Distractions

[0:00] Music Music Music Music Thank you.

[0:59] Thank you.

[1:29] Thank you. This is the day that the Lord has made.

[2:02] We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day.

[2:13] This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice. Let us rejoice.

[2:25] And be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

[2:40] This is the day. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us pray.

[2:51] Lord, we pray that you'll come and dwell among us. That we will experience you in a powerful way. May we proclaim your love and your goodness. And may what we do in this service be a blessing to you.

[3:04] We lift your name on high. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together, We Three Kings. We Three Kings of Orient are, Bearing gifts, three traverses of fire, Build and mountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star.

[3:48] Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light.

[4:10] For the king on Bethlehem's plain, Gold I bring to crown him again. King forever, ceasing never, Over us all to reign.

[4:28] Frankincense to offer have I, Incense sold the deity nigh, Prayer and praising, Voices raising, Worshipping God on high.

[4:47] Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light.

[5:09] Mary's wine, its bitter perfume, Breeze the life of gathering gloom.

[5:20] Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, Still did the stonehold doom. Glorious sound, behold him arise, King and God and sacrifice.

[5:38] Alleluia, alleluia, sound to the earth and skies. Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light.

[6:11] The Lord be with you. And also with you. Please be seated. Community missions began in 1923 and since that time we've provided services for the people that are most in need throughout western New York.

[6:29] We have everything from a soup kitchen to a food pantry. We have a closed closet and we have emergency housing. Those are just a few things that we do on a daily basis here.

[6:40] In all we have 19 different programs that serve a Niagara County across 14 different locations and if there's one thing that we've learned over the past 92 years is that we absolutely cannot do it alone.

[6:51] Last year alone we served over 100,000 meals and provided 11,000 nights of shelter and had over 7,000 visits to our clothes closet. My grandfather and I used to deliver food here and I took care of him the last four years of his life. He passed away and now I have to come here.

[7:11] I've been up in Natter Falls now for seven years. I was homeless. As a 50 year old woman I found myself out of the loop kind of work wise. I hadn't worked in a very long time. I put a lot of job applications in. I just didn't get any requests for my services.

[7:28] If community missions wasn't here I would maybe still be on the streets doing more drugs and not doing good for myself. The community missions involvement in my life has been in value.

[7:43] If it wasn't for the community missions I really don't know where I would be. Probably sleeping outside somewhere. It helped me get closer to my family and closer to my kids.

[7:54] I live three blocks away. If I don't have anything to eat I can come here for lunch and it's a fabulous lunch. Coming to the clothes closet is like going to the mall for some people. It just relieves the stress. It makes us feel better.

[8:09] And everybody puts together. Everybody knows something about somebody hiring or anything like that. Come down to the city missions. They will help you out.

[8:21] God gave a lot of things to people. And people should give things to people too if they need help. So we thank you for your support that you've given us in the past.

[8:33] And thank you for the support you're giving us now. And look forward to having a partnership with Pendleton United Methodist Church far into the future. And community missions is a vital part of our community.

[8:45] It's so important to be supporting such things so that the folks can have what they need and hear about the love of Jesus Christ for their lives, right? There are a bunch of clipboards going around. There's one for the prayer vigil if you want to sign up for that.

[8:59] It's an awesome time to get together to come in and pray knowing that you're part of the community in this church that prays. And let me see. The youth retreat is still in need of some stuff. So that's going around.

[9:11] There's only one clipboard for flowers and communion elements and that kind of stuff. That one has got to go all the way around. So if you all could pay attention to what's on the clipboard.

[9:22] Make sure that it goes where it's supposed to go while you're in your time of worship. I have a wonderful praise. Our adult Bible study in the fellowship is starting back up again this morning. You're all welcome to join us. What are your praises? What are you grateful for and thankful for this morning?

[9:40] Oh, somebody must be grateful for something. The heat wave is coming. I was telling Lee that I'm going to be getting my suntan lotion out tomorrow because it's supposed to get up to 40 or something.

[9:56] Karen, what's up? Hmm? Ah, bless his mom is in heaven. God bless her. God bless her.

[10:08] Thank you, Karen. Other praises this morning? Who what? The bills are planned for it. They are. Wow. Praise God. Praise God. It's a wonderful thing.

[10:21] And I know that that means a lot to an awful lot of people in the community. So God bless them as they go out. Whatever will be, will be. What other praises do we have? Well, I know that your hearts are full of praises.

[10:35] We're into the new year. We're celebrating the epiphany. God is good. God is good. And all the time, let's bring our gifts, tithes, and offerings before the Lord. And let's not forget community missions, if the Lord puts that on our hearts.

[10:48] Let's join our hearts. Thanks. guitar solo guitar solo guitar solo guitar solo many guitar solo minute guitar solo guitar solo tempo guitar solo

[13:02] Wheat conversation Jedipole guitar solo Glowing knots, by His cradle we stand.

[13:15] Fall on your knees.

[13:26] Fall on your knees. The Conqueror comes near.

[13:39] Fall on your knees. Only a child can heal the wound of the fear that keeps me away from you.

[13:53] Only a child. Only a child. He was only a child. Only a child.

[14:10] Only a child. Only a child. Only a child. Only a child.

[14:25] Only a child. Only a child. Only a child. Only a child. Only a child.ются More Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for all of your abundant blessings that you pour out into our lives each and every moment of each and every day.

[15:14] Lord God, we lift up this offering to you and ask that you would bless it as we return back to you for the work of your kingdom, just a small portion of what you have blessed us with.

[15:26] We pray in Jesus' name for all of the work that will be done because you will give us wisdom to know how to use this offering well. We pray also for the ministries of the community missions, Lord God.

[15:39] We pray in Jesus' name that you would bless and multiply their efforts, make them able to reach so far beyond whatever humanly might seem possible that everyone will see and know that it's you.

[15:55] We just ask this, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. We do have some concerns to bring before all of you today.

[16:05] Shirley Darnell, I understand, is in the hospital, so we want to be lifting her up. Shannon Tamrowski's grandmother passed away, and we want to be in prayer for her and all of her family.

[16:19] And Pete and Sue Waseewicz would like prayer for their son, Alex, who's having some medical tests. We want to make sure that all is well with him. We also would like prayer for our youth retreat, which is happening next weekend.

[16:31] And we have a number of people from this congregation, myself included, who are going to be hopping on a plane Tuesday evening for Israel.

[16:43] So we're heading over there on a pilgrimage tour with our bishop and our new district superintendent and a whole bunch of people from our annual conference who are going to be going on this special trip.

[16:56] So if you would keep us all in prayer from this church specifically, I think besides myself, it's Judith Nickel, Prem and Harshad Thakor, and Sue Wilson. And there are a couple of other people who are connected with us who are going as well.

[17:10] So traveling mercies and all of that. What concerns do you have to bring before the Lord this morning? Yes.

[17:21] Yes. Friends who's had knee surgery will pray for her healing. Amen. Others? Yes. Oh, my goodness.

[17:41] Scott? For Scott, who is Louie's nephew and a mailman, he got hit delivering on his route by a car. That's very sad. What other concerns do we have?

[17:55] I know that God hears our prayers, whether we speak them out loud or whether we hold them in our hearts and lift them up to him silently. So whether you join me from your seat or at the rail, let's turn to the Lord in prayer.

[18:16] Gracious God of heaven and earth and all creation, we thank you for bringing us into a new year. We pray that you would continue to birth in our hearts hope for all of those things that we need to be hopeful for in this life.

[18:34] You know what they are, Lord God. You hear our prayers before we even say them out loud. Before we even know what they are ourselves in our own hearts, you're aware of them.

[18:51] You are so great and so mighty. We know we can come in faith and trust and confidence that not only will you hear, but you will answer our prayers as we come before you.

[19:04] We lift up all of those folks, Lord God, who are sick and infirm. We pray in Jesus' name for good reports as they are being taken care of by medical professionals and, Lord, most importantly, by your healing power, by your healing touch.

[19:24] Be with them, Lord. We pray for those who are grieving losses of all kinds and who are at this time just sad and at the same time perhaps relieved or rejoicing knowing that all of us have the hope of eternal life in you.

[19:48] We pray, Lord God, that they would be comforted and that they would be given peace. Lord, we pray for all of those who are going on the youth retreat, for the students who are going, for the adults who are going as chaperones, for those who will be leading activities and providing food and teaching and all of those things that happen on a youth retreat.

[20:21] We pray that you would be present, Lord, as we know you will be. But we pray that as you move among all of the people who will be there, that you will bind them together in your love, that you will touch each one of them and help them to grow even just a little bit in the wisdom and knowledge of you, that they would know the hope of the call that you've placed on their life, whatever it may be, that they would have assurance that you love them in their heart of hearts.

[20:59] We pray, Lord God, for all of those who are traveling now, those who are returning from holiday trips and visits, and, Lord, especially all of us who are going away to Israel.

[21:12] There are so many from our annual conference who are going to be gone. We just pray that you would help us to know you better and be able to return safely and with much to share of all that you have done.

[21:32] And now, Lord, we take a moment to lift up those things in our hearts that have gone unspoken. Lord, be with us and bless us as we continue in our worship, as we hear your word, as we sing songs of praise.

[21:54] Let it wash over us and transform us into Christ-likeness so that we will be prepared to go out into your world and share your love with everyone we know, with everyone we see, with everyone we meet.

[22:09] Whatever the circumstances, be with Pastor Thomas. He delivers the message that you've given him for us this day. Let it be a blessing to him and a blessing to us. Make all of our worship, Lord God, to be a blessing to you this day.

[22:24] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Shall we hear from the word of the Lord? God bless you, God.

[22:57] Good morning.

[23:14] I'm reading from the book of Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1 through 12. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, the Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?

[23:35] We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

[23:53] In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written. But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

[24:11] Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child.

[24:22] As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

[24:38] When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.

[24:49] Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

[25:03] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Louis. Go Bills. Technology is an amazing thing, isn't it?

[25:14] We were sitting in TGIF Fridays watching the end of the game. And, you know, they got all the sports bar TVs up on the walls, right? And everybody's watching it gathered around the bar.

[25:25] We've got this little one next to our table, right? Which happens to be 40 seconds faster than the ones around the bar. So when they caught that interception at the end of the game, we're over there going, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[25:39] And they're all looking at us like, what, what, what, what? And I think, you get the game for it? Not happy about that. When technology succeeds, we love it.

[25:50] When it fails, oh man, it flips us out. I remember several times that I've found myself on the back roads in the middle of nowhere, counting on a GPS to get me where to go.

[26:01] Anybody else have this? And then you hear those infamous words. Lost satellite. What do you mean you lost the satellite? Bad enough that they send you down somebody's driveway sometimes, but lost the satellite.

[26:16] Here you got these wise men who are traveling from some distant land. They're heading to see the king of the Jews who was born somewhere, following a star, and all of a sudden it's gone.

[26:34] What? They have no idea where they are or what they're doing. Now that's the implication, at least, in the story here. And so they turned and went to Jerusalem.

[26:46] Now just to change the story a little bit, just so you kind of get a few details and you'll understand why we don't put these guys by the stable right away.

[26:57] Most likely they came from a place like Persia. And they were not kings, likely. They were most likely magi or, we get the modern word, magicians, who are people who use things to manipulate the world around them.

[27:16] Or, in some cases, we might refer to them as scientists. They're studying the word, trying to figure things out. It doesn't say there were three kings. There were three gifts.

[27:28] There could have been 50 kings or two. Sorry. I'm ruining the song completely here. They didn't go to the stable because it says when they came to the house, they didn't see a babe.

[27:42] They saw a boy with his mother. So it probably was sometime after the birth of Jesus, like around maybe a year and a half or so later, because it takes a while to get from Persia all the way to probably Nazareth, not Bethlehem.

[28:04] It could have been Bethlehem, but they were from Nazareth. They were just on a little vacation to Bethlehem. You remember? They probably went home. Kind of messes up the story, doesn't it?

[28:18] So the star doesn't belong there. It belongs over there. And we're confused. And oh, by the way, the star itself?

[28:30] Well, in the book of Revelation, stars are used to symbolize angels. So it's very likely they weren't following a star in the sky, but an angel of God.

[28:46] I just completely messed up your Christmas story, didn't I? I like to do that. You should see what I do with the actual birth of Jesus. But if they were following a star or an angel, it was supposed to lead them to the child, but they didn't get there.

[29:01] They ended up in Jerusalem, which tells us even wise men sometimes make mistakes. Now, could it be that they lost the star? Could it be that the star disappeared?

[29:13] Could it be that God left them alone? Or could it be that they got distracted? Could it be that the star? If you were looking for a king, and you were to walk by Jerusalem in that day and age and see the gold of the dome of the temple and all the arrays of the vast city where a king actually lived, you'd probably say, hey, we're looking for a king.

[29:33] That looks like the place. And not go a few miles away to some backwater town like Bethlehem or Nazareth. So they got distracted by the things of the world.

[29:50] And then they did something that men have really avoided for centuries. They asked directions. They asked directions.

[30:02] And they asked the current king where they could find the new king. Not really a good idea. And actually, interestingly, Herod, even though he's a pretty evil guy, he trusted the scriptures to give the answer.

[30:18] So they looked it up in the scriptures. And unfortunately, the wise men had made another mistake. And they trusted the wrong people. After all, to tell a king that someone else has just been born a king.

[30:32] You need to understand, no one's born a king. They're crowned a king, born a king. This guy takes precedence over King Herod by like a huge amount.

[30:44] A threat to him, a threat to his officials. It disrupted the whole capital city of Jerusalem because they all relied on him to get their power. They messed up.

[30:56] Because they got distracted by stuff. Distracted by the things that impress us of the world. They were on a journey where God wanted them to go. And they saw something that caused them to go the wrong way.

[31:11] Over the next few weeks, we're going to learn a few lessons from a little bear and his friends. So let's start with one today. All he could think about was honey. Yet still he walked.

[31:21] And he walked. Until honey couldn't honey. Any honey. Honey. Christopher. Christopher. Christopher. Christopher. Christopher. Honey. Honey. Honey. Honey. Honey. Honey. Honey. Honey. Honey. Honey.

[31:32] Honey.

[31:59] Honey. Honey. Honey. Honey. And though Pooh's mind could easily be fooled, his mouth could not.

[32:10] Barther, oh Barther, gotta love that little bear. You see, that's how our lives go. We're on the trail to where we're supposed to get to, and we get distracted by so many things.

[32:25] Because we start to think they're the destination, when they're not. And it wouldn't be so bad, except that sometimes these mistakes of judgment can cause a lot of trouble for someone else.

[32:38] Anybody here ever do something that caused somebody else harm? Or is that just me? You know? You don't intend to do it, but you find out you did.

[32:50] Let's read the story that comes after this story. The story that we usually just pretend isn't there. It says, When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.

[33:06] Get up, he said. Take the child and his mother. Escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.

[33:21] And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet. Out of Egypt I call my son. When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious.

[33:32] And he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem in its vicinity who were two years old and under. In accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

[33:46] It's a hard world sometimes. Life is like a mixture of heaven and hell together. Father. We've talked about that before and it's hard.

[33:57] We have this heartwarming, wonderful Christmas story and we rejoice and then we read that Herod kills little babies. We want to celebrate because it said in there that Jesus was miraculously rescued and left the country.

[34:15] But God let little children die in their mother's arms in Bethlehem. That's not an easy thing. And even Jesus.

[34:25] Jesus is now a refugee in Egypt. Living in a foreign land. They had to go right away. They had nothing with him. I was thinking about this story when we were talking about the people from Puerto Rico coming here.

[34:41] I don't know if you know that. But hundreds of people who've lost everything in Puerto Rico, United States citizens, I'll remind you, have come to Buffalo.

[34:53] Because they have no place to live. And they have nothing. We were asked to take up an offering for random refugee ministries. And I said, no, we're going to do something here.

[35:04] So over the next few weeks, you'll hear we'll take up an offering. But we're also going to see if we can get a crew of people with pickup trucks. You know, a pickup truck crew. And get some stuff they need, like beds and dressers and things like that, and deliver it.

[35:16] So if you're interested in that, talk to Gidget Hughes. Because we can celebrate how wonderful it is that the stock market went through 25,000.

[35:27] But how do we celebrate that when our own people are living with nothing? Through no fault of their own. It's a hard kind of a world to navigate through.

[35:40] They brought three gifts. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And scholars for years have wondered, what do they mean? Well, mostly it's just because they're little things you can carry that are worth a lot, okay? That's what gold is.

[35:52] We like gold. People love gold. Frankincense is a very aromatic perfume. We use that when we anoint people at the rail. But myrrh? Myrrh is mostly used for embalming people when they're dead.

[36:07] Really? Oh, that's disgusting. What? Why did they bring myrrh? Why not just a little more gold? Because even in a story about Jesus as a little boy, it points to the fact that he's going to die on a cross.

[36:21] It's a life of contrast, of heaven and hell. This trip is a great trip for the wise men that helps them to follow the purpose they believe that they have from God.

[36:35] To follow an angel, and yet it's expensive. It's disruptive. It takes all kinds of time, and they make a lot of mistakes. And for the babies.

[36:47] And for Jesus, it leads to death. You see, we have come to realize, or think in our culture, excuse me, to believe in our culture, that joy is the absence of pain or struggle.

[37:03] By the way, that's why people turn to drugs. Because the best way to get rid of pain and struggle is just not think of anything. But joy, the joy that they're talking about, that the wise men felt in this story, is not about simply not having struggles, not having problems.

[37:20] It's about doing something with your life that matters. It's about discovering a GPS, but a different one than we think of. A God-positioning system that guides us to exactly where we need to be.

[37:35] Because goal of life isn't a lack of struggle. But a purpose great enough to overcome and push us through the struggles.

[37:46] Philippians chapter 4, verse 13 says, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I read a book a few years ago called Amusing Ourselves to Death.

[38:00] We've become a culture of amusement. And there's nothing wrong with amusements. I like it. I love a great movie late at night.

[38:11] I love to go to a park or even an amusement park or to gather with friends and just have a wonderful... I like this. I do. I'm not saying it's bad. But we need to understand that all it really is is a distraction.

[38:25] It distracts us from some of our troubles. But it also, if we're not careful, can distract us from what we're supposed to be doing. And we can become like the wise men who weren't very wise and got off course.

[38:37] Even more so, we start to feel like a failure because we're striving for the wrong goal. Believing that somehow if we could just get all the things that amuse us, we would somehow be happy.

[38:55] I found this little clip, which actually is a clip by somebody who knows all about getting off course.

[39:06] Because this is about a man who became president. And he had just won an election by the largest electoral landslide in modern history, winning 49 states.

[39:21] And now two years he's resigned. And somebody asked him about the purpose of life. I mean, you see, people...

[39:32] The average person, and I understand this. I do not consider myself to be other than an average person. None of us should, really. We all think we're a little smarter than we are.

[39:44] But you feel that, well, gee, isn't it just great to, you know, to have enough money to afford to live in a very nice house and to be able to play golf and to have nice parties and to wear good clothes and shoes and suits, etc., etc., etc., etc.

[40:08] Or travel if you want to. And the answer is, if you don't have those things, then they can mean a great deal to you.

[40:22] When you do have them, they mean nothing to you. To me, the unhappiest people of the world are those in the watering places, the international watering places, like the south coast of France and Newport and Palm Springs and Palm Beach, going to parties every night, playing golf every afternoon, then bridge, drinking too much, talking too much, thinking too little, retired, no purpose.

[41:07] Gee, the guy actually was pretty intelligent sometimes, wasn't he? You know, if Tyrod Taylor wins the Super Bowl, somebody's going to ask him a question. You know that. They're going to say, Hey, Tyrod Taylor, now that you've won the Super Bowl, where are you going to go?

[41:23] I'm going to Disney World. Everybody always asks me, What's on my tie? Hey there, hi there, hold there, Mouseketeers. I got Mickey today. I've got to tell you something about Disney.

[41:33] There are people in this culture that live for the opportunity to go to Disney World. They save up their money. They struggle for years simply to get to the Magic Kingdom.

[41:45] And it's a pretty cool place. It really is. My wife's cousin worked for Disney. And my parents, my in-laws, live like 40 minutes from Disney. So we've been to Disney about 35 times.

[41:59] I got to tell you the truth. The last time my wife and I went to Disney, we didn't ride any rides. We walked around looking at the flowers, going out for a nice lunch, watching the people, going to the exhibits that nobody goes to.

[42:17] Because it's just Disney. Now I know if you've never been there, you're saying, Well, that's not fair. You got to go to 35. Yeah, well, I mean, it just happened.

[42:28] Okay? The point is, even the most funnest, what they call it, the happiest place on earth, can be really a struggle.

[42:42] One of the things that troubles me whenever I've gone to Disney is I'll see young families there who are taking a little child about this big and dragging them through the park. And the kids are crying.

[42:53] They're dragging. We got to go. We got to go. We got to get out the next ride. We paid a lot of money for this place. We're going to get on every single ride in this place if it kills us. The happiest place on earth?

[43:06] I don't think so. I don't think so. Believe it or not, there's not as many smiling faces there as you think because we become obsessed.

[43:18] Obsessed? Oh my gosh, I didn't get on Space Mountain. My life is ruined. Really? It's a roller coaster ride in the dark. It really is.

[43:28] That's what it... I'm sorry. John chapter 16. Jesus says, nope, that's not it. Do we have John chapter...

[43:39] We don't have John chapter 16, do we? Jesus says that he's come to bring peace in a troubled world. A troubled world. Because Christ has overcome the world.

[43:56] Because Christ has overcome this struggle for entertainment. Because God gives us a goal. God gives us a dream. God gives us something that makes our life worth living.

[44:11] You can say amen there. If a new star appeared from God in the universe, would you see it? If an angel showed up next to you, would you even notice?

[44:23] Or would we be so distracted by amusements and struggles to get things that won't matter to us that we would miss it? Proverbs chapter 14 says, there's a way that appears to be right.

[44:39] But in the end, it leads to death. There's always a temptation to confuse the goals of kings with the goals of God. Joy.

[44:52] The kind of joy that the wise men felt when they saw the star again. That kind of joy comes from following God and seeing what God intends.

[45:05] We won't know what God is revealing, however, if we don't know God. Inspiration means to have the Spirit within us. Inspiration means to be inspired or inspirited, to have the Holy Spirit dwelling within our being.

[45:23] Everybody wants to be inspired. What that really means is everybody should be seeking God. Knowing all about God is not the same as knowing God. There's a lot of people who are religious and know all about God.

[45:36] They've even studied this book. But in the end, they end up like the people who were advising Herod. Harsh and selfish. filled with pain and hurt and sadness.

[45:49] It says that the kings came and they worshiped Jesus. And the reason we worship, the reason you should be here today, the reason we need to do this on a regular basis, routine, constantly doing this, is to remember every single week, maybe every single day, if you will, that God is the most important thing in life.

[46:08] And all the other stuff is distractions. I like the distractions. They're enjoyable. They're fun.

[46:18] They're not bad. They're not evil. They're not the wrong thing. It's not bad to go to Disney World, okay? But if we live with the goal of simply finding a way to distract ourselves, we distract ourselves from God.

[46:34] And we worship God to remember to put Him first. Deuteronomy says it this way. Be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you. Do not turn aside to the right or the left.

[46:45] Walk in obedience to all the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. The last few weeks, we've been talking about how important it is to have God in our lives.

[47:05] Somebody, well, several people have said to me recently, you know, I don't even know what the purpose sometimes of our faith is. I'm not even sure whether I believe everything that it says in that book.

[47:18] I don't know if I can trust what the church teaches. Amen. I'm with you all. Except for one thing. I know that a number of years, God Himself became a part of my life, entered into my life, my world, and rocked it so much that I haven't been able to get out of bed without being excited about God one single day.

[47:43] that the presence of the living God is what makes me want to get up and do something each day. It's not, I hate to tell you this, it's not you.

[47:57] It's not the salary. It's not because somehow I think it'll get me to Disney World. I've been there like 34 times, you know. It's because it changed my life.

[48:12] These are wise men. And somewhere along the line, an angel appeared to them. That's what I think. Maybe it was a star. I think it was an angel. Appeared to them and showed them what to do.

[48:29] Gave them a dream. Gave them a reason for living. And the interesting thing is, they got distracted from that dream, ended up over in Jerusalem, playing on the Disneyland park, forgot about God, but as soon as they looked back, the angel appeared again.

[48:47] Did you notice that? God doesn't leave us. God is there with us, even when it's hard to see. Maybe it's an angel, maybe it's a star, I don't know.

[49:01] Fly me high through the starry skies, maybe to an astral plane. Help me cross the highways of fantasy. Help me to forget today's pain.

[49:13] Oh, dream weaver, I believe you can make it through the night. Not a distraction.

[49:24] Not a hope. Not a maybe. Not something we think could cause us to feel good for a little bit, but something that can transform who we are. They listened to the dream.

[49:34] They followed the star. And so can we. To experience God will change our lives into something that will give us a dream to make our lives worth living.

[49:51] God has put an angel out there, a dream for you, a possibility. And he's calling on you to follow him. You don't know where.

[50:02] And you can trust him because he's not like the GPS. Yes! You won't lose this satellite unless you decide to look away. As przed else we understand the Americas goes in and you to song in and yours behind the right with us brother through the attention of things of this and hearing through the people and by Over the skies of weather, the hell appeared a star While angels sang to lowly shadows Three wise men seeking truth traveled from afar

[51:11] Hoping to find the child from heaven Falling on their knees, they bowed before the humble Prince of Peace I bring an offering of worship to my King No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due O Lord, I bring an offering to you The sun cannot compare to the glory of your love

[52:16] There is no shadow in your presence No mortal man would dare stand before your throne Before the Holy One of heaven It's only by your blood And it's only through your mercy Lord, I come I bring an offering of worship to my King No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due O Lord, I bring an offering to you

[53:21] O Lord, I bring an offering to you O Lord, I bring an As with gladness men of old Did the guiding star behold As with joy who hailed its light

[54:22] Leading onward, beaming bright So most glorious Lord may we Evermore be led to thee As with joyful steps they spend To that lonely nature bend There to bend the knee before Him whom heaven and earth adore So may we with glissing feet Ever seek thy mercy seat As they are the gifts most rare At that major, rude and bare So may we with holy joy Pure and free from sins all joy All our thoughts, their strategies bring

[55:24] Christ to thee, our heavenly King Holy Jesus, every day Keep us in the narrow way And when earthly things are past Bring our ransomed souls at last Where they need no sun to guide Where no plants thy glory find It's so easy to get distracted To get off the right path It's so easy to just find ourselves Doing things that have no meaning No purpose And in the midst of it Losing our whole goal Our whole purpose in life It's very easy And we do it all the time So I invite you as we prepare For a table of grace Where God offers himself With love and forgiveness

[56:24] I welcome you to pray A prayer of confession along with me Lord, I am a sinner Lord, I am a sinner I need your grace I need your grace Set me on the right path Set me on the right path Free me from sin Free me from sin Take away the distractions Take away the distractions Help me to see you Help me to see you To experience you To experience you To know your way And know your way And be your message And be your message In this world In this world We pray, Lord We pray, Lord That you will forgive us That you will forgive us For not following you For not following you And you will guide us And you will guide us In your paths In your paths Of righteousness Of righteousness And purpose And purpose In Jesus' name we pray In Jesus' name we pray Amen Amen Amen Hear the good news Christ died for us

[57:25] While we were still sinners This proves God's love For you and for me So in the name of Jesus Christ Your sins are forgiven In the name of Jesus Christ Your sins are forgiven Glory to God Amen And now as a forgiven body of Christ Let's greet each other With a piece of the Holy Spirit As we prepare for the table of grace That's true Thank you I will deploy meals Ng in the name of Jesus Christ Let's see Copy clearly Copy clearly Please Copy So we have a pulpit of fire Thank you Until the road It is Yea Let's say That weisen to hear It is It is And that we are To get My hands of the Lord The leaves And that we are Amen.

[58:34] Amen. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel.

[59:11] Born is the King of Israel. They looked at us and saw a star shining in the east beyond them far.

[59:32] And to the earth it gave great light. And so it continued both day and night.

[59:47] And by the light of that same star three wise men came from country far to seek for a king was their intent.

[60:07] And to follow the star wherever it went. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel.

[60:21] Born is the King of Israel. This star drew nigh to the northwest.

[60:38] O'er Bethlehem it took its rest. And there it did. O'er Bethlehem it took its rest.

[60:52] Right over the place where Jesus lay. Then answered Him, those wise men three.

[61:06] O'er Bethlehem it took its rest. And offered them in His presence Their gold and gold and frankincense.

[61:27] Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel. Born is the King of Israel.

[61:42] O'er Bethlehem it took its rest. To His table, all who love Him. All who love God. Who repent of their sin.

[61:54] And who seek to live in peace. As disciples of Jesus Christ. Everyone is welcome at the table. Everyone is welcome to join in the song of praise.

[62:05] To join in the story that we have heard. That we have lived out over the past weeks. That we continue to live out throughout the rest of the year.

[62:17] We heard it in the songs of the kings As they spoke of all of those things That are going to come in Christ's life So that we could be saved. We hear it as we celebrate communion In the words of the liturgy.

[62:32] Christ came. God loves us. Christ died for our sins. And rose again. So that we could have relationship with God.

[62:43] What a blessing to celebrate these things. And to know that we are welcome to join in. Amen? So come to the table this morning.

[62:54] Come expecting blessing from God. Come knowing how much God loves you. And is there for you. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts.

[63:05] Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right and a good and joyful thing Always and everywhere To give thanks to you Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.

[63:19] Before the mountains were brought forth Or you had formed the earth From everlasting to everlasting You alone are God. You created light out of darkness And brought forth life on the earth.

[63:30] You formed us in your image And breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away and our love failed Your love remained steadfast.

[63:41] You delivered us from captivity Made covenant to be our sovereign God And spoke to us through your prophets. And so with your people on earth And all the company of heaven We praise your name And join their unending hymn Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and earth are full of your glory Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Holy are you and blessed is your son Jesus Christ In whom you have revealed yourself Our light and our salvation You sent a star to guide wise men To where Christ was born And in your signs and witnesses In every age And throughout all the world You have led your people From far places To God's light By the baptism of his suffering Death and resurrection

[64:42] You gave birth to your church Delivered us from slavery To sin and death And made with us a new covenant By water and the spirit And on the night in which He gave himself for us He took bread And he gave thanks to you He broke the bread And gave it to his disciples Saying take and eat This is my body Which is given for you Do this in remembrance of me And when the supper was over He took the cup He gave you thanks and praise And gave it to his disciples He said drink from this All of you This is the cup of my blood The blood of the new covenant Poured out for you And poured out for many For the forgiveness of sin Do this as often as you drink it In remembrance of me And so in remembrance of these

[65:43] Your mighty acts in Jesus Christ We offer ourselves In praise and thanksgiving As a holy and living sacrifice In union with Christ's offering for us As we proclaim the mystery of faith Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again Pour out your Holy Spirit On us gathered here And on these gifts of bread and wine Make them be for us The body and blood of Christ That we may be for the world The body of Christ Redeemed by his blood By your spirit Make us one with Christ One with each other And one in ministry To all the world Until Christ comes In final victory And we feast at his heavenly banquet Through your son Jesus Christ With the Holy Spirit And your holy church All honor and glory is yours Almighty Father Now and forever Amen Shall we pray together The prayer Jesus taught us Our Father

[66:44] Who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done On earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive those Who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom And the power And the glory Forever and ever Amen Will those who are serving Please come forward Amen Amen Amen Amen

[67:46] Thank you.

[68:16] Thank you.

[68:46] Thank you.

[69:16] Thank you. Himself invites you to the table today.

[69:30] Invites you to say today, I want Jesus in my life. Come and receive the Lord at his holy table. Come to the rail for prayers for healing and anointing, to light a candle.

[69:41] Come and join us with our God. Come and join us with our God. Thank you.

[70:41] Thank you.

[71:11] Thank you.

[71:41] Thank you.

[72:11] Thank you.

[72:41] Thank you.

[73:11] Thank you.

[73:41] Thank you.

[74:11] Thank you.

[74:41] Thank you. Thank you.

[75:13] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[75:25] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[75:37] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[75:49] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I feel like you.

[76:01] A-ra-pa-pa-pa, ra-pa-pa-pa, ra-pa-pa-pa Shall I play for you, a-ra-pa-pa-pa On my drum Very not in, a-ra-pa-pa-pa The ox and lamb kept time, a-ra-pa-pa-pa I played my drum for him, a-ra-pa-pa-pa I played my best for him, a-ra-pa-pa-pa Ra-pa-pa-pa, ra-pa-pa-pa And he smiled at me, a-ra-pa-pa-pa

[77:09] Me and my drum Me and my drum Me and my drum You know, every once in a while I'll read online about people who don't believe in God And I understand, they make all these arguments and all these discussions And I just look at them and go, you just don't get it You just don't get it, and you can't get it here You just can't get it there It's like trying to understand what it's like to be a Buffalo Bills fan And not be from Western New York Do you know what I mean?

[77:47] I think there's a Cincinnati quarterback that's starting to get the idea, right? Because can you imagine what would happen if the Buffalo Bills actually won a Super Bowl? I mean, holy cats Well, let me tell you something That's not close to the rejoicing in heaven that the angels do Every time a person says they want God to guide their heart God has decided for you God has put the angels in the sky for you God has a dream for you Live into it And I guarantee you All the distractions will seem like just other stuff To go along with the real purpose of life May God be with you and bless you And may God give you his peace and his grace And may God cause the Buffalo Bills to win today Amen Amen