The Meaning of Christmas

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It is now working or talking about some really cool stuff.

This time year is wonderful to hear some people say that is talking about the meaning of Christmas. And so we want to start with the clip here in a few moments from one of the most popular Christmas movies out there and it's not home alone is not Christmas with the cranks which, if not I heart right it's not what is Robby it's a wonderful life.

It is wonderful and you know Frank Frank Capra's genius like oh my goodness of putting this movie together that you have for me it always have a real special filter because my mother when I was divorced when I was young I know you may be shocked to know that what is true and in my mother asked me to come home and stay with her.

She had been divorced my father so it's just me and her appetite for Christmas and I've never watched a movie and course. My mother was a gigantic Jimmy Stewart fantasy might and so she's like sound we got a license movie and so you know we watch that movie together and unite will forever be in my heart is something that you know is a precious memory with my mother but the opening scene is in the name of the weight to we get through knowing I have a similar story. Mom my mom, brought me into that I'd never watched it either and made such an impact to me when I went on taught Sunday school staff act did it for some kids and a lot of them and never seen it and shouted there was great teaching there so much to learn from the movie so I've actually known people that will not watch it because it's in black and white and they say that if it's in black-and-white. It can be good, but my cancer-causing and they love the movie is a great movie it in order to get to the clip in a moment.

I wanted to talk a bit about that were going to talk a little bit about the meaning of Christmas right. I think if we ask around this room and there's a bunch of us in here not to be on the radio today, but we would all have different answers to that potentially and so were to come back and talk about that arriving on Safeco. I do so at the very beginning the movie if you haven't seen it.

It was written by a German you may not know that in 1939. Maybe he didn't want to publish it in out prior to World War II. You can imagine the situation night was called the greatest is called the greatest gift and you know it's his idea of going back and seeing what you know how your life touched other people and what you hear at the beginning is all these different people that had known George Bailey was starting to show in their praying form because of things that you will find through the movie is the relationship they have all these people and how he affected their lives and now he needs a rescue and in really most of this is time year. If you're especially in my age group.

We need a rescue and I find it absolutely fascinating that part of what you hear pray for George since his kids you'll hear his friends to hear his mother and in the thought occurs to me of wow Jesus is the one is going to provide the rescue.

He did it at the first Christmas right and and what does it actually like up there for God to hear what it is that that we here at the beginning of this movie that the vent von Stern guy that that wrote the original play was thinking like Walmart goodness Jesus and Mary, my friend and I will trouble will have to send someone down for a man named John Bailey, yesternight is crucial night. You're right will have to send someone down immediately came to see his clockmaker as he got his wings yet has he come up right along. You know Sarah you got the IQ of a rabbit.

As simple Joseph Sanford plans. He said yes plans a man down and it is no less discouraged at exactly 10:45 PM time that man would be thinking seriously of throwing away God's greatest gift DMD in his life and how to dress anywhere you will spend that hour getting acquainted with George Bailey's if I can accomplish this nation. I mean my dad perhaps when my wings, I've been waiting for over 200 years now. Certain people are beginning to fill the adventures of Tom Sawyer planning to do a good job with George Bailey and you get thank you said your what what happened to George in the story gets into this place is he's a pretty happy guy people loving life can have is a gifted guy and it's got a big hard against the movie with all these dreams that he's going to get out of town is going to go to college is can do all the things that he sacrifices he sacrifices for his family.

Any self sacrifices for the building and loan and for different people along the way to help them. You know, get a start in life, whatever that may look like.

But then, because he continues to sacrifice and keep his uncle on his little bit dimwitted, he loses a giant deposit to the evil characters in excitement every story and Mr. Potter's is obviously waiting for this money and set them up and is gonna take everything and in George it's it's fascinating to see if you know the prayer these many praise and all that stuff. It is that George prays no and that Clarence you know shows up in the answer to his prayers is now?

There's a couple rescues in that movie that there's a rescue of Clarence.

It comes in and also the people at the end and pray for them steps in to rescue him right right in and I know you guys hate when I do this and I told you a question I was asked before the show but I change the question haven't told you that you only thing you want to ask you what I ask you what is this Christmas season. You want to be rescued from good question Andy got nothing. I guess I would like to be rescued from the all the commercialism in focus on the wrong thing as too much wrong looking.

See, depending on where you're at in life is going to change your your answer to that question just like the meaning of Christmas.

I hope when you have a microphone there would like you to read what you wrote about what Christmas really looks like for a lot of people out there and then back to the question. This is something I wrote it couple days ago.

There's a lot of sadness at this time of year greed by the affluent contrasted with the homeless emphases placed on commercialism contrasted with total neglect of the adult Jesus, the balance of the year. So many lonely people experience greater pain seeing others with what they lack in memories and then if we keep our focus on our relationship with Christ, we can experience joy at this time. Regardless but on a more positive note, I thought the other day.

You know what is it about a little child on Christmas.

The that has him so excited it's the hope of what they may find in the morning and that's really why Christ came to earth because before you did.

We had no we were lost in Christ came and provided that hope so there's there's good and there's bad.

I wish more for the good ready giving thoughts on nine where you'd like to be rescued from this Christmas will number one. Probably this question right but in this season this year you thoughts blind to your header all of a sudden of all the past years. What's going on. Probably this year and this season just being rescued. I agree with Harold that it's specifically just being rescued from all I have to.

I feel like I have to go do this I have to go do that you just be away from all the have to suggest stop and enjoy the time with the family just like my wife and daughter flying home today there in Missouri under 58 inches of snow there find it through Herod, our flights are delayed there, have a heck of a time getting back my son and I know we've got to go hunt in the couple days now since he's been home and doing things so there has been some rescue have been able to just relax there there doing their thing. I'm here doing my thing, my sons in town so they're coming back so now you do some stuff.

My daughter for a few days because it's a spirit I home. Then my wife will get some days off and then will go to some stuff so it's kind for me just rescued from the need of feeling like oh I have to go here and go there and do this and do that and actually from four want some actual Butthead on my Christmas shopping so I can relax a little bit. Probably for myself and just not really so much going on in this focus on myself instead of others. It will cool things. This is first year-long time of operation Christmas job box and just to know this really talk about different aspects of Christmas that so much a part of so many lives been touched by that and it really gives is that there's so many ways of giving and stepped in Christmas and that was really cool.

The other thing is our church did one of those things where they give money to the congregation and and they give it out in the town and I wasn't there the first week and there were testimonies was incredible what people were doing and going. Given really got them out of their selves to help somebody else so that very thing. I'm I got my give out this week and I'm looking forward to the rescued yourself for only 2 �g this morning to talk about what to look forward towards the season masking journey.org the pickup has podcasting register for the upcoming Boot Camp company Robby Gilmore here in the Truth Network podcasts of help make my pillow the company it is today, and now Mike Lindau, who by the way, I've met is a great guy, the inventor and CEO of my pillow wants to get back to our listeners for the first time you can get deep discounts on all my door products. If you go to my pillow.com right now, and click on the new radio listener specials who never thought that my dream job would be selling my pillows you're getting tired of these sleeping droughts, but you can get deep discounts on my pillows, mattress toppers, bedsheets, and so much more. For example, the body pillow is regularly 89, 99, but with a promo code get truth it's only 2999 remember all my pill products, the 60 day moneyback guarantee and a 10 year warranty. Just go to my pillow.com and click on the new radio listeners specials and get deep discounts on all my pillow products including the body pillow for only 2999 enter promo code to get truth or call 800-942-9613 these great radio specials is assuming masking my son Eli talk about ways you can help support is clearly a smile that he was on the information that Facebook.com where you can click the button tweaking it to PO Box 552 72853 Matthew Jesus what you will do that freedom day venture with God. It's a masculine journey radio is designed to give them information is used for the kingdom coming this April. April 2 through the fifth. Register now@masculinejourney.org and everything here. Right now I will explain her. I guess it wasn't from from Charlie Brown's Christmas, which we may have a clip coming from not just saying you got include that on the meaning when we left we asked the question what do you want to be rescued from this Christmas you know and so we had some different things. It's been answered Reich's reach one of us is different with a different season ran rather you feel like you can answer the question yeah and interestingly at. I have a sibling. My older sister that she and I struggle at times and she does this, but she knows me really really well and and she detected in my voice, a certain sadness that a lot of people would not of been my daughter pointed that out to me this weekend to and they both pointed to something that I really know that I am struggling with, which is actually orphan spirit and the reason why it's the orphan spirit which really comes out. This time year is in a way, I put my dad in the nursing home. That's time has your lust for mommy two years ago would. So there we are secure for Christmas and you know what it was last year was really hard but looking for risky and it was hard. Thank you for sharing her with his you know that is something that I know better, after, and hopefully will build 11 yes is a process as well, as it is hard making it through this times without your family for me to be rescued from the feelings of what I don't have it in the preface it by saying you have been divorced for four years now. Something like that. One of the times I really do miss is Christmas you know I and and we do the best we can and in my ex-wife and I really cordial with each other and wait. We try to make it work. The best we can, but I miss Christmas with my family you know and shall take these traditions. I'll take those traditions and in like so that the relationship can be better between her and I trying to do the best we can.

This year will have them. The 23rd and the 24th and then shall have nine the 24th and the 25th and now out not be alone on Christmas but I won't be without my family now be without my family I and I can sit and I could focus on that really find myself in a pretty bad place if not careful. Right you not believe that you know God's hands. In the midst of all the healing stuff that's comes since then it's also time for the enemy to get a foothold in onset.

I need a rescue for my own negative thinking in my own thoughts of wishing that some of the things could still be the same in and for me that that's what I need a rescue from this year and and I think the answer to a lot of that is is where were going to thresh the show right because it is this really more about changing your focal point and when that focal point is me and in my selfishness for me in my situation are me and my loss are me and what I don't have and we do really miss that point Christmas gets a really cool clip.

This is a really cool code probably can you set the scope of fourth.

Well, this is one from Alina's AI. I really think that this is Sandy's job visiting this clip absolutely and you cut you this alignment now. I guess it Robby at somebody's clip and set it up is because we had sent this in for the last weeks we decided hey, we might want to different shows with two different topics and include this is week so basically Charlie Brown. You know he's coming into the Christmas season and he's all depressed and trying to figure out know why he sadden all this kind of thing and he finally asked consumer. He does explain the meaning of Christmas to me and Linus obliges his current things I just crashed the line is Christmas tradition Christmas story. Maybe that is your point.

Maybe you do need to think about the baby in the manger. Maybe that's that's where God can call you but somehow I think is going to be calling us to different places so another question I have for you that I didn't prepare it for right is what's the focal point of Christ look like for you this year for your rescue.

Make sense enough to focus on something different. It's going to lead to my rescue right and I can't risk myself, Jesus has to do that but if I'm a focus on something in Christ loving Christ, whatever that might be what's it going to be so for me, he'd been painted a real red picture and I really did, and in my word that it was for the year was so by which have to do a laptop and taking communion only run every morning and I realize now I want going all the details, but there is is crimson alarm that attaches himself to a tree or herself to a tree in order for her babies to feed on her. And Jesus quoted that Psalm the 22nd Psalm where David referred to this form and the word means helping in Hebrew and so it's his red picture of all my goodness he gave it everything that he had so that I could commune with him and essentially it is split is his flesh and drink his blood, but that's how you abide for you. It's good to be looking like moving into that abiding even deeper, exactly. I'm very excited about that and a little more me to worry anymore.

Essentially a new word we asked about next week. Yesterday I was in the bah humbug ground and back to speak when you asked that question immediately came to me that I want to escape the passage of time is like Robby. I got a lot of emotional stuff. My father died 20 years ago, but it's no easier now than was this time a year and my Christmases were full of wonder and peace that lie under the Christmas tree house in a safe and stare out the lights and just dream and I'm aslant I just realize that you have that that rescue from time by Jesus, Ms. not permanent, we will be eternal within an just grab me with Robby was having his bow, but now when I have my linkage and this this whole focal point. I guess for me it would be focal point of perspective and of the perspective that you not. I am so grateful that I have healthy kids got us a visit with me or not with me. I'm so grateful those things that I have in the focus on how God calls me to love the new season right now. How can I love my daughter Bassett's in Nevada and my daughter that's in Florida and what's he calling me to do different in their life, other than give him a present or given something that could show his love to them from their father known for me that's a perspective thing and I think that something I need to focus on these next quick few days between Christmas, but more for the season. Yeah I'm with you Sam that the Focus on the Family focus on the love that we have for each other, both the immediate and more distant family now just a great time. I just have wonderful relatives all over the place is a great time with think back all man. Why haven't talked in a while. Let's renew some of that. Just get closer with your own family and just slow everything down and don't worry about all the sideline stuff and just focus on each other and even 11 cousin Eddie, cousin and I guess what I need to be rescued from his cynicism that creeps into May. Looking at people that keep Evan Jesus reborn year after year after year and have nothing to do with the rest the year or think of them as an adult and consider what he did for us coming sure babies are cute and lovable but that's not why I came. That was just a beginning. What's more important for us is the way he ended not the way he began, Andy.

What about user anything you can focus on so that I think I cannot mention it, I may not do any as far as that's the selfishness of I feel like I'm a lot better than I was.

Got is done some amazing things and what I mentioned was things that I was doing the kind of get me out it took to be rescued and really began to to give back but have always done that just really taken on the more prospective agreement. Maybe focus a little bit on what I'm doing during the holidays and and more integrated with the family, but all I can say is it's always been in the last few years.

Just more of just a celebration group truly united are so many ways you can look at it you can look at the downtimes of not having family. I went with through what you did same and it was a very difficult time. I remember dropping off my daughter and walking away and missing that will I don't have that much now I were able to spend more time together and it does come back this time you take a moment and pray Jesus that is pray for the listeners and put us in this room that you to help us see the things that you're trying to rescue us from the season.

If you bring those first and foremost her mind the things of the Turner heart down the things on us away from you the things where there's commercialism or selfishness or life situations and we would lead that road back to you. You also help us to see what that focal point needs to be specifically uniquely for each one of us this season. Think you we love you and will talk to you next week