Scripture referenced
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Isaiah 9 read aloud as a prophecy of the coming savior, beginning with those who walk in darkness seeing a radiant light
1 But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation. You have increased their joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the plunder.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as in the day of Midian.
5 For all the armor of the armed man in the noisy battle, and the garments rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David’s throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.
8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it falls on Israel.
9 All the people will know, including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stone. The sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 Therefore Yahweh will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies,
12 The Syrians in front, and the Philistines behind; and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
13 Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them, neither have they sought Yahweh of Armies.
14 Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day.
15 The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.
16 For those who lead this people lead them astray; and those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is profane and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns like a fire. It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through Yahweh of Armies’ wrath, the land is burned up; and the people are the fuel for the fire. No one spares his brother.
20 One will devour on the right hand, and be hungry; and he will eat on the left hand, and they will not be satisfied. Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm:
21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Keep this verse
Luke 2
read aloud as the nativity account, from the census under Caesar Augustus through the shepherds returning to their flocks
1 Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.
2 This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;
5 to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant.
6 While they were there, the day had come for her to give birth.
7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.
9 Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
11 For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.”
13 Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men.”
15 When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough.
17 When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child.
18 All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.
21 When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
25 Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law,
28 then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;
32 a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him,
34 and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.
35 Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
36 There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,
37 and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day.
38 Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
41 His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.
42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast,
43 and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and his mother didn’t know it,
44 but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey, and they looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 When they didn’t find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions.
47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I were anxiously looking for you.”
49 He said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
50 They didn’t understand the saying which he spoke to them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth. He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
John 3:16
quoted to explain that God gave his son so that whoever believes would not perish but have eternal life
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
2 Corinthians 5:17
cited as the Bible saying that if any man be in Christ he is a new creation
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This was a Christmas Eve service on the Town Square in Jackson Hole. Brian walked through the story of Christmas, starting not in Bethlehem but in the Garden of Eden, and ending with an invitation for anyone present to receive what he called the greatest gift ever given. A few people made first-time decisions that night.
What was said
Brian opened by pointing out that most people locate the beginning of the Christmas story in the wrong place. It does not start with Saint Nicholas in medieval Europe, and it does not start in a stable in Bethlehem. It starts in a garden.
God created humanity for relationship, and he gave mankind free will as a priceless gift. That gift was used to eat from what Brian called the tree of independence, cutting humanity off from God. The result was sin infecting the whole human race, and its effects show up everywhere, from war and oppression in the world to selfishness and pride inside every human heart. Brian made clear that nobody in the crowd was exempt from that.
Even in the garden, though, God already had a plan. He told Adam that from his line would come one whose heel would crush the head of evil. God then built a nation, Israel, through whom that promised person would arrive. For generations the people waited, and their prophets caught only glimpses. Brian read from Isaiah 9, which spoke of a people walking in darkness seeing a radiant light, of chains broken and oppression shattered, and of a child born whose dominion would rest on his shoulders.
Then, as Brian put it, at just the right time, the promise was fulfilled. He read the nativity account from Luke 2, following Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the birth in a place with no room, the baby laid in a feeding trough, and the angel appearing to shepherds in a nearby field with what he called the most joyous news the world had ever heard.
Brian then made the point that God always goes one step further than expected. The savior was promised to Israel, but the gift was never meant to stop there. It was given for the whole world. Jesus lived without sin, died a criminal's death, shed his blood, and rose again, paying the price for sin and opening the way for God and humanity to be reunited as a family.
That gift, Brian said, is still available to anyone who would receive it. He quoted John 3:16 and described how simple the decision is, almost, he said, like a crime that it is so easy. He led the crowd in a prayer of invitation, asked those making a first-time decision to raise their hand, pointed people to the Tribe prayer tent and Bibles available nearby, and closed by reminding everyone that the same Jesus who came once will come again.
Touch points
Things you could actually do this week.
- If you prayed to receive Jesus for the first time tonight, pick up one of the free Bibles from the blue tent and start reading.
- Find a quiet moment this week and talk to God the way Brian described, simply and honestly, the way you would talk to someone who is right there with you.
- If you are new to Tribe, visit tribekh.com to find out when Sunday services and Tuesday young adults meetings happen.
- Reach out to someone on the Tribe prayer team, either at the tent tonight or through the church, and ask them to pray with you about something specific on your mind this Christmas.
- Tell someone in your life the part of the Christmas story that landed on you tonight, not a polished version, just what you heard and what it meant to you.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Brian traced the story of Christmas all the way back to the garden, saying God gave mankind the gift of free will and that sin is the root of things like war, injustice, and disease. How does thinking about Christmas starting in the garden change the way you see what it is actually about?
- Brian described the garden as an intermingling of earth and heaven, a place where God and man shared life together. What does it mean to you personally that God's whole plan was aimed at restoring that kind of relationship?
and 3 more questions in the guide
Resumen en español
El mensaje resumido, en español.
La noche del 24 de diciembre, Tribe celebró su servicio de Navidad en la plaza principal de Jackson Hole. Brian comenzó explicando que la historia de la Navidad no empieza con San Nicolás en Europa ni siquiera en Belén, sino en el jardín del Edén. Allí Dios le dio al hombre el libre albedrío, y el hombre lo usó para apartarse de Dios, introduciendo el pecado en toda la raza humana. Desde ese momento, Dios ya tenía en mente el regalo que daría: un Salvador que aplastaría el mal.
Brian leyó del profeta Isaías, quien anunció que un pueblo que caminaba en tinieblas vería una gran luz, que nacería un niño y que el peso del gobierno reposaría sobre sus hombros. Luego leyó la historia del nacimiento de Jesús en Lucas: el viaje de José y María a Belén, el nacimiento en un pesebre, y el anuncio de los ángeles a los pastores. Señaló que ese regalo no fue solo para Israel, sino para todo el mundo, y citó Juan 3:16 para recordar que cualquiera que crea en él tendrá vida eterna.
Al final, Brian invitó a quienes estaban presentes a recibir ese regalo por primera vez, guiando a todos en una oración en voz alta para darle privacidad a quien quisiera tomar esa decisión. Mencionó que hay Biblias y un equipo de oración disponibles bajo la carpa azul al terminar el servicio.
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Pasajes bíblicos usados:
- Isaías 9
- Lucas 2
- Juan 3:16
Read the full transcript 2,653 words
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