When Life Doesn't Follow Your Formula

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- Hey, and welcome to Crossroads. I'm Hannah.

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- And I'm Sean.

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- And you're joining us this season

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in our Christmas at the Movies series.

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So yes, today we're wearing our very ugly

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and I mean truly ugly Christmas sweaters.

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- I think mine looks pretty good.

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- It's terrible, but that's okay because

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we're wearing them to just have a little bit of fun

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and to celebrate the Christmas season.

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- Yeah, that's right.

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If you're new with us, Crossroads is a church

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of people who are gathering all over the globe

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in church buildings, homes, coffee shops,

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dorm rooms, and online just like you are right now.

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- In this series, we're going to be taking a look

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at the classic Christmas movies and looking at

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the spiritual truths that we can find in them

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that are just beneath the surface.

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Today we're going to hear from our lead pastor Kyle Ranson.

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- Yeah, but before that,

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we're going to sing some songs and worship together.

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And I want to invite you to pause and take a breath.

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You know, worship is an opportunity to slow down

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and center our hearts on God.

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And I don't know what you believe about God

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or what you're even feeling right now.

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You might be full of joy,

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or you might be feeling anxious.

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Or if you're anything like me, just really busy,

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and it seems like it's nearly impossible

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to slow down into worship.

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So whether you sing with us online right now

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or just sit and listen, take this time

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to focus on God and find real peace.

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- So let's worship together right now.

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- Jesus, You're worthy of our attention.

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I don't have anything to impress you, God.

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You don't need anything.

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Certainly, this ugly sweater does not impress You.

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But a humble heart saying the one who came

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into a manger is the one who died on a cross,

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who rose again and conquered death,

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and who has my life forever.

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You can have my heart, You can have my mind,

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my body, my soul, my choices, my words,

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my thoughts, my family, my home,

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my neighbors, my friends.

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I want it all to go to You because

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You're the only one who can actually

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hold it together and make life out of it.

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So Jesus, I praise You for all that You are.

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I pray all this because of You, Jesus. Amen.

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- Experience the story of Christmas,

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a simple baby coming to earth

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bringing a beautiful light

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and living a powerful life.

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- We want you and your family to experience

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peace and light this Christmas.

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No matter how dark our world feels,

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Jesus is the light of life, and we're experiencing

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that simple yet powerful truth

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in our Christmas Eve services this year.

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- That's exactly right.

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It's going to be a beautiful and, like you said,

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powerful experience.

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And it's going to be one for the whole family.

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So bring everybody because you can enjoy it all together.

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So you can join us right here online

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or in person starting on December 23rd.

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- Yeah. While we know that Jesus brings life

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and joy, we also know that this holiday season

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is a really challenging time for many people.

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This season, if you're experiencing grief,

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sadness, or even loneliness,

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we'd love to come alongside you.

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- Yes, we've created resources

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that have been put together and will be available

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all month long at crossroads.net/care.

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And they've been created with you in mind,

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so whether you need to get connected to a real person

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or get joining a group or talk just to meet with somebody,

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it's all just a click away.

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- Yeah. And just as we want to show up

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for our community in emotional care,

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we love to bless our communities with tangible care.

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We do this through regular partnerships

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with local nonprofits.

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Things like City Serve Day, Thanksgiving Food Drive,

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Christmas Gift Drive, they're all possible

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through the generosity of everyday people in our church.

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And like many nonprofits, year end giving

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helps us to fuel our regular ministry needs.

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You can join the team of faithful givers

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at Crossroads.net/give.

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- All right, so I know you've been wondering

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what is the movie for this week?

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And I'm gonna just take you out of your suspense.

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It's actually not one movie. It's multiple movies.

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There's a bunch of movies all together,

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because if you've seen one,

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you really have seen them all. - That's true.

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- So let's hear what Kyle has to say

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about the perfect Christmas formula.

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We're so glad you're here.

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- Christmas at the Movies

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is perfect with some coffee.

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Don't need that ring-a-ling, ding-a-dong,

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ding-a-ding, talkin.

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So if we see the glow

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of a cellular telephone

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we'll take 'em and we'll break 'em,

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and we won't say we were mistaken.

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You've been warned.

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Merry Christmas. [glass breaks]

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- Woo, come on. Come on, let's go.

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Hallmark style movies, I can't wait to jump into it.

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Can't wait. But first, before we jump in,

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I want to give a very, very special

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Crossroads welcome to Crossroads Columbus.

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Let's go, Columbus.

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Columbus people, they are so nice.

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They're clapping for you. They don't even know why.

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I just said your name, and they're like, yes.

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It's great. Very enthusiastic.

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Now this weekend is a special weekend

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for Crossroads Columbus.

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They have been setting up and tearing down

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every single weekend on and off for seven years,

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seven years, and today, this weekend

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they move into their permanent space.

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Unbelievable. Unbelievable. [cheers & applause]

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You know you're going, like, how is that possible?

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Wasn't that part of The Push?

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And wasn't that one of the projects we were hoping for?

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Yes, actually, during The Push,

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as we saw momentum building, we were able to jump in

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and purchase a building for just under $5 million

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for them and get them in.

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It's actually a property that was a former church,

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and we get to redeem it for its intended use.

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It's got an annex property on it.

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And so they've moved into that annex property

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where they can hold services in their own spot

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while the main section gets some renovation done.

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So Crossroads Columbus, welcome.

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So pumped that you're with us. Amazing.

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Speaking of The Push, by the way,

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I've had a lot of you ask me, email me,

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find me in Target in the aisles and say,

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"Kyle, how are The Push projects going to get started?

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Like, how will you choose when to do what

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and how fast will we be able to start these things?"

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And I always give the same answer, which is,

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"We will spend money as soon as it comes in."

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That's what we do here. We don't hold on to money.

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We don't have big savings account.

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We put the money into action,

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just like you saw with Crossroads Columbus.

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And so if you've made a Push commitment,

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I want to encourage you to get started

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before the year ends.

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Follow through on your commitment.

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We're actually going to send you a memento

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to help you on that journey, inspired by

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something that NASA gives astronauts.

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I learned this not to not too long ago that

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when you're a NASA astronaut

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and you commit to your first mission,

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NASA gives you a silver pen.

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And when you complete your mission

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that you committed to, they send you a gold pin.

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And so we've actually had this little thing

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designed up for you.

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You might have seen these hanging in an atrium

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at a site something much larger than this.

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This kind of spinner guy.

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We're going to send you one of these,

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but slightly smaller for your Christmas tree.

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This would be a little bit big,

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so be on the lookout for that.

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And my encouragement to you

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is to be on the lookout for it.

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And then once you've made the start

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towards your commitment, hang that on your tree

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as a sign of gratitude.

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It's a gift to get to lean in

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and do what we're doing as a church.

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So be on the lookout for that.

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But today is not about The Push.

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It's not even about Crossroads Columbus.

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It is about Hallmark style movies.

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Come on, who's not afraid to admit that

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you like these kind of movies?

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Let's be brave, okay?

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Yes, I know Brian did Die Hard.

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Very manly. Whatever.

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My favorite movies are Hallmark style.

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And I say Hallmark style because I actually

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like the Netflix version better.

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They're slightly more elevated,

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a little bit more refined, whatever.

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But it's all the Hallmark movie formula.

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And I like them because I know exactly what I'm getting.

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It's the same reason why anybody

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who's ever offered me a chocolate chip cookie,

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I've been like, "Yeah, that's great.

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I will take that cookie."

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I know exactly what I'm getting.

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What I'm getting is a happily ever after story.

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See, there's something deep and profound

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about these movies that we can laugh about

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or watch with popcorn, or fall asleep for half of it

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and wake up and still know exactly what's happening.

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And the profound truth is that you and I

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were made to live a life that is certain of its end,

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that has a certain hope to it.

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In the Christmas Story is a story about the Messiah coming.

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And in the ancient world and ancient Judaism,

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the Messiah was this long prophesied figure

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who represented the arrival of hope.

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Some of you might celebrate Advent in your house.

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And the first candle you light the candle of hope.

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It's the foundation of the Christmas story,

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the foundation of this Messiah who's coming.

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And a lot of what was written about the Messiah,

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about Jesus, who would be born in the manger,

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was actually written centuries and centuries

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and centuries before Him.

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And we have archeological evidence to prove

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that this is true, these manuscripts existed

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long before Jesus.

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And they describe things about His life

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with remarkable accuracy, and then go beyond it

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to point us to hope.

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One example is Isaiah 9:6.

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You might have heard this read before, it says this:

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Isaiah says from the beginning of the Christmas story,

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this is written 700 years before Jesus arrives,

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he says, "I want to tell you how it ends.

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It ends with ever increasing peace."

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I don't know where you are in your life.

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I don't know what's going on, what you're dealing with.

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But my hope today is that you walk out of here

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having had two things happen.

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One, you had fun. I really hope you have fun today.

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And two, I hope you walk out filled up with hope

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because the Christmas story is a story of hope.

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Not abstract hope, not squishy hope,

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but a solid hope that you can base your entire life on.

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Let's pray before we go any further.

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God, I'm asking that You would do that for all of us.

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That You would give us the gift of hope,

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the gift of laughter, the gift of fun,

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that we'd walk out with

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our hope tank filled up because of You. Amen.

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Now, maybe you're somebody who's like,

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"Hallmark style movies. Is this -- Is this a thing?"

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I don't know why you would think that,

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but welcome out from under the rock

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you've been living under.

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Yes. Hallmark style movies are massive.

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Do you know that the Hallmark Channel alone,

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the pioneers of this formula,

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make over 40 Christmas movies every single year?

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40. They film them all up in Canada.

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This is, these are true facts.

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You can them look up on the internet. Promise.

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They film them all up in Canada,

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they cost about a million to 2 million a piece.

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They film it in 15 days.

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And I found this stat, in 2021,

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they made $350 million from them alone. Crazy.

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It's this massive industry and they're all exactly the same.

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All of them.

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Now, Sarah and I, we got into watching

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these style of movies back when our kids

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were a little bit younger, and we wanted date nights.

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You know, that's an important thing.

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Everybody tells you that,

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you want a healthy marriage,

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you need to prioritize date night.

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And soon as we'd try that, but then a kid would get sick

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or a babysitter would cancel or or whatever.

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It's just impossible.

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And then I had this brilliant idea.

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Maybe the best one in my whole life.

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I invented something, it's called indoor dating.

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It's amazing, I know.

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Follow me for just a second.

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You do exactly what you would do if you left your house,

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only you don't. That's how it goes.

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So our favorite, our favorite version of this

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is we get takeout sushi

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and we put on a Netflix Christmas movie.

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And it is spectacular.

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And, ladies, I know what some of you are thinking.

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You're like, "Man, Kyle, I wish I was married to you.

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You're telling me you take your wife

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on dates to nowhere? Wow."

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Yeah, that is technically true.

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Don't tell Sarah that. Okay?

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Just let that be your own little realization.

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That's what happens.

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The point is, though, I've watched a lot

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at this point a lot, a lot, a lot

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of Hallmark style Christmas movies.

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So many of them. I'm not just a fan.

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I'm not just a connoisseur.

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I would say more like a sommelier of them.

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And I'd like to recommend a few

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just kind of pairings, some vintages

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that are particularly favorites of mine

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in case you're new to this.

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I'm just going to introduce you,

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give you some indoor date nights if you're interested.

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If you want something older, want something older,

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I'd recommend a 2019 vintage.

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It's called A Night Before Christmas.

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It's a very plausible story about a knight

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from the year 1300 who interacts with

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a magical Christmas person who

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transports him to the future, where he falls in love

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and you'll never guess how it ends,

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happily ever after. It's crazy. It's crazy.

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You want something a little bit newer?

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I highly, highly recommend getting in on on this train.

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2022 Falling for Christmas.

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Now this is a truly historic film.

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I think it's going to go down in the history books.

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Why? Because it's played an important role

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in Lindsay Lohan's Lohanaissance.

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She's back, and this movie's a big reason why.

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I highly recommend it.

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There's a newer one called Our Little Secret.

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Also, Lindsay Lohan, highly recommended.

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You won't guess how both of those films end.

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Happily ever after it turns out.

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There's a newer one if you want something

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a little bit newer now.

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Now it's young and so it's a little bit spicy,

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gotta warn you. 2024 vintage.

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I know somebody in this room has watched it,

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Hot Frosty. [cheers] Yeah. Yes.

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I was so pumped when I saw that it was like,

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"Oh, we're saving this for a good night.

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This is so great."

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Listen, if you don't know Hot Frosty.

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Okay, look, Netflix did it, guys.

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They did it for us. They made the thing.

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We've all always wanted a Christmas movie

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about a sexy snowman come to life.

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Yes. It's great. Very much, very much recommend that.

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Not going to guess how it ends,

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happily ever after. Oh that's right, you did guess it.

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Now, my favorite vintage is actually from 2017,

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it's A Christmas Prince. Oh my gosh, so great.

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It's about a big city woman on a career path

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who gets sent by her boss to the country of Aldovia,

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where she runs into the Prince.

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And you won't believe it, but they fall in love

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and the movie ends happily ever after.

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Guess what? It's also part of a trilogy.

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Just sink your teeth into that one. It's great.

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Now these all follow the same pattern.

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They're so wildly predictable that

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Sarah and I actually play this game,

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which I super recommend doing, by the way.

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We play this game where we play

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the first two minutes of the movie,

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and then we press pause,

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and then we have to predict

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the rest of the movie to each other.

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And then whoever gets the closest wins.

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And we're always like both the closest,

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because it's so easy, so incredibly easy.

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Now in this series, we typically play clips from movies,

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but today we thought we'd mix it up

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just a little bit.

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Because these movies are so wildly predictable,

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we actually think we can create our own movie

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live together right now. That's exactly right.

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So, we've got some improv actors up here

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who are going to join us.

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First, for a female lead, we were able to find

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a professional improv actress, Susan Young.

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Please welcome her to the stage.

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Susan. Fantastic.

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Now for our male lead we weren't able to find

00:27:30

a professional or anybody good at all,

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but we did find Dayton Community pastor,

00:27:36

aka Super Bowl of Preaching referee Matt Casselman,

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who we forced to be here. So he's here.

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We got a couple surprise guests.

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Now this is going to be improv. Okay?

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And so I want you guys to stay on stage the whole time.

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No talking to each other. No, it's got to be in the moment.

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Deal? - Deal. - Okay.

00:27:53

- Okay, great. Deal. Perfect, now --

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- You'll be all right.

00:27:56

- Here's what I need from you guys, Oakley specifically.

00:27:59

Oakley, you have an important job.

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All the sites, we're all counting on you. Okay?

00:28:03

Everybody, Lexington, East Side, West Side,

00:28:05

Columbus, everybody's counting on you,

00:28:07

everybody online counting on you.

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I need you to give me a title

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for the movie we're about to watch.

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- Hot Frosty. - Hot Frosty is taken, sir.

00:28:18

That's excellent. Copyright infringement.

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Can't do that. Don't want to go to jail.

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Other suggestions? - [indiscernible responses]

00:28:25

- Ooh, a Christmas Melody. Let's do a Christmas Melody.

00:28:29

- A Christmas Melody, okay.

00:28:30

- A Christmas Melody. Okay. Ahem.

00:28:36

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to welcome you

00:28:39

to the first ever showing of our brand new film,

00:28:43

A Christmas Melody.

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- Oh, Carly, thank God for these coffee breaks,

00:28:52

am I right? - Yes. Oh my goodness.

00:28:54

Ashley, you're not going to believe it,

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this time of year, just it takes us over every year.

00:28:58

- I know, I'm working at this snow globe factory

00:29:01

just really takes it out of you.

00:29:02

- Yeah, And every time I think that

00:29:05

we're going to get a break, we just get swamped.

00:29:07

- We don't, but that's okay. You know why?

00:29:08

Because I am a big city corporate woman.

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- You're right.

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- And my career is everything to me.

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So I will continue to take these orders

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for the singing snow globes year after year

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until I get my promotion.

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- As you should. You know you are a boss.

00:29:22

- I am. - And I respect that in you.

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But I got to tell you, there's something missing.

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- What? - In your life.

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- I have everything I need. I have my career.

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- I mean, like your love life.

00:29:31

- Oh, Carly. No, no, no, no, no, no.

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- Come on. - No, really.

00:29:34

- Ever since Joseph, you just haven't gone out anymore.

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- Okay. I cannot believe you are bringing that up

00:29:41

from my hometown ten years ago.

00:29:43

- I mean it's worth bringing up because --

00:29:45

- I know there's --

00:29:46

- You're ready. - Sorry.

00:29:47

- It's okay, Carly, we know that.

00:29:49

- Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies.

00:29:52

- Oh. Hello, mister.

00:29:53

- Sorry to break up the chit chat that you all do.

00:29:55

Nobody said it was break around here.

00:29:57

- Sorry, Mr. Andrews. - I am the boss.

00:29:58

My name is -- - Mr. Hofstetter.

00:30:01

- Yeah. - Yeah.

00:30:02

- You stuttered on that like we don't know.

00:30:04

- You make me nervous.

00:30:05

- Okay. - Me too, so I'm gonna go.

00:30:07

- Your name is --

00:30:10

- You just said it.

00:30:11

- Did I? - Yeah.

00:30:13

You know what, let's just go --

00:30:16

- So anyway, I've got because I know --

00:30:18

- I've got a new name for you. How about Hope?

00:30:20

- No, no. Hope? Okay. Hope. - You can call me Hope.

00:30:22

- So, I've got to, because I know you so well.

00:30:25

- Yeah. - Right?

00:30:27

- That's weird, but sure.

00:30:28

- Because I know your work ethic.

00:30:29

- Yes.

00:30:30

- I've got a very special project

00:30:31

that I need you to go on.

00:30:33

- I am ready, sir.

00:30:34

- So you're from the town of..?

00:30:39

- Rabbit Patch? - Rabbit Patch,

00:30:41

and that's in the state of..?

00:30:43

- West Virginia? - Yeah.

00:30:45

- Okay. - Rabbit Patch, West Virginia.

00:30:47

- Yeah.

00:30:48

- There is a store that sells snow globes there,

00:30:52

and I need you to go there and buy that store

00:30:55

and take them out for us.

00:30:56

- Sir, please, please don't send me back to that town.

00:30:58

I have a history. - See, you misunderstood.

00:31:00

I didn't ask how you felt about it.

00:31:02

I never ask about your feelings.

00:31:04

I'm your boss. You do what I said.

00:31:06

And I need you to scrap everything on your calendar

00:31:08

and go to Rabbit Patch, West Virginia

00:31:12

to shut down that snow globe store

00:31:14

and take it in for us.

00:31:16

- Okay, I will, I will do it. - Great.

00:31:19

- Okay.

00:31:24

- Wow. I didn't know that we had to assemble

00:31:26

every single snow globe by adding its own snow

00:31:29

into the snow globe.

00:31:30

It seems like a more efficient way to do this.

00:31:33

- Joseph, ever since my arthritis crept in

00:31:36

from being your grandmother, you have to do it for me.

00:31:40

- You got to -- - I can't do it myself.

00:31:41

- You got arthritis from being my grandmother?

00:31:44

- Yes. - I'm so sorry.

00:31:46

- It stresses me out.

00:31:47

- Well, I got you working here at Snow Globe Co.

00:31:50

- Emporium Co. - Yes, I forget the name often.

00:31:53

- Come on, Joseph. - Here in --

00:31:55

- Rabbit patch, West Virginia.

00:31:57

- Yeah, but I mean, these snow globes

00:31:59

aren't going to globe themselves, so thank you.

00:32:02

- Let me just give you these boxes.

00:32:03

I want you to take them on over there.

00:32:05

- That would be great. Oh, gosh.

00:32:07

- Goodness gracious.

00:32:08

- Joe Bob, it was nice to meet you. That's weird.

00:32:12

Um, hi. I got a ice sludge all over my --

00:32:17

- I wish I could see where I was going --

00:32:19

- I just want -- - with these snow cones.

00:32:20

-Oh my gosh. - Oh my gosh.

00:32:22

- They all broke and the liquid is leaking out\

00:32:24

onto my brand new Prada shoes.

00:32:26

- Oh, those are such nice shoes.

00:32:27

I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there.

00:32:35

- Carly. - Carly, it's you.

00:32:37

- Joseph. - That is my name, Joseph.

00:32:40

- Joseph is your name, yeah.

00:32:41

- And Carly. - Yes.

00:32:43

- Carly, you look incredible. It's been so long.

00:32:47

- Thank you, yes. Oh, your --

00:32:49

- Oh, Carly. - Grandma.

00:32:51

- You're back to town. Are you moving back?

00:32:54

- Oh, no, no. - She's moving back.

00:32:56

- No, I'm not moving back. No, no.

00:32:58

Wait.

00:32:59

I'm from Big City, and yeah, I don't want to --

00:33:01

- You've been to Big city.

00:33:02

- I live there, I live at Big City.

00:33:04

- We're in Little City still? - Yes.

00:33:06

- Well, you two remember how you used to

00:33:08

just love each other and went out to prom together?

00:33:11

- Oh, that's -- - That's right.

00:33:12

Celebrated. You just remember that.

00:33:14

I remember the good times.

00:33:15

- We went to prom,

00:33:16

and you wore those really tall heels again,

00:33:18

being taller than me again. - Yeah, sorry.

00:33:20

- Well, I'm gonna excuse myself

00:33:21

and let you youngins catch up. What do you say?

00:33:23

- Oh, okay. - Um. It's been so long.

00:33:27

- It has been a really long time.

00:33:28

- The last time I saw you,

00:33:30

oh, gosh, I feel terrible.

00:33:32

- Well, it would have been the night

00:33:34

you were supposed to meet me at the state fair.

00:33:37

- Yup. - In in Rabbit Hash.

00:33:39

- That was going to be a wonderful date spot.

00:33:41

Yeah.

00:33:42

And I'm so sorry I missed it because --

00:33:44

- You left me holding the corn dogs.

00:33:46

- I would love to help. Nope.

00:33:49

- Nope. Nope. Leave that alone. Leave it alone.

00:33:51

- Yeah, I forget that part, but I would --

00:33:54

I missed it. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you.

00:33:56

I was -- - No, no, no, you know what? It's fine.

00:34:00

Well, I've gotten over it because

00:34:02

I have a corporate job now,

00:34:04

and that means everything to me

00:34:05

and this small town, I've outgrown it quite honestly.

00:34:09

- Hey, Joseph, what do you say you run into town?

00:34:12

You know, I'm banned over at

00:34:14

the Snow Globe Emporium, Co number 2.

00:34:17

So how about you go over there and pick up those supplies?

00:34:20

It's in my name. And you know what?

00:34:22

Show Carly the town while you're at it.

00:34:24

- Yeah. - What?

00:34:25

- The town has changed so much, you just got to see.

00:34:28

We're not just Rabbit Patch.

00:34:30

We got Raccoon Patch, we got Lizard Patch.

00:34:32

We got plenty of patches. - That's right, that's right.

00:34:34

- So you two just have a good time. What do you say?

00:34:36

- I don't want to take you away from your --

00:34:38

- Thanks so much. - from your making snow globes.

00:34:40

- No, no. My arthritic grandma can take care of all of it.

00:34:43

I would love to show you our small town

00:34:46

that has branched out into many different animals.

00:34:48

- Lots of patches, yeah.

00:34:49

- Let me show you all the patches.

00:34:51

- All the patches.

00:34:52

- And they are this -- this -- this way.

00:34:55

They're this way. Let's go this way.

00:34:58

[laughter]

00:35:05

- Rabbit Patch, I didn't see that coming.

00:35:07

That's great. Okay. Fantastic. Fantastic.

00:35:10

What did that teach us? Who knows?

00:35:13

Anything? Anybody? It's this. I'll tell you what.

00:35:16

Number one truth from Hallmark style movies

00:35:19

is that your life will go off script.

00:35:23

Did you notice that?

00:35:24

See, every single one of these movies,

00:35:26

every single one of us, we have a script for our life.

00:35:28

We have a plan, we have a thing

00:35:29

that we think is going to happen. You know?

00:35:31

I'm going to go to high school and graduate

00:35:33

and get into a good college and get a good job,

00:35:35

and then meet a good girl and then get married

00:35:37

and have good kids. Right?

00:35:38

That's kind of this progression.

00:35:39

But what Hallmark style movies show us is that

00:35:42

the script always breaks.

00:35:44

Something happens that sends us off of our path.

00:35:47

The big city girl gets sent back to her small hometown

00:35:51

and meets the guy she didn't want to see again.

00:35:53

This is our life and this is the Christmas story.

00:35:57

Think about this, Christmas story as a female lead.

00:35:59

Her name is Mary.

00:36:00

I don't know if you have heard of her before.

00:36:02

Mary, mother of Jesus and her life

00:36:04

literally has an off script moment.

00:36:07

She's in the spot of life

00:36:08

where she's happily betrothed. She's engaged.

00:36:12

Wedding's coming. She's planning for it.

00:36:13

She's thinking about it.

00:36:14

She's got a life picked out with this guy named Joseph.

00:36:17

And then out of nowhere, the off script moment happens.

00:36:21

Here's what it says in Luke 1:26:

00:37:08

And Mary says, "Wow!"

00:37:11

No, it's not what she says at all.

00:37:13

She's like, "What? How? How? How can this be?"

00:37:17

Like, she's not -- She's not pumped about it.

00:37:19

It's just this off script moment for her life,

00:37:22

which, by the way, makes her perfectly fall in line

00:37:25

with every major character in the Bible, ever,

00:37:28

and with all of us.

00:37:29

Think about it for just a second. Abraham.

00:37:32

Abraham is a successful business owner.

00:37:34

He's growing his business. He's growing his flocks.

00:37:37

He's getting more wealth.

00:37:38

And then God, out of nowhere shows up in a dream

00:37:41

and says, "Abraham, I want you to leave

00:37:42

everything you've ever known,

00:37:44

and I want you to head out the door,

00:37:46

and I'm not going to tell you where you're going

00:37:48

until you start moving."

00:37:49

That's an off script moment.

00:37:51

Think about for a second Joseph.

00:37:53

Joseph gets sold into slavery.

00:37:55

Off script moment, wasn't planning on that.

00:37:57

Moses, he gets put into a basket

00:37:59

and basically put up for adoption.

00:38:01

Then he gets exiled for 40 years.

00:38:02

Then he gets sent into a job that he doesn't want

00:38:05

to be the mouthpiece of God.

00:38:06

All off script moments for what he planned for his life.

00:38:09

Ruth has off script moments.

00:38:12

Her husband, her father-in-law,

00:38:14

and her brother-in-law all tragically die

00:38:16

at about the same point in her life.

00:38:19

Off script moment.

00:38:22

Esther, she marries a guy

00:38:23

who she can't even reveal her ethnicity to.

00:38:26

Leah marries a guy who doesn't even love her.

00:38:28

All the disciples, Peter wants to be a fisherman.

00:38:31

Off script moment, Jesus comes along and says,

00:38:33

"Follow me."

00:38:34

Matthew thinks he's going to be an accountant,

00:38:36

a tax collector. Off script moment.

00:38:38

Paul, off script moment, again and again and again.

00:38:41

And it's us.

00:38:42

In fact, I'm willing to make a bet.

00:38:44

There's never been a single person who's ever lived

00:38:49

whose life followed their script. None.

00:38:52

Think about your life for a minute.

00:38:54

When did your life first go off script?

00:38:58

Was it when you didn't get into

00:38:59

the college you wanted to

00:39:00

or when you didn't graduate high school?

00:39:02

Or was it when she said no?

00:39:03

Was it when you got a divorce when you were young?

00:39:06

Was it when you had a baby unexpectedly?

00:39:08

Was it when you couldn't conceive?

00:39:09

Was it now when you find yourself still not married?

00:39:12

Was it a career that went sideways?

00:39:13

When did your life go off script?

00:39:16

And I don't know when, but I do know that it has.

00:39:19

It has for all of us.

00:39:21

See, part of the formula

00:39:23

in these Hallmark style movies,

00:39:25

part of the reason they resonate with us

00:39:27

is because they bake this in,

00:39:28

this realism inside of these movies that say,

00:39:32

"Yes, your life will go off script."

00:39:34

Not just once, by the way, but again and again and again.

00:39:39

You know, Mary is is this incredible figure.

00:39:41

I think sometimes we look at her

00:39:43

and she kind of becomes almost two dimensional,

00:39:45

but she doesn't live a two dimensional life.

00:39:48

She has this first off script moment,

00:39:50

and it was a big one, by the way.

00:39:51

She knows that Joseph's likely to leave her,

00:39:53

all kinds of things are likely to happen.

00:39:55

But then, good news, he doesn't. He stays with her.

00:39:59

But then, bad news, off script moment,

00:40:01

they have to flee to Egypt

00:40:03

because Herod wants to kill Jesus.

00:40:05

And then more off script moments happen.

00:40:07

It's pretty clear from the historical record

00:40:09

that her husband, Joseph, likely died young.

00:40:12

Why do we believe this? Well, for lots of reasons.

00:40:14

But one is at the cross, Joseph,

00:40:16

who was a righteous man,

00:40:17

who was a good earthly father to Jesus,

00:40:19

is nowhere to be found, but his mother Mary is.

00:40:23

And on the Cross, as He's dying,

00:40:25

Jesus actually points at His friend John,

00:40:27

and He says, "Will you take care of My mom for Me?"

00:40:29

What does that mean?

00:40:30

It means Joseph isn't around anymore.

00:40:33

It also means more off script moments.

00:40:34

We know that Jesus had other brothers and sisters

00:40:37

from Mary and from Joseph, but in this moment,

00:40:41

John for some reason can't point to any of them,

00:40:43

or Jesus in this moment, can't point to any of them

00:40:46

to take care of his mom.

00:40:47

Instead, he goes to his friend. Why?

00:40:49

Well, there's likely some off script moments happening.

00:40:53

This is our life again and again and again.

00:40:56

In fact, in the script of Netflix movies

00:41:00

or Hallmark Star movies, there's the setup,

00:41:02

there's the initial complication,

00:41:04

they get sent somewhere.

00:41:05

And then there's the the near kiss.

00:41:07

There's the moment where life looks like

00:41:09

it's going to happen, right?

00:41:11

We're going to get together.

00:41:12

And then it's followed by the breakup.

00:41:15

This is the pattern of life.

00:41:17

Just when it looks like things might break,

00:41:19

just when it looks like we might,

00:41:20

we might get ahead, all of a sudden

00:41:21

there's another off script moment.

00:41:23

There's another setback.

00:41:25

Speaking of which, it is time for another scene

00:41:28

from our favorite movie, whose title I forget.

00:41:31

What's it called? - Christmas Melody.

00:41:34

- Christmas Melody. Oh my gosh. Cannot wait.

00:41:37

Now for this one, Oakley again depending on you.

00:41:39

Did a great job with with the name.

00:41:42

I need from you an idea.

00:41:45

I need an activity that you would do on a Christmas date.

00:41:49

Shout them out. -Ice skating.

00:41:52

- Ice skating. Ice skating. Another one?

00:41:55

- Tobogganing - Snow tubing.

00:41:58

Ice skating, snow tubing. - [indinscernible responses]

00:42:05

You're all talking at once. I can't.

00:42:06

We need to organize this better.

00:42:08

I can't -- - Making a snowman.

00:42:13

- Making a snowman.

00:42:14

Ice skating, snow tubing, making a snowman.

00:42:17

Perfect. Ladies and gentlemen,

00:42:19

welcome to act two of A Christmas Melody.

00:42:24

- So, Joseph, you're going to show me the town,

00:42:26

because that's what we just said.

00:42:27

- Oh, we're not ice skating yet, are we?

00:42:29

- Well, I wanted to recap because it's been a second.

00:42:31

- That's right. - Since we've been up here.

00:42:33

- I just like to practice. - That's cool. That's great.

00:42:35

Well, we we have our skates on.

00:42:36

Yeah.

00:42:37

- Yeah, so we might as well. You want to just go ahead?

00:42:39

- Yeah. No better way to do it.

00:42:41

- All right. - Wee.

00:42:42

- Here we go. - Wee.

00:42:44

- Oh, you're following me? Okay, that's -- That works.

00:42:48

- Sorry. I forget how to do it, and you're doing it so well.

00:42:50

- That's okay. I know. Oh! Mmy skate's a little wobbly.

00:42:52

- Oh, no. - Oh, no.

00:42:53

- Oh, no. - Oh, I might fall. Oh!

00:42:55

- Whoa! [nervous laughter]

00:43:00

- Okay. I don't know why you want to show me

00:43:02

all these physical activities, because we did this all.

00:43:05

- Making sure big town or big city girl

00:43:07

is still in shape and can keep up with

00:43:08

the small guy or a small town guy. Uh, tubbing.

00:43:12

- Okay, I know you struggle with that.

00:43:14

It's all right. It's okay.

00:43:15

- It's our secret. - Um, yeah. Do you --

00:43:18

This makes me think of the time we had that seventh grade party

00:43:21

and the talent show was afterwards, do you remember?

00:43:23

I remember.

00:43:24

And we sang that song together.

00:43:25

- I remember it. - Do you remember how it goes?

00:43:27

And here, let's put our tubes down

00:43:29

and do the choreo.

00:43:30

- Oh, yeah. Jog my memory and I'll catch on.

00:43:32

- It was Jingle Bells, so. - Yeah.

00:43:34

- Ready? - Yep.

00:43:35

- Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

00:43:38

- How could I forget?

00:43:39

- Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh.

00:43:44

Yes! Yes! That was it. - Oh my gosh.

00:43:46

- Okay. Anyway.

00:43:47

- I can't believe you still have it in you.

00:43:49

- Yeah. - That was fantastic.

00:43:50

- Anyway, snow tubing. - Snow tubing, yeah.

00:43:52

- Oh. Mine's deflated. It's not going to work.

00:43:55

- Well, here's one that we could share. Um.

00:44:01

Yeah, after you. I'll hold it. - All right.

00:44:03

- And, um, let's see if I -- Well, what's the best?

00:44:07

- I don't know. - Okay. Yeah. Here.

00:44:09

If, um. It's a little --

00:44:11

- Oh, hey. Hi. - Hi.

00:44:13

- Nice to see you, Carly. Well, wow.

00:44:16

- Wow. - This is really special.

00:44:18

- Yeah. - Like --

00:44:23

- Okay. Hey, you again. - Yeah.

00:44:25

- Oh, boy. Oh, gosh. Right in my eye.

00:44:29

Oh, I missed. Sorry. - Totally missed.

00:44:31

That's all right. - Yeah. Here we go.

00:44:32

Okay.

00:44:34

Oh, this packs really well. That's nice.

00:44:35

- Wow. You're really good at this.

00:44:37

- Thank you. Um-- - Yeah.

00:44:39

I'm seeing you in a whole new but old light.

00:44:42

- Same. You know, I've been spending so much time

00:44:44

packing snow in snow globes that I think

00:44:49

I've forgotten to add a melody in my own heart.

00:44:57

- Yeah, yeah. [audience cheers]

00:45:04

Do you think you could teach me?

00:45:06

- Uh, I mean, I did teach you the dance in the --

00:45:09

The jingle bell thing, so, I don't know,

00:45:12

I just I feel a little, a little unsure, a little hesitant.

00:45:16

I feel like my life has been staccato lately, and --

00:45:18

- Yeah. - You know? I don't know.

00:45:21

I would assume something would happen now

00:45:24

that would interrupt us, but it's okay.

00:45:26

We'll just -- we'll just. Oh, wow. That was weird.

00:45:29

- That's a weird ringtone.

00:45:30

- Yeah. It sounds like a bird chirping.

00:45:31

Okay, I'm going to change that. Yeah.

00:45:33

[phone rings] Um, hang on one second. Let me get this.

00:45:35

- Sure, sure. - Hello?

00:45:36

- Oh. Hey, Carly. How's it going?

00:45:38

- Oh, hey. Hi. Um, yeah.

00:45:41

I'm in my hometown of Rabbit Patch,

00:45:43

and I've been snow tubing and ice skating

00:45:45

and building snowmen and. - Stop!

00:45:47

- Joseph is here. - You're kidding.

00:45:50

I mean, work is crazy, but it's fine.

00:45:52

So are you, like, doing job or, like, with Joseph?

00:45:54

Like what's happening? - Okay, I don't really.

00:45:57

- [singing] Just a small town girl.

00:45:59

- Sorry. Hold on. My ring tone is oddly able

00:46:03

to cut through this conversation.

00:46:06

- Okay, well, I'll catch you later.

00:46:07

I'll catch you. Get it, get it. I'll call you later.

00:46:09

- Thanks. Hello?

00:46:12

- Carly? - Yes, sir. Yes, yes.

00:46:14

What is your ring tone?

00:46:16

- Uh, sorry. What? - What's your ring tone?

00:46:18

- What? Uh, just a small town girl. It's fine.

00:46:21

- Oh, great, great.

00:46:22

All right, give me the snow globe update.

00:46:24

- Okay. Yes.

00:46:25

So I haven't really purchased the store yet.

00:46:28

I'm working on it. I -- -Wait, wait, wait.

00:46:30

- Things are happening and there was a snow tube thing.

00:46:32

- Wait, wait, are you telling me

00:46:35

I didn't make it clear?

00:46:37

If you don't close this deal,

00:46:39

new year, new job for you.

00:46:42

- Okay, no, I will, I will close the deal.

00:46:43

I will buy out that store. I will.

00:46:45

I will be ruthless, just like you.

00:46:47

- Lock it in. Come on.

00:46:48

Put your big girl pants on. Get out of snow tubing.

00:46:52

I don't know if you did that. I'm not sure.

00:46:54

I'm not supposed to know that, because I'm going to --

00:46:56

- I'm going to talk to HR about that big girl pants thing.

00:46:58

That was weird. - Lock it in.

00:47:00

- Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

00:47:04

He's just a little inappropriate sometimes.

00:47:07

Okay, Joseph. Hey, I'm ready to -- What?

00:47:11

Okay. The smoking thing, that's new.

00:47:14

- Picked it up after church last weekend. [audience laughs]

00:47:24

I -- we've been having so much fun, Carly.

00:47:28

- Yeah. Carley, yeah. Yeah, we were.

00:47:30

- I felt like my heart was beginning to sing.

00:47:32

- To sing. - Louder than my snow globes,

00:47:35

the melody in them, but -- - Okay.

00:47:37

You know, like when I --

00:47:39

- You seem upset about something.

00:47:40

- When I dropped all the snow globes, they shattered.

00:47:43

I heard what you said, and my heart is shattering, too.

00:47:46

- Okay, that was a long way to get there.

00:47:48

So what happened? You overheard what I said about what?

00:47:52

- Buying a business. Sealing the deal.

00:47:55

- Oh. Oh, no. - Big town girl.

00:47:57

More like big time attitude and this melody --

00:48:01

- Listen, you're missing. Understand.

00:48:03

You're gonna, you're gonna.

00:48:05

You're gonna milk the melody thing,

00:48:06

and it's not gonna go well.

00:48:07

- I'm mad, and I'm --

00:48:09

I'm going back to my small town

00:48:11

and my snow globe company. I'm out of here.

00:48:21

- Joseph!

00:48:22

- Oh! Oh, man. Oh, we're on pins and needles. Right?

00:48:27

Oh, what's gonna happen? How's it gonna end?

00:48:30

I don't know. Oh. That's right, happily ever after.

00:48:34

Yeah. That's the second truth

00:48:37

that Hallmark style movies can teach us.

00:48:39

No matter what happens, no matter

00:48:41

how many ups and ups and downs there are,

00:48:43

you and I, our story turns out to be

00:48:46

one that ends happily ever after.

00:48:50

I think it's the main reason why these stories resonate.

00:48:54

In that formula, the next two steps,

00:48:56

the last two steps are what's called

00:48:57

the reconciliation and the happily ever after,

00:49:01

which is the gospel.

00:49:04

I don't know if you know that.

00:49:05

The gospel, the story of Jesus

00:49:07

that starts in this Christmas story,

00:49:09

the story of Jesus is not primarily

00:49:11

good advice for how to live your life.

00:49:14

It is primarily a certainty about the future

00:49:19

and how your story will end.

00:49:21

That's what it is. It's a certain hope.

00:49:24

Here's how Jesus put it in John 11, Jesus said:

00:49:33

certainty will, not might, will live,

00:49:43

See, God is a storyteller is the ultimate one

00:49:46

who spoils his own story.

00:49:47

He tells us the end of the story. Why?

00:49:50

Because He wants us to live with a certain hope.

00:49:53

You and I are not actually made to go through life

00:49:57

wondering how our story ends.

00:49:59

If you find yourself in a place where,

00:50:02

full of fear and anxiety and worry,

00:50:05

maybe, just maybe, I might want to press into you

00:50:07

and ask you the same question that Jesus just asked:

00:50:10

Do you believe what He said?

00:50:14

Not about the story, but about your story,

00:50:18

about your life and where you're headed,

00:50:21

the Prince of Peace who brings ever increasing peace.

00:50:25

Do you believe that's the trajectory of your life?

00:50:29

Now this idea of certain hope,

00:50:31

it's very, very different than the world's idea of hope.

00:50:35

See, I think the world uses this word hope,

00:50:37

but what we mean by hope is a wish. You know?

00:50:41

We say things like, "I don't know

00:50:43

what's going to happen, but I hope that."

00:50:46

And what can happen is it feels like

00:50:49

the Bible story if you apply that kind of hope

00:50:51

to the Bible, what the Bible is asking you to do

00:50:53

is to live a Disney life.

00:50:56

Wish upon a star, the whole thing. Right?

00:50:59

That's the Christmas story.

00:51:00

Oh yeah, there's a star up in Bethlehem.

00:51:03

You kind of hope on the Christmas star

00:51:06

and just dream that everything will be great.

00:51:09

No, no, that's not the kind of hope the Bible talks about.

00:51:13

That's a fool's hope. That's wildly different.

00:51:16

By the way, wives, a fool's false hope is what you have

00:51:21

if you want your husband to get you

00:51:22

the thing you want and you haven't told him

00:51:24

exactly what it is,

00:51:26

and I cannot stress the word exactly enough.

00:51:28

I mean, exactly, like put it in Amazon cart,

00:51:32

click buy now and then tell them what you got.

00:51:34

Okay? That's how you have to do it. Promise.

00:51:38

None of us, none of us husbands, none of us are like,

00:51:40

"Oh, I hope she makes me guess. Oh, yeah."

00:51:43

No. Early on in our marriage I learned this.

00:51:46

I tried to guess what my wife wanted,

00:51:48

and I did not go well.

00:51:49

Our first year in marriage, our first Christmas.

00:51:52

I remember we go to the mall together,

00:51:55

back when malls were still a thing. It was great.

00:51:58

We'd go to the mall and this is totally true.

00:52:01

At this moment, I am a humble, poor church worker

00:52:05

who's also an amateur carpenter,

00:52:08

and she's a big city corporate career woman,

00:52:11

literally, worked for a big corporation

00:52:12

in the city in a high rise. Okay?

00:52:14

And so we go to Ann Taylor where she would buy

00:52:18

all of her fancy suits and clothes.

00:52:20

And she sees this sweater and it's $90.

00:52:24

I'll remember this the rest of my life,

00:52:25

gray sweater, $90.

00:52:27

And she says, "Ooh, I like that sweater."

00:52:30

And I'm like, "Awesome. I know exactly what she wants."

00:52:33

Great. So I come back next day on my lunch break

00:52:35

and I buy the sweater, I wrap it,

00:52:37

I put it under the tree, she opens it

00:52:39

and she goes, "Oh, this is nice."

00:52:44

I'm like, "It's that sweater that you wanted."

00:52:46

And she's like, "Yeah, I did, I sure did.

00:52:51

Oh, this is great."

00:52:52

She folds it up and never puts it on,

00:52:54

ever in her entire life, not even one time.

00:52:56

It went to goodwill so fast.

00:52:58

So wives, tell your husband what you want,

00:53:00

otherwise, you have a fool's hope.

00:53:03

But again, the kind of hope we're talking

00:53:05

about here in the Bible is not that kind of hope.

00:53:07

It's not a fool's hope.

00:53:08

The kind of the hope that the Bible describes

00:53:10

is a certain hope, an absolute certain hope.

00:53:14

One of my favorite theologians is a guy

00:53:16

who recently passed away. His name is Tim Keller.

00:53:18

And his definition of biblical hope is incredible.

00:53:21

He says biblical hope is a life-shaping certainty

00:53:26

about the future.

00:53:28

He says, when you have biblical hope,

00:53:30

literally every single day in your life

00:53:32

should be lived differently. Why?

00:53:35

Because you know how your story will end

00:53:38

and you believe it.

00:53:40

This is actually the thing that stood out

00:53:42

most about Mary.

00:53:43

You know, when the angel comes to her and says,

00:53:45

"Hey, good news, you found favor with God."

00:53:47

One of the questions that people have asked

00:53:49

for 2000 years since then is,

00:53:50

what about Mary made her find favor in the eyes of God?

00:53:55

And I don't know with absolute certainty,

00:53:58

but my guess, my best guess, based on what I read,

00:54:01

is that the thing that stood out about her

00:54:03

was her certainty of hope, that she was willing

00:54:06

to believe the things that God said to her

00:54:08

about her future.

00:54:10

After that scene where the where the angel comes to her,

00:54:12

she actually gets up and she goes

00:54:14

and visits her cousin Elizabeth.

00:54:17

This is how the story picks up. Luke 1:39 says:

00:54:53

And then she ends with this.

00:54:54

"And blessed is she."

00:54:56

I think in this moment she's looking right at Mary,

00:54:58

right in the eyes. And she says:

00:55:08

See, the thing that makes Mary remarkable

00:55:10

is that she just believed what God said about her future.

00:55:13

She just decided that it was certain

00:55:15

that He meant what He said, and I believe

00:55:18

it changed every single day of her life.

00:55:22

I want you to imagine for a moment

00:55:23

that I was to hire two people. Okay?

00:55:25

Let's imagine the job is to split firewood. Got it?

00:55:29

Need firewood? It's getting cold

00:55:30

and it's going to be outside.

00:55:32

It's going to be hard. It's going to be painful.

00:55:34

It's going to be very, very cold.

00:55:35

I'm not going to give you gloves. Okay?

00:55:37

It's going to be awful, but I'm going to hire two people.

00:55:40

Imagine for person A I hire them and I say to them,

00:55:44

"Hey, at the end of the day

00:55:45

I'm going to give you $10, okay?"

00:55:48

And then person two I say, "Same exact work as them.

00:55:50

It's going to be hard. It's going to be cold.

00:55:52

It's going to be painful. You're not going to like it.

00:55:55

But at the end of the day,

00:55:56

I'm going to give you $10 million."

00:56:00

Do you think that maybe, just maybe,

00:56:05

their attitude during the day might be different?

00:56:09

Do you think that one of them

00:56:11

might just be more filled with hope?

00:56:13

Might even as things are hard, even as things are cold,

00:56:17

even as things are painful, might just have

00:56:19

an extra little bounce in their step?

00:56:22

Of course. Why?

00:56:25

Because they know what's coming

00:56:26

at the end of the story is a happily ever after.

00:56:30

That's why. Well, that's you and me, friends.

00:56:33

This is what's supposed to be us.

00:56:35

See, if you believe in Jesus

00:56:37

when you walk into a room, every single person

00:56:39

in the room should go, "Oh, yeah. Jim's here.

00:56:41

Oh, man, that guy, he's just like a breath of fresh air.

00:56:44

He just lifts everybody up."

00:56:46

When Susan walks in, there's just hope in the room

00:56:48

that you can just feel the thing change.

00:56:50

Man, she's just phenomenal."

00:56:52

This is what it's supposed to be to follow Jesus.

00:56:56

Another way to think about it is

00:56:57

if you're a Christian, you're supposed to live life

00:56:59

like a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

00:57:01

You're just certain you're going to win, right?

00:57:05

Without the cheating refs, just saying.

00:57:07

Just pointing that out. Pointing that out.

00:57:09

By the way, Christmas movies,

00:57:11

I don't know if you knew this.

00:57:12

There are two Hallmark style Christmas movies

00:57:15

about the Kansas City Chiefs

00:57:16

and Taylor and Travis this year, and I am thrilled.

00:57:22

Can't wait to watch them.

00:57:23

Saved them like two fine bottles of wine

00:57:25

for the right night.

00:57:26

Haven't watched either one yet. Don't spoil them.

00:57:28

I don't want to know what happens.

00:57:29

I think I do though, happily ever after

00:57:31

is probably where it ends.

00:57:32

But this is it, see, to follow Jesus,

00:57:35

to live this life, to believe that

00:57:37

this baby born in a manger so long ago

00:57:39

is actually not just the Messiah, but your Messiah

00:57:42

means that you believe your life ends in victory.

00:57:46

And it's not a maybe, it's not, it's not.

00:57:48

It's not a, "Well, I don't really know

00:57:49

how it's going to go.

00:57:50

I don't really know if it's going to get there."

00:57:52

No, it's a certainty because that baby

00:57:54

grew into a man, died on the Cross.

00:57:56

And when He was hanging there, He said, "It's finished."

00:57:59

That means there's no ifs, ands or buts about it.

00:58:02

And so in your life,

00:58:05

you're heading towards a happily ever after.

00:58:09

That's where you're going. It's a guarantee.

00:58:11

Listen to this from the book of Hebrews chapter six.

00:58:13

It says:

00:58:37

Every day you anchor to it.

00:58:39

Every day you wake up, and every day you say,

00:58:41

"No matter what happens today, I know where my life is headed.

00:58:43

I know there's a kingdom that's coming.

00:58:45

I know it's more present today than yesterday

00:58:47

because Jesus said His peace will increase

00:58:49

day after day after day.

00:58:50

And I'm clinging to that hope,

00:58:52

and I'm living out of that hope every single day."

00:58:54

In other words, you're meant to be an eternal optimist.

00:58:58

I actually think that's one of the most,

00:59:00

kind of untalked about character traits of Jesus.

00:59:03

I believe Jesus was the most optimistic person

00:59:05

who ever lived.

00:59:07

I believe He was one of those guys

00:59:08

that when he got in the room, everybody went,

00:59:10

"Man, I'm glad Jesus is here.

00:59:12

He just brings hope. He just brings positivity.

00:59:15

I just feel lighter when He's around."

00:59:17

That's Jesus.

00:59:18

When he got with people, He was always telling them

00:59:21

like, not to worry and it would be okay.

00:59:23

He would say things like this, Matthew six:

00:59:32

the people who don't believe what you believe,

00:59:48

See, when He says it with His words, it's not lip service.

00:59:51

It's the same word that created the universe,

00:59:53

that established reality.

00:59:54

He says this is the reality I'm establishing for you.

00:59:57

It's not it's not rose colored glasses either.

01:00:00

You know, Jesus wasn't just an eternal optimist.

01:00:03

Jesus was a realistic optimist.

01:00:05

He wasn't promising that every moment

01:00:07

and every scene of your entire life

01:00:09

would go just perfect on script.

01:00:11

He did not promise that at all.

01:00:13

John 16 He said:

01:00:24

He says, "Yeah, you'll have some scenes you don't like,

01:00:27

but it's not the end. It's not the end of your life."

01:00:31

And I think about our church in pursuing an awakening.

01:00:34

That's what we're going after,

01:00:36

a nation that wakes up to the gospel.

01:00:39

The thing that I think we might need the most

01:00:41

are Christians to wake up to the hope

01:00:44

they're supposed to carry around

01:00:45

and start carrying with it into every meeting

01:00:48

and every place that they ever go.

01:00:49

The world needs this from us.

01:00:51

And by the way, not just the world,

01:00:53

our families need it.

01:00:54

I've realized this recently in my own family.

01:00:57

As my kids get older, you know,

01:00:59

everybody kind of told us, like,

01:01:00

when they're babies, it's hard.

01:01:01

But when they get older,

01:01:03

the struggles are more difficult.

01:01:04

And in the middle of the night

01:01:05

when I was changing my 19th dirty diaper,

01:01:07

I was like, "I will take the older part,

01:01:09

that sounds better.

01:01:10

They don't crap their pants in the middle

01:01:12

of the night when they're 15, right?

01:01:13

Cool, I want that."

01:01:15

But now that my kids are older,

01:01:17

the issues are more complex

01:01:19

as I've had kids struggle in school this year

01:01:22

and struggle with being teased and being bullied.

01:01:24

What I've realized is part of my role as a father

01:01:27

that I have to embrace more and more and more

01:01:29

is I have to be the driver of the hope train for my kids.

01:01:33

If you're a mom, if you're a dad, I'm telling you,

01:01:35

this is a role that is critical for you to play.

01:01:38

You have to be the one who, when they say,

01:01:40

"No one likes me and it's never going to change,"

01:01:42

and you have to be the one to say, "Oh, honey,

01:01:44

I understand, I understand it's hard now,

01:01:47

but this is not the story of your life.

01:01:49

This is not how this thing is going to end.

01:01:51

It's going to get better."

01:01:52

You have to be the carrier of hope for your family,

01:01:55

the one who believes the story isn't over.

01:02:00

I think the greatest gift God may have given you

01:02:02

is to know, with 100% certainty,

01:02:06

exactly how your story will end.

01:02:09

Speaking of which, it's time for

01:02:11

the last act of our favorite Christmas movie,

01:02:14

the one that's making just records

01:02:16

at the box office, A Christmas Melody.

01:02:22

- Ah! - What's gotten into you.

01:02:29

- Grandma, my heart is more mangled

01:02:33

than those old arthritic hands of yours.

01:02:36

I thought I could fake it here at our snow globe --

01:02:41

- Emporium. - Emporium Co.

01:02:42

- Yes. - But I can't.

01:02:43

I feel like one of these snowmen

01:02:44

trapped in my own snow globe, Grandma.

01:02:46

- Well, let me tell you.

01:02:47

You know you loved this girl

01:02:48

since you were knee high to a grasshopper.

01:02:52

- I was very little. - Very tiny.

01:02:54

- Just a few years ago.

01:02:56

- And you deserve happiness. - I do.

01:02:58

- And I think you better go get her.

01:03:00

She is at the bus station right now.

01:03:03

- She's getting on a bus?

01:03:05

- She is going to go back to Big City.

01:03:07

- The Big City bus station.

01:03:09

- And you don't want to miss her.

01:03:10

- I don't. - You love her.

01:03:11

- She -- She makes my Christmas merry.

01:03:14

- And a melody in your heart.

01:03:15

- That's right, and puts a melody in my heart.

01:03:17

I'm gonna go get her. - Go after her.

01:03:18

- I'm gonna go save Christmas.

01:03:21

[panting]

01:03:26

Okay. Okay. [panting]

01:03:30

Go around this small city pedal board

01:03:33

that's in the middle of the street.

01:03:34

I don't actually, I don't know why I'm running.

01:03:36

I have a car. Okay, here we go.

01:03:39

Carly. - Oh my gosh.

01:03:40

- Sorry. - Joseph.

01:03:43

- Oh, I came as --

01:03:44

- If you drove, why are you out of breath?

01:03:46

- I came as slowly as I could, and then I hurried up

01:03:49

and found out the car situation. But.

01:03:51

- Okay.

01:03:52

- I've been a real jerkface, Carly.

01:03:54

- Well, yes, but what specifically?

01:03:58

- Um, I made a lot of assumptions.

01:04:00

I forgot a lot of things about the way we were

01:04:03

and the way things were, and, I don't know,

01:04:05

I guess this whole big city attitude

01:04:07

and small town guy combination just, it shook me up.

01:04:12

- What are you trying to say?

01:04:14

- The thing I'm trying to say, Carly,

01:04:16

back then, when I didn't show up to the state fair,

01:04:19

that's what it was.

01:04:20

I was busy rescuing bunnies, the rabbits

01:04:25

that had fallen into the possum patch

01:04:27

and the possums had fallen into the rabbit patch,

01:04:30

and I had to save all these little animals,

01:04:33

otherwise I would have been there.

01:04:34

- Well, you know, I appreciate that.

01:04:36

I also appreciate how no one in West Virginia

01:04:38

has the accent.

01:04:40

- It's a small -- - But mine is coming back.

01:04:42

And you know why? Come here, take my hands.

01:04:45

- I love that accent. - Take my hand, Joseph.

01:04:47

- Carly.

01:04:49

- I was living in big city on my own,

01:04:51

going solo for so long.

01:04:54

And then you plucked the strings of my heart.

01:04:58

And you know what? Now we can be a duet.

01:05:03

- Yes. - Yes, that's right.

01:05:05

- I think, Carly, I love you.

01:05:08

Oh, I love -- my accent's coming back too.

01:05:11

- It is! It's a miracle. - A Christmas miracle.

01:05:15

- That's what love will do for you.

01:05:16

- I love you and will you be my blessed bride?

01:05:22

- Hold on just one second.

01:05:24

I got to think about it for a minute.

01:05:25

- Okay. Take your time. Nothing else to do.

01:05:27

- I might get a phone call that interrupts this moment.

01:05:29

- [singing] Just a small town girl.

01:05:31

- I'm sorry, I did not change that ringtone yet.

01:05:34

Yes. Hello. - Carly.

01:05:36

- Yes, sir. - Change of plans.

01:05:38

We're shaking this thing up.

01:05:40

- The accent, so we're good.

01:05:41

- Scrap the plan. Back out of this deal.

01:05:43

- Back out of the deal.

01:05:44

- Get out of the deal. You are not buying the store.

01:05:47

- I don't need to try to buy Snow Globe Emporium Co?

01:05:49

Hold on. Let me put you on speaker.

01:05:51

- Hello. - This is Joseph.

01:05:53

- I'm Joseph. - Joseph.

01:05:55

- Who is this? - This is my boss.

01:05:56

-Joseph. Joseph. What's your last name?

01:05:59

- Jingleman. - Joseph Jingleman.

01:06:03

- Joseph Jingleman. - Come again?

01:06:04

- Joseph Jingleman.

01:06:07

- Joseph Jingleman of the Jingleman Snow Globe Family,

01:06:10

that's the richest family in all of West Virginia

01:06:13

that owns this town called Rabbit --

01:06:16

- Rabbit Hatch.

01:06:17

- Hatch. That -- That's you?

01:06:19

- That is us, sir.

01:06:23

- I guess that's all he has to say. Really?

01:06:27

- I think we lost him, bad reception.

01:06:29

- I think he was going to tell me that

01:06:31

the business was going under,

01:06:33

because y'all, you know, you own all --.

01:06:36

- I own the whole town, the bunnies and the possums.

01:06:39

- And that means --

01:06:41

- That means that I can marry you

01:06:42

because I love you and you're rich.

01:06:46

- That's right, that's right.

01:06:48

- It is quite a plot twist. - That is.

01:06:51

We never saw it coming. I'm rich with money

01:06:53

and snow globes. - And love.

01:06:57

- And love. - And now we can play

01:06:59

and sing our Christmas Melody. That's right.

01:07:04

- That's right.

01:07:07

- Woo! Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:07:12

Hey, can we thank them?

01:07:14

That was amazing. Justin, Hannah, Matt, Susan.

01:07:18

Amazing, amazing, amazing. Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

01:07:23

We will send you guys a royalty checks

01:07:25

as soon as Netflix wants to make that movie.

01:07:27

Look out for that next year.

01:07:29

Spectacular. Shocking, right?

01:07:31

There was a happily ever after.

01:07:35

Earlier in the service I read you that verse,

01:07:37

the one from Isaiah about the prophecy

01:07:39

of the coming Messiah. There were names for him.

01:07:41

Things like Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

01:07:44

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,

01:07:46

these incredible names, but I'll tell you that

01:07:48

the name that I love the most for Jesus

01:07:50

this Christmas isn't any of those.

01:07:52

It's actually one that comes out of

01:07:53

the very last book of the Bible.

01:07:55

It's the name The End. It says this in Revelation 21:

01:08:38

I don't know where you are in your life.

01:08:41

I don't know what scenes currently playing out for you.

01:08:43

I don't know whether it's one where it looks

01:08:45

like things are going to be hopeful.

01:08:47

I don't know whether it's one where it looks

01:08:48

like everything's just falling apart again.

01:08:50

I don't know, but I know this,

01:08:52

unless it's Jesus standing up

01:08:55

with His arms spread over your life and saying,

01:08:57

"I'm making all of this new,"

01:08:59

good news, it's not the end.

01:09:02

That's the end of your story, so you and I,

01:09:05

if you believe in Jesus, your story ends guess how,

01:09:10

a happily ever after.

01:09:13

Jesus, thank You so much for Your story.

01:09:15

Thank You for the Christmas story.

01:09:16

Thank You for the certainty of hope,

01:09:18

the rock that we can build our life in.

01:09:20

I'm asking for everybody here, Lord,

01:09:22

that You would fill up our hearts with hope

01:09:25

that we would have the courage to believe

01:09:27

that You are who You say You are,

01:09:29

and that Your love for us

01:09:30

really, really, really has no end.

01:09:33

Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

01:09:37

- Hey, thanks so much for joining us today.

01:09:39

Crossroads is so much more than just content to watch.

01:09:42

We would love for you to grow closer to God,

01:09:45

especially in this busy holiday season.

01:09:47

- Yeah, that's right.

01:09:48

One of my favorite ways to dive deeper

01:09:50

and get connected to more people around here

01:09:52

is actually something we call our monthly Night of Prayer.

01:09:54

If you need encouragement or even a miracle,

01:09:56

guess what? We do believe that miracles

01:09:58

still happen and we see them happen.

01:10:00

Every month God shows up and brings encouragement,

01:10:02

wisdom, freedom, and even healing

01:10:04

as we meet together online on Zoom.

01:10:06

So be bold.

01:10:07

Our next one is actually coming up

01:10:09

Thursday, December 5th at 7 p.m. eastern.

01:10:11

You can just head to crossroads.net/Anywhere

01:10:13

for more info and to RSVP.

01:10:15

- Yeah, now for my high school

01:10:17

and middle school students out there.

01:10:18

I know it's Christmas time, but the sign up

01:10:21

for Summer Camp is now open and live.

01:10:23

And this is, I have to say,

01:10:25

this is my favorite time of the year, Summer Camp.

01:10:27

We see thousands of middle school

01:10:29

and high school students all in one place,

01:10:31

and this is our first time

01:10:33

bringing Anywhere students,

01:10:35

that's our middle school and high school students

01:10:37

from all across the nation into Summer Camp.

01:10:39

So if you're interested, just head to

01:10:41

Crossroads.net/summercamp

01:10:43

to register and find out more.

01:10:45

- Yeah, this is the cheapest price

01:10:46

on camps all year long.

01:10:48

And by the way, we actually do lose money

01:10:50

on every camp that we do because it's not for us,

01:10:53

it's an investment in you.

01:10:55

Hey, thanks again for joining us online.

01:10:57

We'll see you back here next week.

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