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Speaker 1: Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold,

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Speaker 1: the Virgin will conceive and bear a sun, and shall

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Speaker 1: call his name Emmanuel Isaiah seven fourteen. Lord Jesus, Emmanuel

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Speaker 1: God with us. We thank you for coming down in

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Speaker 1: human likeness, for fulfilling prophecies, and for providing us with

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Speaker 1: a relationship that transcends our understanding. Help us to grasp

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Speaker 1: the depth of your love and the significance of your birth.

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Speaker 1: May our lives reflect the humility and purity you demonstrate

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Speaker 1: it as a child. Then may we embrace the new

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Speaker 1: beginning you offer amen.

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Speaker 2: Stars blanketed the night sky like white paint scattered across

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Speaker 2: a dark canvas. Ruling among the candescent lights was a

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Speaker 2: new star fixed above Bethlehem. It shone brighter than the others,

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Speaker 2: its radiance mimicking that of the moon. The silvery gleams

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Speaker 2: trickled downward like a stream from a mountain. Under the

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Speaker 2: lights was the stable carved in the hill. Behind the inn,

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Speaker 2: Joseph made a space for Mary to give birth. Time

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Speaker 2: was of the essence. He frantically swept and laid out

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Speaker 2: some blankets the innkeeper had given him. He turned to

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Speaker 2: his wife, whose back was against the stone walls. Joseph

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Speaker 2: sighed and shook his head. I'm sorry, Mary, this will

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Speaker 2: have to do. Mary held her lower back and belly

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Speaker 2: and inched her way towards him. I'm ready, she sighed.

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Speaker 2: She winced in pain and had Joseph help her on

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Speaker 2: to the blankets. Everything smelled like hay and soot, and

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Speaker 2: the breeze wafting in from the outside carried with it

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Speaker 2: the scent of sheep done. Mary couldn't help but chuckle.

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Speaker 2: She leaned back and wondered why the Lord was working

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Speaker 2: in this way. She had so many questions, but the

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Speaker 2: sudden contractions drowned out her thoughts.

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Speaker 3: Oh, he's coming, Joseph, He's coming.

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Speaker 2: Mary clenched her fists and with quiet determination, began to

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Speaker 2: push Hello.

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Speaker 4: I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible

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Speaker 4: in a Year podcast. Christmas isn't just about the birth

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Speaker 4: of a child in Bethlehem. It's the awe inspiring story

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Speaker 4: of God coming down on the likeness of Man, a

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Speaker 4: theme heralded in the title Immanuel, which means God with us.

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Speaker 4: Do you ever pause to consider what thrills God looking

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Speaker 4: at the entirety of Scripture reveals that God finds joy

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Speaker 4: in being among his people. He was in the garden

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Speaker 4: with Adam and Eve. He followed Abraham's family. He dwelt

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Speaker 4: with the Hebrews and the Tabernacle. Then he dwelled in

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Speaker 4: the temple among the people of Israel. The incarnation of

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Speaker 4: Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of God's joyous pursuit of humanity.

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Speaker 4: Let this episode remind everyone that God wants to be

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Speaker 4: with you. He wants to transform your life, to fill

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Speaker 4: you with His spirit, and to guide you daily toward

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Speaker 4: His kingdom. This episode will give us an intimate glimpse

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Speaker 4: into the birth of Christ. Mary and Joseph behold the

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Speaker 4: new born king and experience all confusion, wonder and excitement.

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Speaker 4: The birth of Christ invites us into all these feelings.

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Speaker 4: It's a truly baffling thing that the God of all

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Speaker 4: creation would humble himself in the likeness of a helpless baby.

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Speaker 4: Without further ado, let's listen to this cinematic retelling of

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Speaker 4: the birth of Christ. Afterward we'll reflect on the joys

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Speaker 4: of Christmas.

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Speaker 2: The stable was dark, only slightly lit by the oil

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Speaker 2: lamp hanging over Mary and Joseph. Mary's quiet and determined

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Speaker 2: breaths echoed through the stable. Beads of sweatlike pearls descended

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Speaker 2: down her brow.

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Speaker 5: Is this a blessing or a curse?

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Speaker 2: She murmured to herself. However, she knew it was a blessing.

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Speaker 2: She knew what awaited her on the other side of

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Speaker 2: her anguish God had foretold this day, and she was

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Speaker 2: determined to step into the promised hope. At her side

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Speaker 2: was Joseph, reassuring and steady. Hour after hour, Mary strained. Finally,

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Speaker 2: her shrieks of distress were replaced with the tender whimpers

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Speaker 2: of her mood and the son. Joseph wrapped him in

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Speaker 2: his arms and wiped him with woven wool. He stared

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Speaker 2: into the child's eyes. There was nothing different about him.

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Speaker 2: There were no lights radiating from his eyes or humming

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Speaker 2: of heavenly hosts behind him. He was a baby, crying

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Speaker 2: and taking in the newness of life. But as Joseph

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Speaker 2: cradled him in his arms, he knew without a doubt

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Speaker 2: this child was exceptional, chosen blessed. All the turmoil, danger,

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Speaker 2: and chaos he had to endure was worth it for

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Speaker 2: the sake of this treasure he held in his hands.

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Speaker 2: We already know his name, he said to Mary. Mary

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Speaker 2: reached for her son and cradled him in her arms.

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Speaker 2: She stroked his face.

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Speaker 5: His name will be Jesus, she whispered.

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Speaker 3: The Lord says.

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Speaker 2: Mary pressed Jesus against her chest and cried joyfully. He

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Speaker 2: was the fulfillment of God's promise to humanity, the good

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Speaker 2: Shepherd of Israel, the savior of the world. But at

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Speaker 2: that moment, under the night sky, he was Mary's baby.

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Speaker 2: Heart fluttered at the sound of his whimpers.

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Speaker 5: Jesus, she whispered.

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Speaker 2: Again, welcome. Joseph crouched beside Mary, and the two stared

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Speaker 2: at the child with dirting eyes. It was a baffling

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Speaker 2: thing to behold. God himself, the maker of the stars,

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Speaker 2: the masters of the sea, was with them. Among them

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Speaker 2: the prophecy told by Isaiah rang in their minds like

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Speaker 2: wedding bells. Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold,

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Speaker 2: a virgin shall conceive and bear a sun, and shall

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Speaker 2: call his name Immanuel, which means God with us. God

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Speaker 2: was with them in the flesh, voice whimpering, and eyes

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Speaker 2: adjusting to the dim lights of the oil lamp. A

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Speaker 2: small gust of wind blew through the cave, and he shivered.

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Speaker 2: The maker of the wind shivered as it blew. Mary

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Speaker 2: could barely wrap her mind around and perhaps never truly

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Speaker 2: would until it was time to behold his power over

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Speaker 2: sin and death. Joseph took Jesus from Mary and squaddled

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Speaker 2: him tightly in the tattered remains of the blankets Marry

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Speaker 2: used to save his life. He placed him in the

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Speaker 2: manger where the donkey fed, the same donkey that carried

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Speaker 2: Mary from Nazareth. Joseph, perhaps from exhaustion, felt his mind wander.

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Speaker 2: He looked at the craftsmanship of the manger and couldn't

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Speaker 2: help but critique it. That's when he realized, perhaps for

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Speaker 2: the first time, that he would raise this child to

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Speaker 2: be a craftsman like him. He was going to raise

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Speaker 2: the son of God to be a carpenter. What are

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Speaker 2: you doing, Lord, Joseph wondered. He stepped back and watched

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Speaker 2: the boy gently fall asleep to the low humming of

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Speaker 2: Mary's voice. The cave filled with the warmth of her melody.

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Speaker 2: There in a stable tucked in a mountain, Mary sang

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Speaker 2: the same song of redemption she had in the beginning

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Speaker 2: a song of salvation, redemption and hope, undying and unrelenting hope.

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Speaker 5: He has shown his strength with his mighty arm, scattered

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Speaker 5: the proud and humbled the heart. He has shown his

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Speaker 5: strength with his mighty.

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Speaker 3: Scattered the proud, humbled the heart. He toppled the mighty

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Speaker 3: from their thrones and lifted the humbles, set them apart.

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Speaker 3: For now, all generations were calmly, bleasant, For the Mighty

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Speaker 3: One has done great things for me. Holy, Holy, Holyes,

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Speaker 3: his man, his mercies for those who believe.

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Speaker 4: On that First Christmas, the Messiah was born under a

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Speaker 4: canopy of stars and surrounded by livestock. Jesus's birth fulfilled

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Speaker 4: God's promise to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

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Speaker 4: He promised there that one day a son of Eve

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Speaker 4: would be born to crush the work of evil. That

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Speaker 4: promised son arrived not on a chariot or in a palace,

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Speaker 4: but in his stable. His humble arrival tells us that

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Speaker 4: God doesn't care for pomp and circumstance, but humility and passion.

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Speaker 4: The circumstances of Jesus' birth were foretold in numerous Old

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Speaker 4: Testament prophecies, signifying that God's redemptive plan was unfolding exactly

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Speaker 4: as he had intended. Isaiah chapter seven, verse fourteen said, Therefore,

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Speaker 4: or the Lord will give you a sign, the virgin

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Speaker 4: will conceive and give birth to a son, and call

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Speaker 4: him im Manuel. This prophecy, given centuries before Jesus' birth,

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Speaker 4: pointed to the unique circumstances of his arrival and his

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Speaker 4: divine nature. The birth of Christ was not a random occurrence.

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Speaker 4: It was a carefully orchestrated divine plan that fulfilled specific prophecies,

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Speaker 4: providing evidence of his messiahship. The title Immanuel carries profound significance.

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Speaker 4: It means God with us. That title symbolizes the intimate

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Speaker 4: relationship between God and humanity made possible through the incarnation.

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Speaker 4: God did not remain distant or detached from human suffering

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Speaker 4: and sin. He came down to live among us. In

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Speaker 4: Philippians chapter two, verses six and seven, we see that Jesus,

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Speaker 4: being in very nature God, did not consider equality with

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Speaker 4: God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather,

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Speaker 4: he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of

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Speaker 4: a servant, being made in human likeness. Jesus's arrival as

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Speaker 4: a vulnerable child demonstrates a profound humility and an invitation

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Speaker 4: to approach God with childlike faith. It also represents a

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Speaker 4: new beginning and the hope for redemption and renewal. The

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Speaker 4: Nativity story is not merely a historical account. It's a

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Speaker 4: story filled with mystery, drama, and profound theological truths. This

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Speaker 4: story illustrates God's profound love and willingness to enter our messy,

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Speaker 4: broken world. But why did Jesus have to come as

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Speaker 4: a child. Theologically this has profound implications. By coming as

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Speaker 4: a child, God made himself approachable and relatable. He began

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Speaker 4: life on earth in the most humble and vulnerable state,

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Speaker 4: indicating his willingness to identify with the human condition. Jesus's

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Speaker 4: birth as a child also symbolizes innocence and purity, qualities

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Speaker 4: necessary for the one who would take away the sins

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Speaker 4: of the world. Lastly, the birth of a child represents

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Speaker 4: new life and hope. In Jesus, we see the promise

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Speaker 4: of a new creation, the fresh start for humanity reconciled

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Speaker 4: to God. May this Christmas season be a time to

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Speaker 4: reflect on the profound truth that God is with us.

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Speaker 4: He's not distant or aloof, but intimately involved in our lives,

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Speaker 4: offering hope, redemption, and a relationship that begins now and

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Speaker 4: lasts for eternity. Our story is not yet over. God

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Speaker 4: has orchestrated visitors to come and behold Jesus, and behind

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Speaker 4: the scenes, the plot will be made to find and

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Speaker 4: kill the newborn Messiah. Continue this epic Christmas tale with

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Speaker 4: us for the rest of December and behold God's sovereign power.

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Speaker 4: Thanks for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.

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Speaker 4: I'm pastor Jagraham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot Com

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Speaker 4: app and make prayer a priority in your life. If

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Speaker 4: you enjoy this podcast, share it with someone you love.

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Speaker 4: By sharing this podcast, you can make a difference in

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Speaker 4: someone's life. And if you want more resources on how

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Speaker 4: to tap into God's power for successful Christian living, be

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Speaker 4: sure to visit Jagraham dot org. God bless you.