Tribe Christmas Eve Service Tribe 2023-12-25 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Hello, everybody. Merry Christmas. Yes. We celebrate the Lord's birthday tonight. You guys can move forward if you want to. If you're just trying to, like, move around and stay warm, we understand. Let's sing together. Yes, Lord. This next song, this is our last song. Oh, come. Oh, come, Emmanuel. Just pray with me really quick. Lord, that you would come back, that you would come and touch hearts. Lord, we invite you here. You came once, you're coming again. Come and touch hearts in Jesus' name. Amen. He's coming back. Amen. Turn around. Say he's coming back. He came once, he's coming again, and Merry Christmas. And then Brian's gonna come up and bring the word to us, a brief word so we can go get one. Say Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Alright. Good evening. Good evening. How's everybody doing tonight? Alright. Really good. Turn to your neighbor and say Merry Christmas, you filthy animal. It's good. It's good. I knew you'd fit right in here at Tribe. Whenever we do a Christmas Eve service here on the town square, I always like to check-in and see where everybody is from. So if you are from outside of The United States, just let me know. Woo hoo. Woo hoo. Oh, a few international folks. Alright. How about East Coast? Oh, strong contingent from the East Coast. Let me hear the West Coast. Yeah. Alright. Now watch. Watch. Watch. Now I'm about to ask if there's anybody here from Texas or the South. And if there's only three of you, I know that you're gonna make more noise than anybody else combined. So let let's just get it out of the way. Anybody here from the great lone star state of Texas? Oh. Alright. They're cold. They're cold. Their lips their lips are cold. Alright. I'm gonna give them a pass on that. I know that I know that you have braved the elements to be out here tonight. I don't wanna take a whole lot of time, but what I wanna share with you is something really, really important. I wanna share with you the story of Christmas because that's all why we're gathered out here tonight, is for the story of Christmas. But you need to understand this about the story of Christmas. The story of Christmas doesn't begin in third century Europe with Saint Nicholas. The story of Christmas doesn't begin in a barn in a little Judean village of Bethlehem. The story of Christmas actually goes all the way back to a garden. The God of the universe created mankind for his enjoyment and for us to enjoy him. He placed a man in that garden. He placed man in that garden, and that garden was kind of like earth and kind of like heaven. It was an intermingling of two realms that made an incredible place. When God created man, he took a great risk and gave man for a priceless gift, the gift of free will. Regrettably, man used that gift to eat from the tree of independence apart from a relationship with God, resulting in the human race being infected with sin. Things like war, theft, murder, injustice, persecution, oppression, sickness, and disease, these are all fallout effects of sin. And if you feel like those things are are far and distant removed from you, well, we're not immune because lurking within each and every human heart are things like selfishness, pride, envy, jealousy, and rebellion to your creator. This condition of sin has infected all of us and it's terminal resulting in death, separation forever from God's family. But God, he already had the story of Christmas on his mind. In the garden, God told Adam that from him would come a present, a gift, one whose heel would crush the head of evil. With this plan set in motion, God created a nation of people out of whom would come the present promised in the garden. This nation of people were sovereignly chosen by God to bring forth that promise. For generations, the people cried out for the savior of the whole world, but their prophets only caught glimpses of that coming savior. And now to read from one of those prophets, the book of Isaiah chapter nine. Hear don't Those who walk in darkness will see a radiant light shining upon them. They once lived in the shadows of death, but now a glorious light will die. Lord, you have multiplied the nation and given them overwhelming joy. They are static in your presence and rejoice like those who bring in a great harvest. And thus, you divide up the spoils of victory. For you will break the chains that have bound your people and lift the heavy bar across their shoulders, the rod of oppression used against them, and you will shatter all of their bondage. The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive will be given to us. The responsibility of a complete dominion will rest on his shoulders, Out of you, Autumn. Like a woman giving birth, the chosen people of Israel labored in travail for the arrival of their savior. And finally, after generations, as the bible says, at just the right time, God fulfilled his promise that he made in the garden. And we get to read about that story in Luke chapter two. During those days, the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, ordered that the first census be taken throughout his empire. Everyone had to travel to the hometown of their family to complete the mandatory census. So Joseph and his wife Mary left Nazareth, a village in Galilee, and journeyed to their hometown in Judea, to the village of Bethlehem, king David's ancient home. They were required to register there since they were both direct descendants of David. Mary was pregnant and nearly ready to give birth. When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor, and there she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped the newborn baby in strips of cloth, and Mary and Joseph laid him in a feeding trough since there was no available space in any upper room in the village. That night, in a field near Bethlehem, shepherds were watching over their flocks. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared in radiant splendor before them, lighting up the field with blazing glory of God, and the shepherds were terrified. But the angel reassured them saying, don't be afraid, for I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard, and it is for everyone everywhere. For today in Bethlehem, a rescue room is boring for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah. He will you will recognize him by this miraculous sign. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in the feeding trough. Then all at once in the night sky, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven. And they all praised God singing, glory to God in the highest realms of heaven, for there is peace and a good hope given to the sons of men. When the choir of angels disappeared and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let's go. Let's hurry and find this word who is born in Bethlehem and see for ourselves what the Lord has revealed to us. So they hurried off and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and there was the baby lying in a feeding trough. Upon seeing this miraculous sign, the shepherds recounted what had just happened. Everyone who heard the shepherds' story was astonished by what they were told. But Mary treasured all these things in her heart and often pondered what they meant. The shepherds returned to their flock ecstatic over what had happened. They praised God and glorified him for all they had heard and seen for themselves, just like the angel had said. The story of Christmas is about giving gifts, but not material gifts that run on batteries and are delivered by Amazon. The story of Christmas is about God giving the present of a savior to the nation of Israel. And if you don't know this, it's one of the wonderful things about God. He always goes one step further than what you expected. The gift of a savior wasn't given exclusively to Israel. The gift of a savior was given for the whole world. Two thousand years ago, God sent his son to live as one of us. He lived without sin, but he died a criminal's death. He paid the price for the sin of Israel and for all of mankind by shedding his perfect blood on the cross. With his death and resurrection, he paid the price for our sin, destroyed the power of the curse, and provided a way for God and man to be reunited as a family once again. And this gift stands ready and available for anyone today who would receive it. The Bible says, for God so loved the world, you, that he gave his one and only son so that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have eternal life. Tonight, right here on Town Square of Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the middle of this bustling city, tonight you can receive that gift that Jesus offers you, the forgiveness of your sin and a place to for your wandering soul to come to rest and find its home finally. How do you receive that gift? At Christmas time, we go underneath the tree and we open up presents and and there's so much excitement and enjoyment, but how do you receive the gift of a savior? It's so simple. In the midst of this busy city and in in the midst of this gathering right here, you can make a very personal private decision to invite Jesus into your heart. And it's so it's it's so simple. It's almost like a crime that it's so easy. With humility of your heart, you say, Lord, I know that that my sin has caused distance between you and I. I've broken your law and I deserve the punishment of forever separation from you. Jesus, will you pay that price? His blood has already been shed. You just have to ask him to apply his blood to your life, to wash your heart clean, give you a brand new heart and a brand new start. The bible says that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. And tonight you can receive the greatest gift of all. And so here's what we're not gonna take, but just a few moments more, but I'm going to lead all of us in a prayer And I wanna give you, if you wanna invite Jesus into your heart for the very first time tonight, I wanna give you some privacy by everybody around you saying this prayer out loud. Does that make sense? Alright. But if but if you have not invited Jesus into your heart and you would like to make him the leader of your life, tonight, this this is your moment right here. This is probably why you you even ended up here in Jackson Hole. This is most certainly why you ended up here in Jackson Hole over Christmas this year. I know your plans didn't work out last year, and you went somebody somewhere else the the year before that. But this year, at this moment, you're here in Jackson, and it very well could be for this, the most pivotal moment of your life. At the end of the prayer, I'm gonna ask you to do one more thing really important, then we're gonna wrap up. Okay? At the end of the prayer, if you invited Jesus into your heart for the very first time, I'm gonna invite you to just throw your hand up and wave it around so that we can see anybody that's made a first time decision and celebrate with you. Does that make sense? All right, now say this prayer with me and if you need to march because your toes are getting cold, you could do that. I got no rhythm, but you could still march. Say out loud with me, Jesus. Jesus. It's your birthday. It's your birthday. But I need a present. I am lost. I am lost. And I need you. Jesus, would you come into my heart. Come into my life. Me clean. Right here, I give you my life. Forgive Forgive me of my And make me a new creation. Now in the stillness of your own heart, just quietly. If you said that prayer for the very first time, you take just like eight seconds and just thank him or tell him that you love him. Whatever you need to say in your own heart, just talk to him for a second. He's right here. Jesus, hear the prayers of your people. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Everybody said, amen. Okay. Now I can't see too good with these lights here, but if there's anybody here that invited Jesus into their heart for the first time, would you just put your hand up so that the rest of us can see and we wanna celebrate with you because that is just so amazing. I know you oh, okay. That little hand right there. Yes. That's wonderful. So at the at the end of the service, as you as you just before we're done, we're not done quite yet, but like when you scurry out, underneath that blue tent, we have Bibles. We also have members of our prayer team that would love to pray for you. And I wanna tell you one last thing about this present. It gets even better than this because he came once to redeem us from sin and to establish his kingdom in our hearts. And he will come again and establish his physical leadership on planet earth where we will get to live with him as a family forever. That's why at Christmas, we sing this song because Jesus is the the light of Jesus in our hearts that has brought us back into his family, which is why we sing the song, silent night, holy night. Son of God loves pure light, radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. Jesus, Lord, at thy birth. If you sing this song with us, I promise you, your core temperature will rise seven and a half degrees. That's a promise? Alright. Let's I wanna use your mic. Let's sing it together. Just a couple quick announcements before we head out of here. Just like Brian said, we have bibles and if you really want to get your early Christmas presents, the gift of prayer at that tent. There are people under there that would love to pray with you guys. Drive, if you're new, we are church and we don't just do this every Christmas Eve, believe it or not. We also have church on Sundays and we have young adults meetings on Tuesdays. If you're interested in catching up with us at any of our services, go online to thrivegh.com. And a couple of thank yous just for everybody out here, for all the volunteers that helped set this up. Thank Kyle and Jackson for allowing us to do this year after year. And for all you guys for showing up, bringing the energy, keeping us warm by huddling on together. And have a great rest of you guys Christmas. Merry Christmas, you guys. Thanks for being here. Go get warm. We love you so much. And in 2024, remember, you got this.