plans so we can follow his plan.
And sometimes it means moving to a totally different channel. We didn't expect.
[00:17:31] Speaker E: But trust God that He knows the story he's writing, even when we don't. You know, I thought I would be in New Zealand forever. I thought that I would live my whole life there. I had an amazing life planned out.
[00:17:45] Speaker E: I had an amazing.
I was going into the last two years of my schooling. I had amazing leadership opportunities planned out for me, and I had the best friends.
But when God was calling us here, I knew that this was the next step. I knew that he wanted me to follow him and trust him and surrender my life to doing exactly as he called me to do. And it was really hard. But I know that me obeying him is my worship to Him.
[00:18:16] Speaker E: Alison, do you want to come up and read the next verse?
[00:18:22] Speaker E: Matthew 16, verse 24, Matthew 16:24.
[00:18:27] Speaker B: Then Jesus said to his disciples, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
[00:18:35] Speaker E: Amazing.
[00:18:39] Speaker E: Jesus is saying today, Give me the remote Let me guide your decisions. Let me show you the right channel. Let me lead you into life, purpose and peace. Just like the wise men surrendered something costly to worship Jesus.
[00:18:56] Speaker E: We are invited to surrender control. Not because God wants to restrict us, but because he wants to lead us into something better.
So here's a question for you. What's one way you can worship Jesus this week?
[00:19:16] Speaker A: So good. Thank you, Jason and Rosie.
Now, I want to talk about the final gift this morning. And it's really significant because this gift is quite unique, specifically to Jesus.
The final gift that Jesus was bought was the gift of myrrh.
Myrrh is a bitter gift, gummy resin used in medicine, healing oils, and also as a part of the burial ritual. Now, I want you to imagine turning up to a baby shower with diapers and embalming fluid.
[00:19:51] Speaker A: It doesn't really fit the narrative of celebrating a baby, but Jesus.
[00:19:59] Speaker A: He was born to die.
[00:20:03] Speaker A: Such a significant thought that Jesus was born to die so that we would have life.
What an incredible.
[00:20:13] Speaker A: Promise to think that that's what Jesus came for.
The myrrh smelled beautiful, but its taste was bitter.
These two thoughts symbolize the beauty, but also the suffering.
Christ, myrrh, like gold and frankincense, was extremely expensive.
It was known for its healing properties, often used as an ancient antibiotic, and it was used to prepare the bodies of kings for burial.
In biblical times, when someone died, their body was wrapped in cloth and then soaked in myrrh.
It represented honor, respect.
[00:20:54] Speaker A: And as a part of the mourning process.
But even as a child, Jesus purpose was being shown in the gifts that were bought by the wise men. He was born to die. Jesus, the only human whose purpose for living was to die.
But what's significant is he didn't.
He wasn't born to die, but then to be raised to life again.
He came to heal our hearts.
He came to save the world from sin.
He came so that his death would bring life to you and me.
[00:21:30] Speaker A: By giving myrrh. The wise men were saying, this child will give his life for the whole world.
This child will give his life for the whole world. Because humanity had been carrying the burden of sin for centuries.
You know, when Adam and Eve sinned.
[00:21:47] Speaker A: Sin entered. When they disobeyed God, sin entered into the world. So that meant that every human being that was born was born into sin, wasn't born as a good person, but as a sinner.
And so for centuries, the people would have to offer a sacrifice in order to be right with God. And the sacrifice meant there was A There had to be a shedding of blood. So blood had to be shed.
So they would go to the temple and they would bring their sacrifice. And that sacrifice would have to be killed.
[00:22:18] Speaker A: So that their sins could be forgiven.
[00:22:24] Speaker A: Let me grab that backpack.
[00:22:29] Speaker A: You know, humanity.
[00:22:31] Speaker A: We wrestle with this too.
[00:22:35] Speaker A: Sin becomes a burden that is too heavy for us to carry.
[00:22:41] Speaker A: I wonder, Jason, whether he can help me, because again, I wonder if there's some things that you would identify with in your own life.
[00:22:52] Speaker A: Burdens that weigh us down.
[00:23:01] Speaker A: Sins heavy and awfully hard to find at times.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: In fact, the devil's pretty sneaky. Okay.
[00:23:09] Speaker A: Illustration. Bro. Broken.
[00:23:13] Speaker C: Bitterness.
Fear.
Shame.
[00:23:19] Speaker C: Guilt.
[00:23:21] Speaker C: Anger.
[00:23:23] Speaker C: Resentment.
Anxiety.
[00:23:28] Speaker C: Doubt, Insecurity.
[00:23:33] Speaker C: Worry.
[00:23:35] Speaker C: Pride.
[00:23:37] Speaker C: Rejection.
[00:23:40] Speaker C: Disappointment.
[00:23:42] Speaker C: Comparison.
[00:23:45] Speaker C: Hopelessness.
[00:23:47] Speaker C: Grief.
[00:23:49] Speaker C: Loneliness.
[00:23:52] Speaker C: Unbelief.
[00:23:54] Speaker C: Condemnation.
[00:23:57] Speaker C: Regret.
[00:23:59] Speaker A: So many of these things.
[00:24:02] Speaker A: Sin, but also.
[00:24:05] Speaker A: The outworking of sin in our lives.
Living in a fallen world, we carry the weight of this.
And Jesus says, let me take your burden.
Jesus took up his cross.
And when he went to the cross, he took on our backpack. He took all the weight of our world on his own shoulders.
[00:24:27] Speaker A: While we strive to be perfect through the sacrificial system. Jesus said, you can't be perfect. In fact, the Bible says there's not even one person that's righteous. Not one.
All of us have sinned. All of us have fallen short of the glorious standard that God has set.
The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, meaning when we sin, the outcome will be that we will die.
But Romans 5:8. God demonstrated his own love for us in this. That while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This king, born in a stable.
[00:25:03] Speaker A: Born to die, that we might live.
Sin is heavy, but forgiveness removes the weight.
[00:25:14] Speaker A: These people have been baptized today. Can we give them a chair one more time?
Where are you?
So good.
[00:25:25] Speaker A: What they have done today symbolizes what Jesus did. When we are baptized, we identify ourselves with Christ who died. We go into the water.
It was just as Jesus was buried in the water.
We didn't keep them down there for too long, did we? Just like Jesus didn't stay in the tomb. It was a borrowed tomb. He was only there for a few days. He didn't need it for any longer than that because he overcame sin and death.
But he was buried. But then he was raised back to life. And this is the power of the Gospel. Not that Jesus died, but that he was raised to life to conquer sin and death. And so when we see this gift of myrrh, we're reminded that Jesus died so that we might have life.
I'm going to ask Alison. Can you read one more verse for us? Isn't she doing a great job?
[00:26:19] Speaker A: Colossians 3, verse 13.
[00:26:21] Speaker B: We good bear with each other and forgive one another. If any of you has a revance against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you.
[00:26:31] Speaker A: Amazing. Thank you, Alison. You've been incredible today.
[00:26:37] Speaker A: You know, Jesus offers us forgiveness, but he also invites us to forgive others.
Can I tell you that forgiving somebody is probably the hardest thing we have to do as human beings.
Sometimes we have to forgive ourselves.
But when we have to forgive someone who has hurt us, there is a letting go of the pain and the right for recompense and making sure that what they did was recognized and acknowledged.
But we can forgive someone regardless of whether we reconcile with them.
Because maybe sometimes reconciliation isn't going to work.
Maybe your part and your heart is to reconcile, but the other person's is not.
We can still forgive.
We pray for reconciliation.
But when we forgive, what we are saying is, I will no longer hold a judgment in my heart towards that person.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: Instead, I'm going to release them. I'm going to forgive them. I'm not going to hold that debt against them.
And can I encourage each one of us this Christmas to consider this question?
Who can you forgive so that your heart feels light again?
[00:27:55] Speaker A: Come on, don't carry unforgiveness this year into next.
Would you purposefully choose to forgive, to release, to let go and trust God with the outcome? God will take care of all that needs to be taken care of. But you can forgive. Why?
[00:28:18] Speaker A: Because the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3. 13. So you must forgive others.
[00:28:27] Speaker A: So to finalise and to wrap up this morning, we've talked about three things. Number one is gold.
Two, frankincense. And three, myrrh.
Gold speaks of the fact that Jesus is our king.
Frankincense says that Jesus, he is God.
Myrrh speaks of Jesus as our savior.
And these three gifts from the wise men reveal the whole Christmas story.
Three things. And you can write this down, kids. His identity. Who was he? He was the king, his divinity. A fancy word for saying, he is God.
And what was his mission? He would be our Savior. How many people think that they need saving from the sin that separates them from God? Yeah. How many people have made that decision in their lifetime so far and said, God, I need to surrender to you and give my life to you. Look at that. Hands up all across this place. Look at that.
And maybe there's some here today saying, I'm recognizing now that my life is full of sin. There's selfishness, there's pride, there's envy.
In fact, I've got deep unforgiveness in my heart towards other people.
And I need God's help. I need to surrender. I need to have a transformation like the people who've gone through the waters of baptism today to say it's no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me.
And if you know that you need to become that new creation. I want to give an invitation today to pray a prayer, to say, Jesus, please forgive me. Forgive me of all of my sin, forgive me of all of the wrong, all the things that I have done to receive his forgiveness.
It's not something we can do to become a better person. It is a gift of grace that has been extended to us. But like a gift, if I gave you a gift and you didn't take it, the gift won't be yours.
But if I gave it to you and you receive it, that gift is given. I don't take that gift back. That's a gift that's given.
And that gift of salvation is being offered to all of us today.
I wonder if we could stand together and if you're prepared to pray this prayer.
[00:31:00] Speaker A: Maybe we can all pray together.
[00:31:04] Speaker A: A prayer inviting Jesus, our king, Jesus who is God, Jesus who is our Savior.
[00:31:14] Speaker A: To come and change our lives forever. Let's pray together.
Dear Jesus, thank you that you came to earth, that you were born to die.
Thank you Jesus, for dying on the cross, for taking the burden of my sin upon yourself so that I could be free.
[00:31:39] Speaker A: Thank you, God, that you raised Jesus to life and the power of his resurrection is available to me today.
Today I turn from my old way of living.
I ask you to forgive me for all of my sin, my pride, my selfishness. I commit my life to you today. I believe you died and rose again to bring new life.
[00:32:10] Speaker A: Thank you for being my king.
[00:32:15] Speaker A: My Lord and my Saviour.
In Jesus name, Amen. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer for the very first time, it doesn't matter how old you are, whether you're two years, three. I was three years old when I first recognized that Jesus saved me from my sin.
Or whether you are 100 years old, if you prayed that prayer for the very first time, we want to celebrate with you. We want to get a Bible in your hand. We want to make sure that we help you take your next step. Because this is the first step. But it's not the only step. We want to help you become a disciple of Jesus that will learn to walk with him and walk like him. If that was you, we'd love to celebrate with you. Could you give us a wave and say, yeah? I prayed that prayer. Anyone here this morning?
Up the top, down the bottom here? Anyone?
[00:33:12] Speaker A: Well, Father, we thank you.
We thank you, Lord, for this gift that is offered to each one of us. Father, I pray that as we come into this Christmas season.
[00:33:24] Speaker A: As we honour you with our time and as we've been encouraged today, that we would bring you our worship, we would bring you our attention, that you would be the most valuable person in our lives. I pray that we would, in recognizing the forgiveness you've given to us, we would show that forgiveness to others.
Lord, I pray that in these next couple of days that we would even reach out to our friends and our family, invite them to be a part of the Christmas celebrations to come and be a part of hearing these messages where we speak of this incredible gift of Jesus to all of humanity.
Thank you, Jesus, that we have been forgiven.
That our sins are not counted against us, that we are free.
Free indeed.
[00:34:11] Speaker A: Lord, we thank you for the celebration this morning.
In Jesus name we pray.
[00:34:18] Speaker A: Amen.
