SPEAKER_00: 0:08

Welcome and thanks for joining us on this episode of the Midweek Podcast, brought to you by a Fresh Wind Church. Each week, our team brings you new content to help you take steps towards Jesus and discover more in Christ. Today's episode is hosted by Pastor Ryan.

SPEAKER_03: 0:27

Hey, welcome back to the Midweek Podcast. Pastor Ryan joined as always with Pastor Tim. And uh Tim on Sunday, we kicked off a brand new series, our Christmas series called I'll Be Home for Christmas. And man, love the idea of this series. So excited about it. And we, man, we got uh a lot of really exciting things happening in December. So we have uh Freshwind Kids have a Christmas performance coming up on Sunday, and I know that that's a family favorite. Kids are so excited about performing in that. Uh my daughter Ellie's got some lines, she's been practicing them every time we're in the car. It's all I hear. All right. Her practicing lines. Uh Reese might have a little Forrest Frank solo. So uh he's he's been practicing that. And so it's been a lot of fun hearing them get ready for it and excited to see that performance. And then week after that, it's coming quick, but Christmas Sunday is gonna be here uh in just two weeks and um launching two services. So we'll have 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and man, just just really excited about all that God's doing.

SPEAKER_01: 1:31

Yeah, I'm uh told my wife, I said, Are we ready for Christmas? You better get busy. She's like, you haven't done anything. And I said, I can drive. Just, you know, make the plans and get it done. I can drive. I think we were going over presents uh last night um during the um uh Kansas City game. And who won that game by the way? I crashed. I went home and fell right to sleep.

SPEAKER_03: 1:58

I have no idea. No Sunday night football for me.

SPEAKER_01: 2:02

Anyways, um yeah, we're we're going in, we got a little fire brewing between us. Obviously, I didn't get enough of my side done, so but hopefully I'll get that figured out for Christmas so I don't get a lump of coal.

SPEAKER_03: 2:17

Yeah, we are we're going back and forth on gifts or travel. You know, like our kids have just about everything that they need. And it's like, do we want to spend a bunch of money on stuff that they don't need, or would we rather go do something? And so we we're going back and forth, and no matter which way we look, we're like just it's a lot of money to to to go shopping or to to do vacations. It's just a lot, and so we're trying to balance that and figure out we honestly we'd rather do a vacation. So that's what we're leaning towards.

SPEAKER_01: 2:52

But but your kids are the age, you need to give them stuff that you can take away from them to control them.

SPEAKER_03: 2:58

I mean, that's the that's free parenting.

SPEAKER_01: 3:00

That's that's good parenting advice. Give them something they love so you can take it away when they're not living up to expectations. That's right.

SPEAKER_03: 3:08

So yeah, uh, that's you know, I don't I don't know where you're at on the podcast. Kids plug your ears and the whole Santa Claus thing, but I'm like, it's a great hey, he's watching. You better be straighten up.

SPEAKER_01: 3:22

We never did that. We we um worked our way around that, and we had you know, reindeer paws in the snow and all that kind of stuff, and we just shrug our shoulders. I don't, I don't know. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03: 3:38

And uh so Joy and I have taken completely different positions, but as I shared in the sermon on Sunday, uh my mom still writes from Santa Christmas presents, and I'm a grown man, so you could you I bet you could figure out which side I'm on in that debate. Um, but man, it's uh just I love this time of year. Um it's it's a time when families come back together. Um and man, I I think this series really kind of plays into that. I'll be home for Christmas. I think there's that longing that we all have of of wanting to be home, wanting to be with people who who love us, people that we love, where we feel known, and we don't gotta do the whole performance thing, you know, we just get to come and be home. And um, I think this this series speaks to a to a lot of that. And I it was right after that prayer route, I shared this in the sermon too, but reads like, Man, I landed in Vietnam Christmas Day, and I'm surrounded by all these guys, and I never felt more alone.

SPEAKER_01: 4:42

Yeah, that had to be tough. I know. Um so my son-in-law, when he was my daughter's fiance, uh, he would fly in and and we'd have to be, you know, Teresa's like, okay, we gotta act like this, and we gotta keep this stuff clean, and you gotta pick up your socks, and you know, and I I said this this Christmas says I said he's coming home as our son-in-law now. We don't have to put on a show. We can just relax. And she goes, No way, you're not acting that way. But there's something about being with your loved ones. And um, you know, I think about home and uh I get my daughter this year, they kind of swap out going to Texas or Ohio, depending on the year, and uh, we get a home this year and I'm and it it makes my home more of a home because of the relationship I have with them and they're there. And uh I think we we start to realize that home is not necessarily a place, it's uh people and uh the Lord is uh teaching us to long for his home um because of our relationship with him and uh we always talk about the relationships um with the people that have gone on before us and are in heaven and and uh that's gonna be a a great uh reunion to make it more like home.

SPEAKER_03: 6:16

Yeah, we're actually uh Christmas Eve, we're gonna talk a lot about that. Um and so if you're uh uh looking for something to do with your family, Christmas Eve, uh 7 p.m., come out and uh join us, gonna have candlelight service. But we're gonna talk about just what you're talking about, that that home that you know Jesus came here, um, but then he left to go and prepare a place for us. Um one day we're gonna get to be home. And you know, scripture talks about how we're sojourners here on earth. And so I think there is that heavenly longing that we all have. So I don't want to preach that sermon, um, but that's a little taste of what's coming Christmas Eve.

SPEAKER_01: 6:53

I I love the way you uh talked about it on Sunday, though, that we uh find ourselves down these roads that we didn't choose and we we feel far from home. And uh you might not be in that place now, but you can remember a time when you ended up there and uh we feel lost and confused or we feel like that we've wasted some time. You know, I've heard uh behind. Yeah, a lot of my a lot of my friends talk about I should have I should have I had that block uh three or four years working that job and I should have went to school at night or you know, I I I should have built that house or I should have and uh we feel like you know, man, I just I lost a bit of my life here. And we uh we use that example of Mary and how she was just you know, whatever you want, Lord, you know, I'm gonna obey. But the to be that person, to be Mary, you know, to be the traveler, the um and then these things keep popping up. And listen, Mary wasn't the only woman in Judea that was uh had a rough spot there when they said, Hey, you gotta go to your your home village. I mean, I'm sure there was a lot of traveling on the roads and and that road was probably not as safe as we think.

SPEAKER_03: 8:30

Yeah, it's you know, a lot of commentators um said that Mary didn't have to go on that, you know, it was Joseph that had to go back for the census. Mary didn't have to go. And so what drove her her decision to go, you know, and wanting to be with Joseph, him not missing the birth of of the their son. Um her being shunned by her village. It could have, and some commentators point pointed that out, you know, is she is Joseph wanting to protect her and saying, you know, because there's a lot of questions. Um yeah, you guys said that you haven't, whatever, you know, but uh there's some evidence to the contrary here. Right. Um, and this is the first time, and I you know, sometimes we gotta step back and realize just how crazy this sounds. Right. First time in history a virgin is now with child. Nobody had ever seen that before. And all the questions that would go along with that. Um, and so yeah, maybe Joseph's saying, nah, I want you with me. Let's get out of town for a while.

SPEAKER_01: 9:34

Yeah, I don't trust those guys, you know. And I think most of the people there just accepted that something had happened and Joseph was being a good guy by um marrying her anyways, and this, that, and the other thing. But the problem that we have in today's world that's happening all the time, so we we don't really understand the social pressure that was that was on them.

SPEAKER_03: 10:04

It it had to be yeah, immense. And so they they take off on this journey, and like you said, I mean we we all end up there in those seasons, like God, how how here? Why me? Why now? Um talk to a a lady after church on Sunday, just man, I feel like feel like everything is falling apart around me. Why why is this happening? And I can understand if you know it was one thing, but it's not just one thing, it's two, three, four, five things. I mean, she she gave me a list and your heart just breaks for people in those situations. And and you look up and you're wondering, God, how how did we end up here? And what and why would this happen to me? Um and you do, you kind of feel like you're lost on this road, um, with no map, no, no guidance, there's no book that tells you how to, you know, three easy steps to fix your life and turn it around. Yeah. Um you're just here wondering how how did all this happen? And and man, what we're learning uh in this sermon on Sunday is man, God meets us on that, on that road, in that place. Um, and so it's uh it's an exciting thing because as you as you look, um, Jesus came into a world that was filled with with chaos and confusion. Um He he used uh a decree by a you know pagan Gentile government. Um and God's like, I'm gonna use all of this so that I can fulfill my purpose.

SPEAKER_01: 11:39

And I think I don't when we look at this, the nativity uh scene. Oh, speaking of that, we got that nativity in the big barn in the back, and we need to put that up. It's Christmas time.

SPEAKER_03: 11:52

Good catch. Good catch.

SPEAKER_01: 11:54

Right in the middle of the podcast. It was someone take a note and call us. Yeah, it was it was floating by. And uh yeah, we gotta get up, get that up. Okay. The nativity kind of gives us the idea that Joseph and Mary were completely clued in with this beautiful scene and the angels and the shepherds and the three kings and all that kind of stuff, but no, they they stepped out in obedience and uh went on this uh walk to have this baby in a place and they didn't know it was gonna be the fulfillment of prophecy. Maybe they did, you know, once they said we gotta be there, um, but they weren't thinking that way. They didn't see the angels that showed up with the shepherds. All right. It would they saw the shepherds show up. And the three kings didn't show up for a few months after that. It might have been even three months after that. Yeah. So uh we have them all there together. Yeah, we got them all there together. So that that's not a they were in a cave or in a a shed and built on front in front of a cave, um having a baby, you know, with no room in the end. And and I'm sure that they're um Joseph is is saying this this is the king of kings and I'm failing.

SPEAKER_03: 13:23

Oh you know. Yeah, we talked, you know, talk a lot about Mary and what she was going through, but yeah, that as a father, as a husband, what have I done? Right. How how how is this all I was able to provide?

SPEAKER_01: 13:39

Right. Um and here's the thing, he was probably getting ready back in Judea or or back in um Nazareth. Yeah. He was he was um he was probably getting ready, you know. He had everything he needed. Um it's gonna be a nice place for her to have the baby, all that kind of stuff, because he had already committed, and now he's in a place where there's no room in the in. And he's he's probably thinking, Towards God, I failed you. Uh I fa I can't. I know this was important and I messed it all up.

SPEAKER_03: 14:18

Boy. How many guys I've talked to over the years that have said just those same things that you're saying. Right. And you know, it's not about trying to bring the savior into the world. It's just I failed at my purpose, you know, I've I've picked the wrong career, I failed as a husband, I failed as a father. And we're not even saying, you know, you committed adultery or neglected your kids. We're just that feeling of man, I've I've blown it. I could have been better. Could have been better. And you look up and your kid's 16, he's 18, he's heading off to college, and you're like, man, all those years I squandered, you know. Uh all the time they're dad, let's go play catch in the yard, and you wanted to sit on the couch, and all that stuff just starts to hit you. Um, Joyce sent me this thing today. Um, just about, you know, you're in your 30s and it's like, what do you want for Christmas? Just peace and quiet for a minute, you know. And then you're 80, wishing, oh man, if I could only hear them running around the house again.

SPEAKER_01: 15:22

I just had the chaos one more time.

SPEAKER_03: 15:24

And and that man, that that's so true. And I think that those feelings hit us deep. And I think moms, there's particular pressure on them for that, but then as dad's to just say, Man, I'm I'm failing in this area. And it's easy to to feel lost in all that.

SPEAKER_01: 15:44

Yeah. Especially grandparents who used to used to run the whole thing, and now you're a guest at your kids' house, you know. Uh can I come early? Well, no, mom, we got some things scheduled. You know, you just come. Do I need to make anything? No, mom, we got it. You just come and sit there and leave early, please. Thanks. And um yikes. I know. And Teresa was reading this whole article about it on how um grandparents feel you know, sooner or later the family's gotta do the family thing, and the grandparents kind of get pushed out, and uh they end up being guests instead of family, and they feel it. So uh I just want to send it out to all you grandparents out there who um you've been manhandling Christmas your whole life and got it exactly the way you want it, and now they're not doing it your way. Um that's where we are. And uh um that uh the Lord can use you in that situation, even as a guest. But I know you feel alone and it's not the same. But the Lord is there, just like Joseph, you know, God, I failed you. This is not what I wanted, you know, uh, for your baby. This is not what I had planned. And but I can guarantee you this one thing is that Joseph had peace because he was right where God wanted him to be.

SPEAKER_03: 17:19

Yeah, you know, here's what's so important the Christmas story isn't peaceful, people in perfect conditions. You know, you talked about that nativity scene, and it looks oh silent night, oh holy night, right? I'm sure they were thinking anything but that. Exactly. This is a mess. It ain't silent at all. We got cows and we got the ducks, we got all this stuff going on around us, the baby's screaming, we don't know where to put them. Someone grab a manger, get a manger. We gotta put them somewhere.

SPEAKER_01: 17:48

Right. Uh there was a donkey. Uh, I think you're gonna get a call from Nicole. She loves donkeys and donkeys. There's a movie about donkeys at Christmas, and you just stead up there and said, There was no donkey. How could you say that?

SPEAKER_03: 18:01

Well, look, I went and searched. I'm like, where's the donkey? There's no donkey. I'm I'm positive there's a donkey in this story. There wasn't. Um, wait till Sunday when I blow up the nativity scene for everybody. Here we go. Yeah, you got to come to church on Sunday for that one. Um, so it's not just peaceful people in perfect condition, it's weary travelers on a stressful road and a God who meets them right there in the middle of the chaos. And, you know, it'd be interesting to ask Joseph when we get to heaven or Mary, like, how much did you guys know? Right. You know, because I mean they had the Old Testament books, you know, uh probably wouldn't call it the Old Testament then, but they had these scrolls of prophecy and stuff. And did they know what God said through the prophet Micah that that he was gonna send a ruler and it was gonna be born in he was gonna be born in Bethlehem? Did they know all that? Did it did it all start to click and fall in place? Um or is it just another step saying Well, the way I see it, I I don't think they would give um you know, God's stepdad.

SPEAKER_01: 19:10

He he wouldn't be just a normal flunky like me. I think he would be one of those guys who knew the old testament and memorized most of it, you know. Uh someone like me with uh, you know, I can do Star Trek trivia. That's about all I got, you know. Um or he might have just picked someone with the most compassionate heart.

SPEAKER_03: 19:31

You know, we don't well if you look at the way the Jews did their schooling, only the best got to keep going and become a rabbi.

SPEAKER_02: 19:40

That's true.

SPEAKER_03: 19:40

So I'm not saying Joseph flunked out, you know, in kindergarten, but he was a carpenter.

SPEAKER_01: 19:46

Right.

SPEAKER_03: 19:47

There was a time when it was like, hey Joe, we love your heart. We know you're working really hard. You might be better with a saw.

SPEAKER_01: 19:56

Right. Well, I think um You know, we'd play around with all those thoughts. It'll it'll be interesting to see if they they had read Micah. Yeah. You know. And then when they when they got this message that he was gonna have to go to Bethlehem, they might have just looked at each other and said, That makes sense. And that might be the reason that Mary got on that donkey that was there. That was there.

SPEAKER_03: 20:22

All right, Hollywood.

SPEAKER_01: 20:24

It's in it's in all the pictures. Um that might be the reason they went. It you know those, he will be born in Bethlehem, and they probably when they got that decree, they probably looked at each other and said, Does that make sense? Yeah, we gotta go, we both gotta go.

SPEAKER_03: 20:40

Here we go. Yeah. One of the things I brought up in the sermon on Sunday, and I didn't get a ton of time to to talk through it, but Mary is, and we I mean, we only have a short little snippet into her life pre-Jesus, you know. But she is uh a woman who practiced obedience, man. And I love that yes, before we even get started mentality, you know, when Angel Gabriel shows up and says, Hey, by the way, you're gonna have a baby, and she doesn't come up with all these excuses and not me, and what if, and she just says, May it be as you have said. Yes, before we I don't know all the details, I don't know how it's gonna work. I mean, I and she does say, I'm a virgin. What are you talking about? Right. But she just says, Yeah, yeah, okay. Well, let's do it the way that you said. And she had to have an idea of the implications and all that would cost her, all the the questions that people were gonna have, you know, even her parents. Mary, what the heck is going on here? We you've been with us the whole time. How did this happen? You know, like from everybody. And she said yes to it. And now here's this hey, get on the donkey if you want. Uh give in, give in, right? Channel 90 miles, give in, um, uphill to go go to Bethlehem. And she just she said yes. And I I think, man, if we could be those people who practice obedience and say yes, even in the small things, then when God brings those bigger opportunities, those bigger situations come up, that bigger temptation arises, if you've practiced obedience, it becomes easier to say yes.

SPEAKER_01: 22:27

Discipline begets discipline. We talk about spiritual disciplines and the thing a person needs to do every day, every day to uh learn to walk with Jesus. And um and that's uh what God's calling you to do, to obey in those, you know, to read your Bible, to worship at church, to um pray. Uh number one, pray. I should have said that first. But all these things uh God is asking you to do, and it's um those little things that don't cost you much where you learn your obedience. Because sooner or later he's gonna ask you to forgive someone. And that's gonna cost you your pride, cost you your angst or your malice, like we were talking earlier between me and you. Um that's gonna those things when you when you say I'm gonna practice obedience and you do the little things, then when the big big things come along, they're just yes, okay, now what's next? And that's what we that's what we have to do. It can be trusting God with your finances, you're looking for a car, trusting God with finding you guys' car, um, taking another ministry step, like splitting the services, you know. Um we just if we do these small things in obedience, then he can he can start laying down the big things.

SPEAKER_03: 24:04

We all want that glamorous life, you know, where we say yes to God and we do some big bold thing and we're preaching at a conference with 20,000 people.

SPEAKER_01: 24:13

And we get a um a big cash whatever for a book that you're gonna write, and you know, you know, we can dream up the dream. I that might only be pastor's dream.

SPEAKER_03: 24:24

Maybe maybe nobody everyone's like I never once thought of that.

SPEAKER_01: 24:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 24:29

Um man, we we want to do great big things for God, but we don't want that mundane yes on a Tuesday. I'm just saying, I'm gonna show up. I don't feel like getting out of bed today and doing my devotions, or man, all the kids are screaming, they're all tired, we need to get them to bed, and we're just gonna skip the family devotional time before bed today. And and I get it. You just start saying yes in those small things. Otherwise, God's like, I could give you the big opportunity, but you'll squander it. You won't be ready. We got to practice obedience. And so for Mary to say yes to that angel, man, I I just wonder what her life was like before that. All the those little promptings of the spirit when when she, man, I need to do this thing here. And oh, I need to, I need to be this person in this situation. She had to be someone who practiced obedience because now God sends Gabriel to her and she just says, All right, yeah, we're gonna do it the way that you said. May it happen just as you said. And I love that about her, her just willingness to say yes, to walk in obedience. And you know, I I compared it to, you know, a GPS that reroutes uh when you get off track. Um when we're we're feeling far from home, we're feeling like, how did I end up here? The the fastest way to get back on track isn't usually isn't to backtrack and go back and try to find out, okay, where did I take that wrong turn? The fastest way is just to say yes to the next direction. Turn right. All right, yes. And I turn right. And that's what's so good about God. He meets us right there on that road and all those roads of obedience. Every time we say yes to him, God's like, okay, I'm right here, I'm in this. And he'll meet you right there. Even if you feel so far from home, even if you've been ignoring your GPS for the past decade, you just start saying yes to him, and he'll lead you right back onto that road that you need to be to fulfill his will and his purpose for your life.

SPEAKER_01: 26:35

And I think it's it's we've been kind of banding uh bandying, bantering around Luke 16, 10, where he says, uh, whoever can be trusted with very little can be also trusted with much. And I think when we look at that, our much becomes a certain specific thing, you know. But much means the rest of the road. The much it keeps coming. You know, the more obedient, the more you can be trusted with the little things, the more he can trust you with bigger things that keep coming, things, not just one thing. And I think, you know, uh uh Joseph and Mary are there and they have the baby. Oh, this is a big thing. No, no, no, no, no. You got another 33 years with this guy, and we got a lot of things, you know. And um they had a they had a son that you know, he was a model citizen. And they walked, they just walked off and left him one day. Yeah, for three days he was in the temple teaching uh at 12 years old, and uh they had to run back to Jerusalem. Where is he at? Because he never does this, you know. And uh I'm sure they were going, Yahweh, uh I don't know. It was her. It was her. She's the one who's supposed to keep track of it.

SPEAKER_03: 28:08

I don't really know how to say this, but uh we lost a savior.

SPEAKER_01: 28:12

But I I said all this, I I said that to say this. Um just because you say, okay, I want to come home, doesn't mean there's not there's gonna be another um question of obedience. It's gonna be the next step, you know? And that's what he's looking for, and that's how we grow. Uh we get lost in the woods, and he shows up and says, Trust me, I'll lead you out of here. No, I got this. Okay, I'll be over here until you want to trust me. And uh he's always there, always ready for us to turn around and say, Okay, you're in control, just tell me what to do.

SPEAKER_03: 28:52

Yeah, it's it's just saying yes, taking that next step of of obedience. And what's tough is is we we want it to be easy, you know, taking that step, and okay, God's gonna fix my life, and my finances are gonna immediately turn around and all this stuff. Um, you know, on Sunday I compared it to you know the will of God to the American dream. That's what we we assume. Oh, it's gonna be this. Sometimes it's a journey uphill to Bethlehem in a place where there's no room for you. Right. Sometimes that's what God's will looks like. And you know, you pointed it out earlier, you know, in the middle of all that, Joseph You're almost positive he had peace because he was right in the will of God. Right. And man, it's you can be loaded with cash and not have to worry about anything and buy whatever car and vacation you want and not worry about what you're buying your kids for Christmas and have no peace. And no peace. At the same time, you could be wandering all of those things and have peace because you're right in the middle of God's will. You have He, because you said yes, has positioned you right into His will. In His presence. And we talked, you know, a couple sermon series ago about God Just Tell Me, and we talked about what God's will is, and man, it's we do, we think it's that one thing, right? And more often, and sometimes there's that one thing but man, so much of God's will is just the next step of obedience, right? And and taking that next step, and so I I would don't assume that just because life is hard, that God can't use you, or that this isn't where God wanted you. Um I've Bridget and Larry are in our life group, and Bridget for years, you know, has worked these different jobs, and not often does she love what she's doing at work and all this stuff. But man, over and over again, she goes, I know God has me here for a purpose. I know God has me here for and she is constantly looking in the middle of a job she did she didn't necessarily want to work or whatever, to say, God, what what is your purpose here? I remember when she worked at that one store, she stayed way longer than anybody else would have in the situation that she was in. And um, I mean, just being mocked for her faith, all kinds of stuff. And she said, God hadn't told me to leave yet. He's still doing something here. Man, let us be those people. God, I'm just gonna take that step. I'm gonna say yes here because I believe you you have positioned me. And even though it looks hard, and I'm 90 miles from home and I've left my parents, my family behind, the comfort of our home, all that Joseph prepared for me back there, I've left all that. I'm gonna say yes because I know that that's what puts me right in the center of your will.

SPEAKER_01: 31:55

I think uh we we don't understand how wonderful it is to be there. You know, we're always struggling, even the way we thought about Joseph uh at first when we were talking about, you know, how how am I gonna take Lord? I failed. And uh I think the Lord just wants you to realize that some of the detours you took on life is on your way to your destiny, you know, and we need to be a people who think that way, that all I gotta do is turn around and say yes. Um, and we meet Jesus on the journey and he he starts us on the way home. And uh we we need to be led. And one of the things that we we've gotta get a hold of, and I know it's tough, is that he never leaves us alone. If you've accepted Jesus as your savior and Lord, you are accompanied for the rest of your life. You cannot be alone. That's right. And uh you're just you're just one step from Jesus, and uh I tell people all the time, I just feel so far up. You don't know what I've done and you know where I am. I just say, turn around. Turn around and he's there.

SPEAKER_03: 33:10

That's what I loved about that passage of scripture from Acts that I was uh using in my sermon on Sunday. Yeah, that fit perfectly. You know, God puts us in these times and in these places, he's defined our boundaries so that we might reach out and find him, though he's not far. And some of us, man, we do, we feel so far from home. And I've just made so many mistakes. I and if you grew up in church, you know, you you feel that tension of man, I've walked so far. Um, but yeah, no, no, no. He's like, just reach out. I'm right here. I haven't gone anywhere, I'm right here. And if you'll say yes, I'll I'll I'll join you in this thing and on we can go, and I'll lead and I'll guide you right back into the purpose and plan that I have for your life. Just say yes, I'm right here.

SPEAKER_01: 34:03

Yeah, and I think sometimes we use that metaphor of the road and the journey so much that we feel like we're going somewhere. No, we're talking about, you know, your work, the one that you've got your 401k with, the one that has a little pension at the end, and you've already invested this many years and you can't go anywhere, and your boss is cruel. He says, I'll live this with you. You know, we can't we can't change the work. But I can uh change your boss and I can use you to do that. You know, um tell your boss you're praying for him. Tell your boss, hey, I know you're you're anxious about this, but I've been here 30 years. I know you've only been here a few years, and you think this is all weighing on your shoulders. But listen, boss, it's gonna work out. Everybody needs these parts, and it's not going anywhere. It's gonna keep going. You don't have to be afraid, it's all gonna work out. And bosses, of course, they they want to be the boss, and at first they they reject that stuff. Well, I'm the boss, I'll decide if it's gonna work out or not. But down the road, God will soften their hearts. He's the only one who can change the leopard spots. And if you got a cruel boss, then you need to to bring Jesus into the situation. Jesus, I'm right here. This is this is the situation that you're in, and I'm gonna be here with you. And um let's see if we can dump some fiery coals on your boss's head. I mean, that's what he promised, right? If you pray for him. So um, and those fiery coals are to bring him to Jesus, but let's uh let's be uh very truthful here. Not all of you can get out of the situation and walk on in obedience and you'll leave that behind. No, he wants you to live in obedience in that situation.

SPEAKER_03: 36:01

In that situation. That's so good. You know, if if we don't do it, if we don't say yes to him, I the alternative is we continue to to wander in that anxiety. Yeah, it's rough going down detour after detour, trying to find our way back, trying to find some peace, some purpose, some significance all on our own. And Jesus is like, Man, I am I'm here, I will guide you into this thing. Um, he is faithful even when we are faithless. And on Sunday we talked about how he is going to to accomplish the good work that he started in us. If I'll just cooperate with him, I mean, even if I won't, he's gonna he'll do it with us kicking and screaming. Um, our sanctification is going to happen. One day we will look like Jesus. That's right. Um, if we're his, you know, and and he'll do it as reluctant as we are in that process. But man, if we'll just say yes to him.

SPEAKER_01: 37:05

Um We tell our kids we're home. Our home is your home. I tell you, our home is your home. You know where the key is. Just come on in. Uh, our lights always on, the door's always open, and you're always welcome, no matter what's going on. And uh, and you do. You show up in the middle of our family things. And that's all right.

SPEAKER_03: 37:26

There's usually food.

SPEAKER_01: 37:27

Yeah. And we want to be, we want to be, I'm do I'm that for my kids, but we forget that that's how God is. You know, no matter what you've done, no matter what you're running from, no matter how hard you're hurting, his lights always on. He's better than the Motel 6. That's right. And his door is unlocked and always open, and you're always welcome home.

SPEAKER_03: 37:50

That's right. Man, I think this Christmas, and I think just from the response of the sermon on Sunday, um, we have so many people who are there. They're like, oh, I long for home. And he's inviting you home. No matter how far off track you've got. Um, you know, I encourage I encouraged everyone on on Sunday, you'll read the story of the prodigal son, see the father's reaction when his son, who's wasted and squandered everything, scripture says on reckless living.

SPEAKER_01: 38:21

Embarrassed God. Basically, I embarrassed my family. Yep. And that kind of what we were talking about with Joseph, you know, I failed you. I failed you. Will you take me back?

SPEAKER_03: 38:34

Yeah, go go read the father's reaction to when his son comes home. He runs out to meet him, gives him his robe, puts a ring on his finger, says, Let's throw a party, because my son has come home. God wants to do that for you. And so if you no matter how far off track you feel, how how many times you feel like you you messed it up, where you feel spiritually dry, where you feel relationally drained, where you feel just emotionally worn out, God says, Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest. You can come home.

SPEAKER_01: 39:11

And listen, if you're in that situation right now and you're saying, I've come home so many times, he doesn't want me there anymore. And let me tell you something. This might be your second chance, it might be your hundredth chance, if I can say that word right. But I'll tell you this when you come home, he's gonna get the same rope, he's gonna get the same ring, and he's gonna throw the same party. That's right. Because he wants you home.

SPEAKER_03: 39:44

That's who he is. Pray for us, right? Father, we thank you so much for this story. And Lord, I thank you for for Mary and Joseph's obedience. Um I thank you for the the model that they give us of practicing obedience. And Lord, I pray that um We would begin to to live that way, to say yes to you before we even get started. And I know a lot of us uh we're talking about home and Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of year, but so many of us we feel so far from home. But Lord, we we hear you you calling us back. Come to me, all you are who are weary. Come to me, all you who feel worn out and just beat up by life. And I will give you rest. So, Father, I pray that this Christmas we could come home and that we could experience the rest that you give. And Father, we're gonna do it by taking that next step of obedience, trusting that you are right there, that you've never left us, and that you're gonna guide us back home. In Jesus' name.

unknown: 40:41

Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_00: 40:42

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