What is one expectation you have for yourself this year?

You are part of a body and you are important to the body around you. You are not your own. You belong to God… you belong to your spouse… and you belong to the church.

Matthew 16:13-20

Church = Ecclesia ("called out one's")

There are a few ways we use the word "church." It can be:

• The Building
• • The idea
  • A representation of the Temple
  • The touch point
• The Service
• • Symbolic
  • Focused worship
  • The exercise of the saints
  • An exploration of faith
  • An agent of change
• The body
• • A touch point between God and humanity
  • A support to each other
  • A local expression of a universal idea
  • An agent of change

Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between.

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Luke 1:5-13

Matthew 1:24

Luke 1:38

Luke 2:15

Matthew 2:11

Christmas is a time to reflect. As Christians, God is calling us to:

• Change
• • John 1:14a
  • How will last year change you?
  • How will this Christmas change you?
  • How will you position yourself, going into next year, to change?
  • How is God trying to change you?
  • How will you join him?
• Five tools for change
• • Zechariah and Elizabeth: Prayer
  • Joseph: Obedience
  • Mary: Faith
  • Magi: Perseverance
  • Shepherds: Pursuit

Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between.

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…Through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, through the sea of swirly-twirly gun drops, and through the Lincoln Tunnel.

Luke 2:1-20

The journey:

Every one of us is on a journey toward Jesus Christ. We all have different phases and ups and downs along the way. The Characters of the Christmas story each help us understand a different aspect of our journeys. How can we relate and grow from what we see in the experiences of:

• Mary and Joseph
• Angels
• Shepherds
• Wise men
• Simeon

The details:

The details matter, but worrying about the details isn't the answer. God will take care of you regardless of what comes. You just need to go on the journey.

The mindset:

The mindset also matters. When you think you can't see the situation any other way, you can… if you focus on where you see God along the journey.

Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between.

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Matthew 2:1-12

Did the magi stop in with Herod because they thought it would be easier to find the baby than following a star?

Regardless of why they spoke with Herod, God didn't give up on them and still warned them in a dream not to go back to him.

King Herod's version of "worship" was to kill this king who had been "born." In contrast, the magi bow down before Jesus and give their gift.

Sometimes we can be like Herod, or like the father in Elf who may look like they're going through the motions of worship, but they're not actually worshipping God. But what do the magi teach us about worship.

• True worship means bowing
• True worship puts actions to thoughts
• True worship requires sacrifice

Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between.

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Luke 2:8-20

When the supernatural breaks into the natural, it's terrifying because it's not our norm. Even those who think there is no such a thing as the supernatural have to find ways to heal society because there's something beyond our natural understanding which holds us back. We call that brokenness as a result of sin against God. And so God sent his son to us to heal that brokenness… a savior in the form of a baby in a manger. And that's what the angels proclaimed to the shepherds.

This passage encourages us to "spread Christmas cheer" in four ways:

• Hear the story
• Worship the Author
• Experience the miracle
• Share the story

Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between.

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Isaiah 7:14

"Santa!!!" The exclamation points are the point. Just as Buddy the elf was excited to see Santa, we should have the same excitement with Jesus. Sometimes we miss out because we forget the incredible gift it is to meet Jesus. When we don't get excited to meet with Jesus, he doesn't meet with us.

"I know him." The purpose of Christmas is relationship. God came to be with us so we could be with him. He is Emmanuel: "God with us."

"There's so much to do." Buddy wanted to stay late to get ready for Santa when everyone else was ready to go home. When it comes to Jesus, so often we share more in common with those that want to go home early instead of preparing ourselves and the world around us for Jesus.

Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between.

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The Art of Thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:4-9

Oftentimes we read passages like Philippians 4:4-9 and agree, and we use it to build ourselves up… but then we don't dig in and determine how we can actually put these commands into practice. This passage is also hard for us because it asks things that are completely counter to our culture. Gentleness is not a virtue. If we don't "feel" God, we think he's not near. And our anxiety often seems inescapable. But we can cultivate gratitude in our lives by doing a few things that we might not always think about:

• Remember your salvation
• Widen your perspective
• Focus your vision

And when we've done these things, we have to take the next steps to make gratitude a part of our lives:

• Make it a perspective
• Make it a mindset

Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between.

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John 6:25-40

This passage points out some of questions we can ask about our own walk of faith.

1. Vv. 25-27 - Motive: why do you come to Jesus?
2. Vv. 28-31 - Belief: do you believe in Jesus or do you believe in the signs?
3. Vv. 32-34 - Desire: is your desire for physical sustenance or for true bread from heaven?
4. Vv. 35-40 - ?: What further questions does this passage draw out for us to ask?

Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between.

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