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Speaker 1: Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of

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Speaker 1: great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke to ten,

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Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the lessons we learn

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Speaker 1: from the shepherd's encounter with the angels. May we embrace humility,

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Speaker 1: rejoice in your redemption, and engage in heart felt worship

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Speaker 1: this Christmas season. Help us to spread the good tidings

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Speaker 1: of great joy to those around us, reflecting your love

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Speaker 1: and grace. Amen.

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Speaker 2: Joseph wrapped him in his arms and wiped him with

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Speaker 2: woven wool. He stared into the child's eyes. There was

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Speaker 2: nothing different about him. There were no lights radiate in

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Speaker 2: from his eyes or humming of heavenly hosts behind him.

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Speaker 2: He was a baby, crying and taking in the newness

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Speaker 2: of life. But as Joseph cradled him in his arms,

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Speaker 2: he knew without a doubt this child was exceptional, chosen, blessed.

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Speaker 2: All the turmoil, danger and chaos he had to endure

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Speaker 2: was worth it for the sake of this treasure he

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Speaker 2: held in his hands. We already know his name, he

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Speaker 2: said to Mary. Mary reached for her son and cradled

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Speaker 2: him in her arms. She stroked his face.

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Speaker 1: His name will be Jesus.

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Speaker 2: She whispered, the Lord saves. Mary pressed Jesus against her

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Speaker 2: chest and cried joyfully. He was the fulfillment of God's

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Speaker 2: promise to humanity, the good Shepherd of Israel, the Savior

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Speaker 2: of the world.

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Speaker 3: Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible and a Year podcast. Thank you for joining me

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Speaker 3: for this joyous celebration of Christ's birth. Today we visit

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Speaker 3: the hill country of Bethlehem under a Starlit's will meet

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Speaker 3: three shepherds whose lives are about to be changed forever.

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Speaker 3: These lowly shepherds, existing on the fringes of society, are

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Speaker 3: about to be visited by a divine chorus of heavenly messengers.

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Speaker 3: Their message is a resounding song of joy, peace and salvation.

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Speaker 3: Why would God choose to visit shepherds of all people,

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Speaker 3: to be the first to behold him. In Biblical times,

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Speaker 3: shepherds were often considered to be on the lower rungs

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Speaker 3: of the social ladder. Their work was humble, demanding, and

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Speaker 3: required they isolate for months at a time. As a result,

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Speaker 3: shepherds were considered awkward and untrustworthy. Yet God saw fit

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Speaker 3: to choose them God often refers to himself as a shepherd.

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Speaker 3: This isn't because God considers himself awkward and untrustworthy. Rather,

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Speaker 3: God calls himself a sheefer shepherd because we are like sheep.

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Speaker 3: Think about sheep for a moment. They have large bodies,

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Speaker 3: small legs, and aren't very intelligent. All those qualities make

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Speaker 3: them fearful and anxious creatures, vulnerable to predators. Additionally, sheep

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Speaker 3: are one of the only animals unable to survive in

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Speaker 3: the wild without human care. They can't become faralh, meaning

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Speaker 3: they'll perish without a shepherd to look after them. We,

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Speaker 3: like sheep, are skittish and vulnerable. That's why David called

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Speaker 3: God his shepherd, who restores his soul and protects him

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Speaker 3: from enemies. Scripture frequently uses the imagery of shepherds to

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Speaker 3: describe spiritual leadership. Moses was a shepherd before returning to

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Speaker 3: the people of Israel. King David was a shepherd before

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Speaker 3: becoming Israel's king, and Jesus refers to himself as the

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Speaker 3: good Shepherd. The shepherd's inclusion and Heist's birth story underline

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Speaker 3: the importance of spiritual guidance and reflects God's care for

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Speaker 3: his people. So let's join these shepherds now on the

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Speaker 3: rolling hills of Bethlehem. Imagine yourself lying back on a

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Speaker 3: grassy hill, gazing up at the vast universe above you.

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Speaker 3: Hear the crackling of the fire behind you, and the

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Speaker 3: occasional a of a nearby lamb. This is where the

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Speaker 3: shepherds find themselves before an abrupt and glorious interruption.

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Speaker 2: In a valley not too far from the glimmering hills

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Speaker 2: of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds lay in the fields,

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Speaker 2: tending to their flocks. The night was alive, with the

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Speaker 2: distant songs of crickets and the gentle rustle of tall

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Speaker 2: grass swaying to a soft breeze. The sheep had settled

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Speaker 2: for the night, their breathing gentle and rhythmic. Together, the

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Speaker 2: shepherds pointed out constellations, their fingers tracing the ancient patterns

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Speaker 2: in the sky as they told stories and shared laughter.

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Speaker 2: One of them, an older shepherd with eyes that held

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Speaker 2: the spark of countless sunrises, pointed to the sky. Look there,

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Speaker 2: he said, his voice, like weathered would.

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Speaker 1: A quiller the eagle.

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Speaker 2: It flies highbove our heads, never bound by Earth's oul.

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Speaker 2: I wish I could so like an eagle, the younger

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Speaker 2: shepherd replied. The others chuckled at his boyish imagination that

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Speaker 2: he would travel to Egypt and behold the great relics

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Speaker 2: of Pharaoh. Well, I would soar to Rome and have

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Speaker 2: a look at Caesar's great throng room. The three shepherds

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Speaker 2: laughed together, their eyes tracing the lines of constellations, finding

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Speaker 2: in them the stories of gods and heroes, love and loss.

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Speaker 2: The valley listened, a silent witness to their friendship. The

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Speaker 2: life of a shepherd was often lonely. For most of

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Speaker 2: the year, they existed as outcasts on the edge of

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Speaker 2: the city. They traveled the plains of the Judaean wilderness,

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Speaker 2: often alone with their sheep. But at this moment they

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Speaker 2: had each other the stars and shared stories beside a

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Speaker 2: crackling fire. Their bodies, wearied from the day's labor, began

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Speaker 2: to succumb to sleep's gentle pull. Their gazes, fixed on

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Speaker 2: the boundless heavens, grew soft as dreams beckoned. Then, without warning,

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Speaker 2: a gust of wind, sharp and cold, swept through the valley,

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Speaker 2: stirring the shepherds from their rest. The wind extinguished their

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Speaker 2: fire with an abrupt hiss, and they leaped to their feet.

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Speaker 2: Darkness enveloped them. What is happening, one of them said

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Speaker 2: in a panicked voice. Then, in an instant, a burst

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Speaker 2: of light split the horizon like a long shimmering blade.

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Speaker 2: It split and danced, reaching out to them in a

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Speaker 2: blinding embrace. Light poured out like a rushing waterfall, and

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Speaker 2: surrounded the shepherds in a myriad of beautiful colors. The

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Speaker 2: shepherds heard in orchestra, instruments and singing come from the light.

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Speaker 2: It was a symphony, pure and transcendent, as if they

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Speaker 2: were listening to it within their own souls, As if

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Speaker 2: they were listening to it within their own souls. Terror

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Speaker 2: and awe came upon the shepherds as they fell to

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Speaker 2: the ground, their bodies trembling. Then from the light a

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Speaker 2: voice emerged fear not. The voice, clear and resonant, rang

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Speaker 2: out from the light. Its timber was filled with authority

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Speaker 2: and gentleness, command and comfort. We have come with good

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Speaker 2: tidings of great joy. In the town of Bethlehem lies

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Speaker 2: a baby. His child is the Messiah, the Lord, the

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Speaker 2: savior of the world, and redemption of mankind. The shepherd's

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Speaker 2: eyes widened as the angel and an entire choir of

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Speaker 2: heavenly hosts emerged from the light. They couldn't speak, for

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Speaker 2: their minds struggled to even grasp the magnitude of what

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Speaker 2: was unfolding before them. The lights, hues of bright, orange, pink,

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Speaker 2: and white, swirled around them like a flock of ethereal doves,

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Speaker 2: casting a warm glow on their upturned faces. Go therefore

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Speaker 2: and see for yourselves. You will find the baby, wrapped

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Speaker 2: in swaddling cloths, lying.

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Speaker 1: In a manger.

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Speaker 2: The angel continued his words, infused with an urgency that

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Speaker 2: set their hearts aflame. As he spoke, the choir of

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Speaker 2: angels slowly rose their voices. The light swirled to the

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Speaker 2: rising and falling of their harmony. Finally, the song crescendoed

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Speaker 2: into a resonating song of praise. Then, as suddenly as

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Speaker 2: it had come, the light dissipated, leaving the valley bathed

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Speaker 2: in the soft glow of the stars. Once more, the

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Speaker 2: melodies of heaven were replaced by the gentle whispers of

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Speaker 2: the evening wind. At a few chirping crickets, The shepherd

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Speaker 2: sat stunned and silent, their minds reeling from the vision

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Speaker 2: they had just witnessed. The oldest shepherd turned to his companions.

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Speaker 2: Did we all just see that? Or is this old

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Speaker 2: man finally loose in his mind? The two others nodded

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Speaker 2: their heads in confirmation that they had all born witness,

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Speaker 2: Still stunned by what they had seen, Slowly their eyes

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Speaker 2: turned towards Bethlehem, where a few torchlights still flickered in

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Speaker 2: the distance. Resting above the city was a new star,

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Speaker 2: radiant and singular, unlike any they had seen before. The

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Speaker 2: older shepherd turned to his young friend and laughed, you

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Speaker 2: make it to see royalty after all. They all laughed

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Speaker 2: with unexplainable joy. With a shared understanding, they rose, leaving

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Speaker 2: their belongings behind, their steps quickening as they ran towards Bethlehem.

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Speaker 2: Their hearts were aflame with a joy they could not contain,

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Speaker 2: and a purpose they could not deny.

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Speaker 3: Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of

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Speaker 3: great joy. What shall be to all people? This message

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Speaker 3: of joy echoes throughout the New Testament as joy as

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Speaker 3: a hallmark of those who have experienced Christ's redemption. The

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Speaker 3: good tidings are indeed of great joy because they announced

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Speaker 3: the arrival of the Savior, fulfilling God's promise to redeem

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Speaker 3: his people. The angel's announcement heralded a new era filled

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Speaker 3: with hope. The joy comes from the realization that God

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Speaker 3: has not abandoned his people. That should bring all of

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Speaker 3: us joy. Today we don't worship with God, who has

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Speaker 3: remained distant and aloof despite our sin and depravity, God

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Speaker 3: chose to rescue us and raise us to glory with him.

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Speaker 3: The very fact that these lowly shepherds were able to

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Speaker 3: behold the splendor and majesty of the angels is a

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Speaker 3: testament to how God operates. He doesn't think about status, symbols,

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Speaker 3: or wealth. The wise men would have been the first

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Speaker 3: to behold the new born King if he did. God

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Speaker 3: chose the rustic outcast, proving he doesn't care about your wealth,

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Speaker 3: your popularity, or your status, no matter where you are

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Speaker 3: or what you have done. The Gospel message is for

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Speaker 3: you to enjoy. Let's not make the mistake of thinking

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Speaker 3: Christmas is merely for us to enjoy. Though ultimately Christ's

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Speaker 3: birth gives glory to God. The angelic praise glory to

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Speaker 3: God in the highest should resonate in our hearts as

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Speaker 3: we ponder the magnitude of what God has done. His

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Speaker 3: redemptive plan and magnificence are shown throughout the birth, life, death,

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Speaker 3: and resurrection of Jesus. Join us for our next episode

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Speaker 3: of Stories of the Messiah. As the shepherds search high

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Speaker 3: and low for God's son, when they finally arrive at

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Speaker 3: the stables, the fear and awe of the Lord come

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Speaker 3: upon them, and unbeknownst to them, they set the stage

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Speaker 3: for King Herod to catch wind of Jesus. Thanks for

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Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot Com app

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Speaker 3: that make prayer a priority in your life. If you

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Speaker 3: enjoy this podcast, share it with someone you love. By

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Speaker 3: sharing this podcast, you can make a difference in someone's life.

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Speaker 3: And if you want more resources on how to tap

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Speaker 3: into God's power for successful Christian living, be sure to

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Speaker 3: visit Jagraham dot org. God bless you,