{"id":306588,"date":"2020-12-01T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/a-spark-for-your-heart\/"},"modified":"2020-12-01T07:00:05","modified_gmt":"2020-12-01T12:00:05","slug":"a-spark-for-your-heart","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-spark-for-your-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"A Spark For Your Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David Mathis helps us to marvel at God afresh with practical thoughts and focused enthusiasm, reflecting on the divine pieces of God&#8217;s rescue plan for all of humanity found in the Christmas story!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2020-12-01.mp3","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:31:20","filesize":"28.69M","filesize_raw":"30088316","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2816,2822,2891],"tags":[4642],"podcast_series":[8412],"cwp_profile":[9675],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-306588","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christmas","category-growing-in-your-faith","category-making-memories","tag-christmas","podcast_series-the-christmas-we-didnt-expect","cwp_profile-david-mathis","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/306588\/a-spark-for-your-heart","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/306588\/a-spark-for-your-heart","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"dZ8cUvtac7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-spark-for-your-heart\/\">A Spark For Your Heart<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-spark-for-your-heart\/embed\/#?secret=dZ8cUvtac7\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;A Spark For Your Heart&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"dZ8cUvtac7\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"spectra_custom_meta":{"_wp_page_template":["default"],"transcript_url":["https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2020-12-01.pdf"],"audio_file":["https:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2020-12-01.mp3"],"transcript_content":["<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Author David Mathis says there\u2019s a lot that was surprising, even shocking, about the first Christmas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> An unwed woman?\u2014the virgin birth is one of the great surprises. And then that the angel would come to <em>Nazareth<\/em>\u2014such an out of the way place, that all the Gospels have to <em>explain<\/em> what it is\u2014because readers have never <em>heard<\/em> of Nazareth. It is a backwater town. People have heard of Bethlehem\u2014that was the city of David\u2014it\u2019s small compared to Jerusalem, but nobody ever heard of <em>Nazareth<\/em>. That is serious backwater. It is one unexpected thing after another.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, December 1<sup>st<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I'm Bob Lepine. You can find us online at FamilyLifeToday.com. Revisiting the details of the Christmas story each year can remind us of how surprising and how even <em>shocking<\/em> God\u2019s grace is. We\u2019ll hear more about that today. Stay with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us on the Tuesday edition. We\u2019re going to talk about getting ready for Christmas today, but before we do that\u2014it is Giving Tuesday. I think most of our listeners have probably heard from everybody they support about the fact that it\u2019s Giving Tuesday. [Laughter] We want to add our voice to that as well, because this is a particularly critical time of the year for ministries like ours. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think most of you have probably heard <em>our<\/em> story by now\u2014that FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> has, literally, changed our marriage; it\u2019s changed our lives; it\u2019s changed our legacy. I know that we\u2019ve heard from many of you that it\u2019s done the same thing. I feel like you know how <em>critical<\/em> this ministry is. I hope you do, so we really hope you\u2019ll consider giving this Christmas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know, honestly, if we\u2019d be married and have the legacy we have without FamilyLife. That <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> we went to as an engaged couple\u2014and now, all the years; thirty-plus\/almost forty years of input from FamilyLife\u2014has literally changed us. I <em>know<\/em> it\u2019s transformed you, and people you love, and even your legacy. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHere\u2019s what I know about yearend and Giving Tuesday: Giving Tuesday\u2019s <em>awesome<\/em>. I get emails after emails; and I have to make a decision, just like you do, like: \u201cWho do I give to?\u201d\u2014some of you <em>can\u2019t<\/em>; this has been a really tough year\u2014you\u2019ve been devastated, possibly, financially. I understand that; you do what you need to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut some of you have been blessed; God\u2019s taken care of you and even blessed you. I would ask you\/I would <em>challenge<\/em> you to consider FamilyLife as the one of maybe several. I hope [you\u2019re] the one that says, \u201cI\u2019m going to give, and I\u2019m going to give generously because God has taken care of me. I\u2019m going to give <em>double<\/em> what I gave,\u201d or \u201c\u2026a little more than I\u2019ve <em>ever <\/em>given, because I know there are people who can\u2019t; and I <em>can.<\/em>\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to tell you, as you give, you are changing families, like the Wilsons\/families like yours. We <em>need<\/em> you, more than ever, this year to jump in, and help, and play your part. You can watch God use how He\u2019s blessed you to bless others. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> When you give today, we want to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by sending you a couple of thank-you gifts. The first is a flash drive that contains more than 100\u2014really the top 100-plus\u2014<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> programs from the last 28 years with Dennis and Barbara Rainey, with Dave and Ann Wilson, with other guests we\u2019ve had here: programs about marriage, about parenting, about extended family relationships\u2014these are programs that are timeless.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> <em>And<\/em> they also get a hot new book off the presses\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes; it\u2019s <em>good<\/em>!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014Bob Lepine\u2019s <em>Love Like You Mean It <\/em>book.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We\u2019ll send a copy of the book, <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em>, along with the flash drive, when you make a donation today. You can do that online at FamilyLifeToday.com, or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate. Thanks, in advance, for whatever you\u2019re able to do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd pray for us this month, that we\u2019ll be able to take full advantage of the matching-gift opportunity. I don\u2019t think I mentioned this; but your donation today is going to be matched, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $2 million; so when you give, your donation is doubled. Pray that we can take full advantage of that matching-gift opportunity here during the month of December. Again, give online at FamilyLifeToday.com; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet\u2019s talk about the Christmas season. Did you guys have any kind of a Wilson family tradition? If I called your boys today and said, \u201cWhat did you always do at Christmas that was kind of the family tradition?\u201d what would they say?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; \u201cMom buys a whole bunch of presents.\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014the Mother Lode! [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Dad is looking there, going, \u201cWhat happened to the budget?\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> No; I think they\u2019d say several things: the tree\u2014we\u2019re all together getting the tree\u2014that\u2019s like a big, full day; food; praying before we open any presents.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014reading the Christmas story; you know, as a pastor, it\u2019s really our Christmas service.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We\u2019re talking about how to focus on the right stuff at Christmas. We\u2019ve got David Mathis joining us this week to do it. David, welcome back. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Thanks, Bob. Good to be here. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> David is a writer; he\u2019s a speaker. He works for Desiring God ministries. He\u2019s the author of an Advent devotional. We should say\u2014your book, <em>The Christmas We Didn\u2019t Expect<\/em>\u2014is not a how-to guide for families on how to go through Advent. It\u2019s a devotional for all of us to be reading through during the Advent season so that we can be re-captivated by the mystery and the unexpected that this season is all about, so it doesn\u2019t become so <em>common<\/em> that we forget the <em>amazingness<\/em> of all of this. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. The world, and our society, has very much an agenda for your Christmas. If we\u2019re not intentional, as Christians, we will fill it up with everything the world\u2019s pressuring right into it. It\u2019s a kind of call: \u201cLet\u2019s put Jesus at the center. Let\u2019s marvel at Him, afresh, this Advent. Let\u2019s see this as an opportunity.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen the world is changing its colors and its tune\u2014December has its own music; it\u2019s by far the most distinct month of the year in our society\u2014that\u2019s an <em>opportunity<\/em> for Christians. It hasn\u2019t always been this way with the pagan world; but for some reason, we have this situation. Let\u2019s make the most of it, and let\u2019s be intentional about keeping Jesus at the center and <em>marveling<\/em> at Him in this season. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think that\u2019s the word: \u201cintentional.\u201d If we\u2019re not, we will get sucked into the commercialism, the gifts, the songs, the movies. It can be easy to lose Jesus in the midst of that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ll never forget being 16 years old, having just given my life to Christ, sitting at a midnight service at church, sobbing because it was the first time I realized what Christmas was really all about. The fact that God came down and was <em>with us<\/em>\u2014that was mind-blowing and life-changing to me\u2014I was so grateful and thankful that I finally figured out what this Christmas season is about. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe can give that to our kids; but we have to <em>fight<\/em> for it or else they, too, will just get sucked into: \u201cLet\u2019s give a good gift,\u201d and \u201cLet\u2019s watch <em>The Grinch<\/em> tonight.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> One of the biblical themes around Christmas\/significant biblical themes is the idea of the virgin conception\u2014which, really\/better than virgin birth; it\u2019s the virgin conception\u2014Mary conceiving, having never known a man. First of all, explain why that\u2019s significant beyond just it being an anomaly, that a virgin would conceive.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> One way it\u2019s significant is because that\u2019s how God did it, and that\u2019s how God <em>tells<\/em> us He did it. The fact that He puts it in Scripture makes it significant: \u201cWhat\u2019s God saying to us in doing it this way?\u201d \u201cWhy did God do it this way? He could have done it other ways, but He chose to do it <em>this<\/em> way,\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s He saying to us in that?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of them is the supernatural that\u2019s on the frontend of Christmas. There\u2019s a supernatural virgin birth at the front of Jesus\u2019 life; there\u2019s a supernatural resurrection at the end of Jesus\u2019 life as He comes back to life at the great resurrection. This life is set off by the supernatural at the frontend and the backend. There\u2019s something fitting to set this life <em>off<\/em> with the supernatural at both ends. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAlso, what the virgin birth shows us\u2014virgin conception\u2014is the depth of our need. Humans could <em>not<\/em> bring about their own Redeemer; God had to come in from the outside. This is <em>not<\/em> something we can work; we can achieve; we can make happen. We are desperate; we need <em>rescue<\/em>. In the virgin conception, there\u2019s an echo of God making the rescue. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat would be a third thing: \u201cGod\u2019s the One who takes the initiative. We don\u2019t take the initiative in our salvation; we respond.\u201d The angel comes and doesn\u2019t say, \u201cOh, Mary; could we have your permission to carry this out?\u201d The angel announces, \u201cBehold; you will conceive and bear a Son, and you will call His name Jesus.\u201d God takes the initiative, even in the gentleness with which He comes to Mary, He announces what He\u2019s going to do. God carries out His rescue mission to save His people as He comes in Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Another unexpected\u2014I know you have a lot of them in the book\u2014it\u2019s, literally, the God of all creation is entering time and space history. You would think it\u2019s going to be the most glorious blast out of the heavens, and He comes so humble. Talk about that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. We have our human expectations; do we not? I remember growing up\u2014I think I was age six\u2014when we did this Christmas play at our church called \u201cAngels Aware<em>.\u201d<\/em> Maybe there\u2019s some Southern Baptist listeners out there who did \u201cAngels Aware<em>\u201d; <\/em>it\u2019s a phenomenal play. I remember these songs; I can still go through the Old Testament prophets because of one song we did in there. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the songs was called <em>If It Was up to Me<\/em>. Different angels step forward and say how they would do it: \u201cHe\u2019d be a great military ruler,\u201d \u201cHe\u2019d be a great athlete.\u201d We have our human conceptions of glory; we have our human anticipations and ways that <em>we <\/em>would do it. God just <em>shatters<\/em> those. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHis ways are greater than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He puts that on public display at that first Christmas. No human thought of this; this is how God does it. He shows His greatness; He shows His peculiar glory\u2014that He does things far above \u201cbeyond all we can ask or think\u201d\u2014Paul says in Ephesians 3. He does beyond what we can expect as humans; that is on display over and over again at that first Christmas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> David, talk about what\u2019s so unexpected about the wise men. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Oh my, the wise men. To call them wise men is an interesting publicity stunt; right? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014or the three kings. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> That\u2019s right\u2014the three kings. The dudes aren\u2019t kings; they\u2019re not kings. Magi is where we get the word, \u201cmagician.\u201d The magi\u2014go to the Book of Daniel and read about the magi, also called the sorcerers or the astrologers. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the greatest surprises here is\u2014the Christ Child comes, long expected\u2014the trained theologians of the day are five miles away in Jerusalem. They give the answer to the magi when they ask: \u201cOh, yes; Micah says He\u2019ll be born in Bethlehem;\u201d and they don\u2019t even bother to make the five-mile journey down to Bethlehem. The pagan astrologers come, and they bow. It is a sign of what God is doing among the nations; He\u2019s going to take pagans, and He\u2019s going to make them into His people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe\u2019s going to take astrologers\u2014He\u2019s going to teach them a new vocation\u2014because it is very clear, throughout the Old Testament, that astrology\/the kind of things the magi do is <em>abominable<\/em>. It is just as clear, in the New Testament, as they encounter various magicians in the Book of Acts. The Bible is <em>very clear<\/em> about the vocation of being a magi: \u201cThis is not allowed.\u201d Yet, what a picture of the sinners that God invites to come to His Son. He doesn\u2019t say, \u201cClean up your act first, and then you can come.\u201d He says, \u201cCome on; come on where you are. I\u2019ll change you; I\u2019ll change you through worship,\u201d as they bow, as they rejoice with joy that is <em>exceedingly<\/em> great. They are being <em>changed<\/em>. It\u2019s a picture of what God\u2019s doing among the nations. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What about the choir that shows up with the shepherds? First of all, the fact that shepherds get the birth announcement\u2014that\u2019s pretty remarkable\u2014right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> I mean, these are the blue-collar workers of the day. It\u2019s not that shepherds were so well-respected\/they were the dignitaries of the first century; that\u2019s <em>not<\/em> why they were invited to His birth. This, again, is a mark of His divine lowliness, that God would do it in this way\/that He would extend His arms open to the shepherds to say: \u201cAlright; I\u2019m not coming to save the popular,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not coming to save the acknowledged,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not coming to save those who have the ability to do this for themselves,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m coming with my arms open to save <em>all<\/em>,\u201d \u201cBlessed are the weak. Blessed are those who know their hunger. Blessed are those who know their lowliness. I\u2019ve invited those in.\u201d That\u2019s what happened with the shepherds.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> A question that you\u2019re answering, that I think is a critical question, is: \u201cWhat does the way God entered the world reveal about who God is?\u201d An entrance usually reveals something. You think about how queens travel into our country; I mean, millions of dollars are spent for all the glamor and glitz to bring a VIP through a town; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe God of the universe is making a statement; isn\u2019t He?\u2014about: \u201cThis is my character,\u201d\u2014by coming that way. That\u2019s what you\u2019re getting at; it\u2019s so unexpected\u2014it\u2019s like, \u201cWho would do this?\u201d He\u2019s revealing something very significant [about] His love for us in that: \u201cHe is approachable,\u201d \u201cHe is humble,\u201d \u201cHe is with you\u201d; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> It\u2019s a <em>rescue<\/em> mission. This is not a cameo\u2014[Laughter]\u2014this is not just to show us: \u201cHey, you\u2019re human. I\u2019m God, but I can be human too,\u201d\u2014this is not a grand moment here. He\u2019s coming on a <em>rescue<\/em> mission to save His people, which is why the song, <em>What Child Is This?<\/em>\u2014I remember singing that as a kid, maybe as a teenager\/even as a collegiate\u2014thinking, \u201cWhy would we sing about nails?\u2014\u2018spear will pierce Him through\u2019? Come on; let\u2019s just have a bright, happy Christmas!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Like, \u201cThat\u2019s not happy.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> \u201cWe\u2019ll worry about the death in April when we talk about\/we do Holy Week and Easter.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs I grew up, I realized: \u201cIt belongs right here; this is a rescue mission. Yes, nails\/spear will pierce Him through; Simeon will have his prophecy to Mary, saying, \u201cA sword will pierce your soul as well,\u201d meaning: \u201cIt\u2019s going to pierce Him. He\u2019s going to be pierced. He\u2019s coming here to die for His people. He\u2019s coming to rescue a people.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Talk about the significance of what it was the angels <em>said<\/em> to the shepherds. I say \u201csaid\u201d rather than \u201csang\u201d; because I\u2019m just letting you know\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Yes; why?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: t<\/strong>here\u2019s <em>nothing<\/em> in Scripture that indicates they were singing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> What?!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; that\u2019s true. Am I\/are you backing me up on this?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> \u201cThe angel said\u201d\u2014is that right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> \u201cThe angel announced\u2026\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cAnd suddenly there was with the angel a choir of the heavenly host.\u201d That\u2019s why we think they were singing,\u2014because they were called a \u201cchoir.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I was going to say\u2014I know the word, \u201cchoir,\u201d is in there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cChoir\u201d is in there, but there is nothing that indicates they sang. Here\u2019s why that\u2019s significant; I\u2019ve had somebody point this out to me\u2014that the angels sang at creation; the angels will sing again at the second coming\u2014but in between, this person said, there\u2019s no indication of angels singing, even at the birth of Jesus. They \u201cspeak,\u201d but the Bible doesn\u2019t say they \u201csang.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you want to imagine them singing, I\/we won\u2019t part fellowship with you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Bob, you\u2019re <em>ruining<\/em> the story.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I know!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> You\u2019re saying they\u2019re only going to sing two times?!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> <em>Hark the Herald Angels Said<\/em>\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> \u2014\u201c<em>Said<\/em>.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014is how we should sing that song. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David: <\/strong>Oh, my.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> The message was: \u201cGlory to God in the highest; and on earth, peace and goodwill among men with whom He is pleased.\u201d What does <em>that<\/em> mean?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> I think the thing that\u2019s more fascinating at Christmas is what that first angel announces when he says, \u201cFear not. Behold, I bring you good news of great joy.\u201d What\u2019s so significant there is that he talks about \u201cgreat joy,\u201d which is <em>not<\/em> a common phrase in the Bible. \u201cJoy\u201d is common. A typical English translation will have 200-plus mentions of joy\u2014Old Testament\/New Testament\u2014\u201cjoy,\u201d \u201cjoy,\u201d \u201cjoy. God made a world of joys; there are various joys in our lives. We know joy. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut what is <em>unusual<\/em> is <em>great<\/em> joy. There\u2019s <em>great joy<\/em> when David brings Solomon into the throne, and when Solomon dedicates the temple, and when Nehemiah builds the wall. At the resurrection, there\u2019s great joy; and at the birth of Christ, there\u2019s great joy. What\u2019s so significant\u2014that first Christmas\u2014is that we are not just announcing joy at Christmas, which is one of the reasons to observe this season: take the opportunity, the Advent season, in a way that you may not take the month of November or the month of January. This is an occasion of great joy\/of a joy that is surpassingly joyful compared to the <em>normal<\/em> joys of our everyday life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod <em>means<\/em> to show us something. This is one of the most significant events in the history of the world here: as Jesus comes in to begin His life and as Jesus rises again to complete the work of redemption for us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, now, we\u2019ve got to start singing, \u201cGreat joy to the world! The Lord is come,\u201d and \u201cHark the herald angels said,\u201d in order to be more biblically accurate. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Very good! [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Let\u2019s get real practical and talk about: \u201cHow can we really carve this into our schedules?\u201d . What are some things that you guys have done, Bob, in your family to make sure that we\u2019re really getting this in our hearts and in our homes? David, what kind of practical things, besides reading Scripture every day\u2014like are you guys praying as a family?\u2014are you praying with your wife?\u2014are you reading the Scripture, more than just the one words, with just you and your wife?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> A great way to build any habit is to get it as early in the day as possible. Once the day gets going and rolling, there\u2019s a chance something\u2019s going to come up\/interrupt it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014said the morning person. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Said someone, who\u2019s <em>made<\/em> himself a morning person, who <em>didn\u2019t<\/em> live that way the first 20 years of life. The earlier we can get to it, the more it will set the pace\/the trajectory for the day. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you want to break up the Advent season into individual days, why not fly it as a banner over each day?\u2014whether that\u2019s personal devotions or that\u2019s gathering the family together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI love taking a single verse, explaining it to my kids, praying through it together, and then we launch into the day, just to have that reminder: \u201cHey! This is <em>great<\/em>! It\u2019s Christmas season! We\u2019re coming up on Christmas. We\u2019re in Advent here!\u201d Let\u2019s start the day with that reminder. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, growing up, our family would do an Advent candle on the Sundays. We did a once-a-week rhythm there, growing up. We\u2019d have the Advent calendar; we\u2019d do a Sunday reminder of that. There can be weekly rhythms to it; some churches will do that, where they\u2019ll light the Advent candle as part of the service on Sunday.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne way to think through it\u2014some personal rhythms that may help <em>you<\/em> remember the season and keep Jesus central. Something for the <em>family<\/em>, that\u2019s perhaps daily\/something, maybe weekly. Then, as a church family, it\u2019s an opportunity\u2014for any pastors who are listening or lay leaders in the church\u2014think, \u201cHow can we make this season special?\u201d \u201cHow can we take an opportunity?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Grandparents, you can do a Zoom.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Oh, yes; grandparents are the best for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> They\u2019re great for that; yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We do the Advent wreath at our church; we lit the first candle this week as we sang <em>O Come, O Come, Emmanuel<\/em> and <em>Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think having Christmas music on in the house\u2014I would say: \u201cTry and have Christmas music on that\u2019s about Jesus, not just about Rudolf and Frosty.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> [Singing <em>It\u2019s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year<\/em>]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I like all the\u2014<em>I\u2019ll Be Home for Christmas<\/em>\u2014I like all of that\u2014but there\u2019s something about <em>Hark, the Herald Angels Sing<\/em>\/there\u2019s something about <em>O Little Town of Bethlehem<\/em>\u2014there\u2019s something about those songs, that just getting those in your children\u2019s heads and hearts\u2014maybe you\u2019ve got a guitar, and you pull it out and you sing it together as a family\/maybe you teach your kids some of these classic carols\u2014go to the hymnal. If you have a hymnal in your home\u2014and you should\u2014go get out the hymnal and find the songs in your hymnal that will not include <em>Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? <\/em>or <em>Jingle Bells<\/em>; right? Sing the songs of Jesus in the season, and plant those in your kids\u2019 hearts. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I would even add\u2014at bedtime is a great time for discussion with kids, who are a little bit older, not toddlers necessarily. Just maybe on those evenings, talk about a Bible character that was in the Christmas story\u2014like, \u201cWhat do you think it would be like to be Mary?\u201d\u2014to talk about Elizabeth\/to talk about the shepherds in the field. It would be great to listen to kids as you tell the story of the shepherds were in the field and \u201cThis is what the angels said.\u201d It\u2019d be so interesting to get kids to identify with the characters in the Bible.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great if God would do to Dad what He did to Zechariah, and he couldn\u2019t speak for several months?\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u201cReally!\u2014yes!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Maybe get a copy of David\u2019s book. I think, with older kids, you can read a few paragraphs and talk about <em>that<\/em> at the dinner table. The point is intentionality\u2014we\u2019re back to that\u2014making this something that\u2019s purposeful. Don\u2019t let this season get past you and go, \u201cWe <em>missed<\/em> an opportunity.\u201d Take advantage of an opportunity God\u2019s given you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDavid, thanks for helping us kick off the season, rightly, here. And thanks for the book. I think that\u2019s going to help a lot of folks\/help a lot of us during this Christmas season. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> I enjoyed it. Thanks for having me here. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; you can go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, to find out more about David Mathis\u2019s Advent devotional, <em>The Christmas We Didn\u2019t Expect: Daily Devotions for Advent. <\/em>Order a copy from our website, FamilyLifeToday.com; or call to order: 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs you have probably heard somewhere, today is Giving Tuesday. It\u2019s a good day for you to think about yearend donations to ministries\/organizations that God has used in your life over the last 12 months. If FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> is one of those ministries or organizations, this is a great time to make a donation for a couple of reasons. First, your donation is going to be matched, dollar for dollar. We\u2019ve got a matching-gift fund that goes up to $2 million. We want to take full advantage of that, so any donation you make today will be matched. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we\u2019ll send you, as a special thank-you gift today, a copy of my book, <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em>. We\u2019ll also send you a flash drive that\u2019s got the top 100 <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> programs from the last 28 years. You\u2019ll have a library of some of the best programs we\u2019ve ever done on marriage, on parenting, on family issues; interviews with people whose names you will recognize. All of that comes your way when you make a donation today on Giving Tuesday. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com to donate, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to make a Giving Tuesday donation. Thanks, in advance, for whatever you\u2019re able to do. We appreciate you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTomorrow, we\u2019re going to turn our attention to a very challenging topic. We want to talk about the struggle that some people face with what\u2019s called gender dysphoria. How should we understand that? How should we think about it as Christians? How can we have compassion for those who are wrestling with this desire and still stand for the truth of Scripture? J. Alan Branch will join us tomorrow to talk about this. I hope you can be with us as well. <br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2020 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>"],"_seopress_titles_title":[""],"_seopress_titles_desc":[""],"_seopress_robots_index":[""],"duration":["00:31:20"],"show_notes":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["294104"],"filesize":["28.69M"],"filesize_raw":["30088316"],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-306588.css"],"_uag_js_file_name":["uag-js-306588.js"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:82560:\".wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom 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Mathis helps us to marvel at God afresh with practical thoughts and focused enthusiasm, reflecting on the divine pieces of God's rescue plan for all of humanity found in the Christmas story!","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2020-12-01.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Author David Mathis says there\u2019s a lot that was surprising, even shocking, about the first Christmas.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> An unwed woman?\u2014the virgin birth is one of the great surprises. And then that the angel would come to <em>Nazareth<\/em>\u2014such an out of the way place, that all the Gospels have to <em>explain<\/em> what it is\u2014because readers have never <em>heard<\/em> of Nazareth. It is a backwater town. People have heard of Bethlehem\u2014that was the city of David\u2014it\u2019s small compared to Jerusalem, but nobody ever heard of <em>Nazareth<\/em>. That is serious backwater. It is one unexpected thing after another.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, December 1<sup>st<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I'm Bob Lepine. You can find us online at FamilyLifeToday.com. Revisiting the details of the Christmas story each year can remind us of how surprising and how even <em>shocking<\/em> God\u2019s grace is. We\u2019ll hear more about that today. Stay with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us on the Tuesday edition. We\u2019re going to talk about getting ready for Christmas today, but before we do that\u2014it is Giving Tuesday. I think most of our listeners have probably heard from everybody they support about the fact that it\u2019s Giving Tuesday. [Laughter] We want to add our voice to that as well, because this is a particularly critical time of the year for ministries like ours. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think most of you have probably heard <em>our<\/em> story by now\u2014that FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> has, literally, changed our marriage; it\u2019s changed our lives; it\u2019s changed our legacy. I know that we\u2019ve heard from many of you that it\u2019s done the same thing. I feel like you know how <em>critical<\/em> this ministry is. I hope you do, so we really hope you\u2019ll consider giving this Christmas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know, honestly, if we\u2019d be married and have the legacy we have without FamilyLife. That <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup> we went to as an engaged couple\u2014and now, all the years; thirty-plus\/almost forty years of input from FamilyLife\u2014has literally changed us. I <em>know<\/em> it\u2019s transformed you, and people you love, and even your legacy. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHere\u2019s what I know about yearend and Giving Tuesday: Giving Tuesday\u2019s <em>awesome<\/em>. I get emails after emails; and I have to make a decision, just like you do, like: \u201cWho do I give to?\u201d\u2014some of you <em>can\u2019t<\/em>; this has been a really tough year\u2014you\u2019ve been devastated, possibly, financially. I understand that; you do what you need to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut some of you have been blessed; God\u2019s taken care of you and even blessed you. I would ask you\/I would <em>challenge<\/em> you to consider FamilyLife as the one of maybe several. I hope [you\u2019re] the one that says, \u201cI\u2019m going to give, and I\u2019m going to give generously because God has taken care of me. I\u2019m going to give <em>double<\/em> what I gave,\u201d or \u201c\u2026a little more than I\u2019ve <em>ever <\/em>given, because I know there are people who can\u2019t; and I <em>can.<\/em>\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to tell you, as you give, you are changing families, like the Wilsons\/families like yours. We <em>need<\/em> you, more than ever, this year to jump in, and help, and play your part. You can watch God use how He\u2019s blessed you to bless others. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> When you give today, we want to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by sending you a couple of thank-you gifts. The first is a flash drive that contains more than 100\u2014really the top 100-plus\u2014<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> programs from the last 28 years with Dennis and Barbara Rainey, with Dave and Ann Wilson, with other guests we\u2019ve had here: programs about marriage, about parenting, about extended family relationships\u2014these are programs that are timeless.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> <em>And<\/em> they also get a hot new book off the presses\u2014[Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes; it\u2019s <em>good<\/em>!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014Bob Lepine\u2019s <em>Love Like You Mean It <\/em>book.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We\u2019ll send a copy of the book, <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em>, along with the flash drive, when you make a donation today. You can do that online at FamilyLifeToday.com, or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate. Thanks, in advance, for whatever you\u2019re able to do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd pray for us this month, that we\u2019ll be able to take full advantage of the matching-gift opportunity. I don\u2019t think I mentioned this; but your donation today is going to be matched, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $2 million; so when you give, your donation is doubled. Pray that we can take full advantage of that matching-gift opportunity here during the month of December. Again, give online at FamilyLifeToday.com; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLet\u2019s talk about the Christmas season. Did you guys have any kind of a Wilson family tradition? If I called your boys today and said, \u201cWhat did you always do at Christmas that was kind of the family tradition?\u201d what would they say?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; \u201cMom buys a whole bunch of presents.\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014the Mother Lode! [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Dad is looking there, going, \u201cWhat happened to the budget?\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> No; I think they\u2019d say several things: the tree\u2014we\u2019re all together getting the tree\u2014that\u2019s like a big, full day; food; praying before we open any presents.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014reading the Christmas story; you know, as a pastor, it\u2019s really our Christmas service.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>We\u2019re talking about how to focus on the right stuff at Christmas. We\u2019ve got David Mathis joining us this week to do it. David, welcome back. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Thanks, Bob. Good to be here. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> David is a writer; he\u2019s a speaker. He works for Desiring God ministries. He\u2019s the author of an Advent devotional. We should say\u2014your book, <em>The Christmas We Didn\u2019t Expect<\/em>\u2014is not a how-to guide for families on how to go through Advent. It\u2019s a devotional for all of us to be reading through during the Advent season so that we can be re-captivated by the mystery and the unexpected that this season is all about, so it doesn\u2019t become so <em>common<\/em> that we forget the <em>amazingness<\/em> of all of this. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. The world, and our society, has very much an agenda for your Christmas. If we\u2019re not intentional, as Christians, we will fill it up with everything the world\u2019s pressuring right into it. It\u2019s a kind of call: \u201cLet\u2019s put Jesus at the center. Let\u2019s marvel at Him, afresh, this Advent. Let\u2019s see this as an opportunity.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen the world is changing its colors and its tune\u2014December has its own music; it\u2019s by far the most distinct month of the year in our society\u2014that\u2019s an <em>opportunity<\/em> for Christians. It hasn\u2019t always been this way with the pagan world; but for some reason, we have this situation. Let\u2019s make the most of it, and let\u2019s be intentional about keeping Jesus at the center and <em>marveling<\/em> at Him in this season. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think that\u2019s the word: \u201cintentional.\u201d If we\u2019re not, we will get sucked into the commercialism, the gifts, the songs, the movies. It can be easy to lose Jesus in the midst of that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019ll never forget being 16 years old, having just given my life to Christ, sitting at a midnight service at church, sobbing because it was the first time I realized what Christmas was really all about. The fact that God came down and was <em>with us<\/em>\u2014that was mind-blowing and life-changing to me\u2014I was so grateful and thankful that I finally figured out what this Christmas season is about. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe can give that to our kids; but we have to <em>fight<\/em> for it or else they, too, will just get sucked into: \u201cLet\u2019s give a good gift,\u201d and \u201cLet\u2019s watch <em>The Grinch<\/em> tonight.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> One of the biblical themes around Christmas\/significant biblical themes is the idea of the virgin conception\u2014which, really\/better than virgin birth; it\u2019s the virgin conception\u2014Mary conceiving, having never known a man. First of all, explain why that\u2019s significant beyond just it being an anomaly, that a virgin would conceive.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> One way it\u2019s significant is because that\u2019s how God did it, and that\u2019s how God <em>tells<\/em> us He did it. The fact that He puts it in Scripture makes it significant: \u201cWhat\u2019s God saying to us in doing it this way?\u201d \u201cWhy did God do it this way? He could have done it other ways, but He chose to do it <em>this<\/em> way,\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s He saying to us in that?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of them is the supernatural that\u2019s on the frontend of Christmas. There\u2019s a supernatural virgin birth at the front of Jesus\u2019 life; there\u2019s a supernatural resurrection at the end of Jesus\u2019 life as He comes back to life at the great resurrection. This life is set off by the supernatural at the frontend and the backend. There\u2019s something fitting to set this life <em>off<\/em> with the supernatural at both ends. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAlso, what the virgin birth shows us\u2014virgin conception\u2014is the depth of our need. Humans could <em>not<\/em> bring about their own Redeemer; God had to come in from the outside. This is <em>not<\/em> something we can work; we can achieve; we can make happen. We are desperate; we need <em>rescue<\/em>. In the virgin conception, there\u2019s an echo of God making the rescue. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat would be a third thing: \u201cGod\u2019s the One who takes the initiative. We don\u2019t take the initiative in our salvation; we respond.\u201d The angel comes and doesn\u2019t say, \u201cOh, Mary; could we have your permission to carry this out?\u201d The angel announces, \u201cBehold; you will conceive and bear a Son, and you will call His name Jesus.\u201d God takes the initiative, even in the gentleness with which He comes to Mary, He announces what He\u2019s going to do. God carries out His rescue mission to save His people as He comes in Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Another unexpected\u2014I know you have a lot of them in the book\u2014it\u2019s, literally, the God of all creation is entering time and space history. You would think it\u2019s going to be the most glorious blast out of the heavens, and He comes so humble. Talk about that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. We have our human expectations; do we not? I remember growing up\u2014I think I was age six\u2014when we did this Christmas play at our church called \u201cAngels Aware<em>.\u201d<\/em> Maybe there\u2019s some Southern Baptist listeners out there who did \u201cAngels Aware<em>\u201d; <\/em>it\u2019s a phenomenal play. I remember these songs; I can still go through the Old Testament prophets because of one song we did in there. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the songs was called <em>If It Was up to Me<\/em>. Different angels step forward and say how they would do it: \u201cHe\u2019d be a great military ruler,\u201d \u201cHe\u2019d be a great athlete.\u201d We have our human conceptions of glory; we have our human anticipations and ways that <em>we <\/em>would do it. God just <em>shatters<\/em> those. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHis ways are greater than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He puts that on public display at that first Christmas. No human thought of this; this is how God does it. He shows His greatness; He shows His peculiar glory\u2014that He does things far above \u201cbeyond all we can ask or think\u201d\u2014Paul says in Ephesians 3. He does beyond what we can expect as humans; that is on display over and over again at that first Christmas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> David, talk about what\u2019s so unexpected about the wise men. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Oh my, the wise men. To call them wise men is an interesting publicity stunt; right? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014or the three kings. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> That\u2019s right\u2014the three kings. The dudes aren\u2019t kings; they\u2019re not kings. Magi is where we get the word, \u201cmagician.\u201d The magi\u2014go to the Book of Daniel and read about the magi, also called the sorcerers or the astrologers. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the greatest surprises here is\u2014the Christ Child comes, long expected\u2014the trained theologians of the day are five miles away in Jerusalem. They give the answer to the magi when they ask: \u201cOh, yes; Micah says He\u2019ll be born in Bethlehem;\u201d and they don\u2019t even bother to make the five-mile journey down to Bethlehem. The pagan astrologers come, and they bow. It is a sign of what God is doing among the nations; He\u2019s going to take pagans, and He\u2019s going to make them into His people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe\u2019s going to take astrologers\u2014He\u2019s going to teach them a new vocation\u2014because it is very clear, throughout the Old Testament, that astrology\/the kind of things the magi do is <em>abominable<\/em>. It is just as clear, in the New Testament, as they encounter various magicians in the Book of Acts. The Bible is <em>very clear<\/em> about the vocation of being a magi: \u201cThis is not allowed.\u201d Yet, what a picture of the sinners that God invites to come to His Son. He doesn\u2019t say, \u201cClean up your act first, and then you can come.\u201d He says, \u201cCome on; come on where you are. I\u2019ll change you; I\u2019ll change you through worship,\u201d as they bow, as they rejoice with joy that is <em>exceedingly<\/em> great. They are being <em>changed<\/em>. It\u2019s a picture of what God\u2019s doing among the nations. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What about the choir that shows up with the shepherds? First of all, the fact that shepherds get the birth announcement\u2014that\u2019s pretty remarkable\u2014right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> I mean, these are the blue-collar workers of the day. It\u2019s not that shepherds were so well-respected\/they were the dignitaries of the first century; that\u2019s <em>not<\/em> why they were invited to His birth. This, again, is a mark of His divine lowliness, that God would do it in this way\/that He would extend His arms open to the shepherds to say: \u201cAlright; I\u2019m not coming to save the popular,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not coming to save the acknowledged,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not coming to save those who have the ability to do this for themselves,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m coming with my arms open to save <em>all<\/em>,\u201d \u201cBlessed are the weak. Blessed are those who know their hunger. Blessed are those who know their lowliness. I\u2019ve invited those in.\u201d That\u2019s what happened with the shepherds.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> A question that you\u2019re answering, that I think is a critical question, is: \u201cWhat does the way God entered the world reveal about who God is?\u201d An entrance usually reveals something. You think about how queens travel into our country; I mean, millions of dollars are spent for all the glamor and glitz to bring a VIP through a town; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe God of the universe is making a statement; isn\u2019t He?\u2014about: \u201cThis is my character,\u201d\u2014by coming that way. That\u2019s what you\u2019re getting at; it\u2019s so unexpected\u2014it\u2019s like, \u201cWho would do this?\u201d He\u2019s revealing something very significant [about] His love for us in that: \u201cHe is approachable,\u201d \u201cHe is humble,\u201d \u201cHe is with you\u201d; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> It\u2019s a <em>rescue<\/em> mission. This is not a cameo\u2014[Laughter]\u2014this is not just to show us: \u201cHey, you\u2019re human. I\u2019m God, but I can be human too,\u201d\u2014this is not a grand moment here. He\u2019s coming on a <em>rescue<\/em> mission to save His people, which is why the song, <em>What Child Is This?<\/em>\u2014I remember singing that as a kid, maybe as a teenager\/even as a collegiate\u2014thinking, \u201cWhy would we sing about nails?\u2014\u2018spear will pierce Him through\u2019? Come on; let\u2019s just have a bright, happy Christmas!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Like, \u201cThat\u2019s not happy.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> \u201cWe\u2019ll worry about the death in April when we talk about\/we do Holy Week and Easter.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs I grew up, I realized: \u201cIt belongs right here; this is a rescue mission. Yes, nails\/spear will pierce Him through; Simeon will have his prophecy to Mary, saying, \u201cA sword will pierce your soul as well,\u201d meaning: \u201cIt\u2019s going to pierce Him. He\u2019s going to be pierced. He\u2019s coming here to die for His people. He\u2019s coming to rescue a people.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Talk about the significance of what it was the angels <em>said<\/em> to the shepherds. I say \u201csaid\u201d rather than \u201csang\u201d; because I\u2019m just letting you know\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann: <\/strong>Yes; why?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: t<\/strong>here\u2019s <em>nothing<\/em> in Scripture that indicates they were singing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> What?!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; that\u2019s true. Am I\/are you backing me up on this?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> \u201cThe angel said\u201d\u2014is that right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> \u201cThe angel announced\u2026\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cAnd suddenly there was with the angel a choir of the heavenly host.\u201d That\u2019s why we think they were singing,\u2014because they were called a \u201cchoir.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I was going to say\u2014I know the word, \u201cchoir,\u201d is in there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cChoir\u201d is in there, but there is nothing that indicates they sang. Here\u2019s why that\u2019s significant; I\u2019ve had somebody point this out to me\u2014that the angels sang at creation; the angels will sing again at the second coming\u2014but in between, this person said, there\u2019s no indication of angels singing, even at the birth of Jesus. They \u201cspeak,\u201d but the Bible doesn\u2019t say they \u201csang.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you want to imagine them singing, I\/we won\u2019t part fellowship with you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Bob, you\u2019re <em>ruining<\/em> the story.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I know!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> You\u2019re saying they\u2019re only going to sing two times?!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> <em>Hark the Herald Angels Said<\/em>\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> \u2014\u201c<em>Said<\/em>.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014is how we should sing that song. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David: <\/strong>Oh, my.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> The message was: \u201cGlory to God in the highest; and on earth, peace and goodwill among men with whom He is pleased.\u201d What does <em>that<\/em> mean?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> I think the thing that\u2019s more fascinating at Christmas is what that first angel announces when he says, \u201cFear not. Behold, I bring you good news of great joy.\u201d What\u2019s so significant there is that he talks about \u201cgreat joy,\u201d which is <em>not<\/em> a common phrase in the Bible. \u201cJoy\u201d is common. A typical English translation will have 200-plus mentions of joy\u2014Old Testament\/New Testament\u2014\u201cjoy,\u201d \u201cjoy,\u201d \u201cjoy. God made a world of joys; there are various joys in our lives. We know joy. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut what is <em>unusual<\/em> is <em>great<\/em> joy. There\u2019s <em>great joy<\/em> when David brings Solomon into the throne, and when Solomon dedicates the temple, and when Nehemiah builds the wall. At the resurrection, there\u2019s great joy; and at the birth of Christ, there\u2019s great joy. What\u2019s so significant\u2014that first Christmas\u2014is that we are not just announcing joy at Christmas, which is one of the reasons to observe this season: take the opportunity, the Advent season, in a way that you may not take the month of November or the month of January. This is an occasion of great joy\/of a joy that is surpassingly joyful compared to the <em>normal<\/em> joys of our everyday life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod <em>means<\/em> to show us something. This is one of the most significant events in the history of the world here: as Jesus comes in to begin His life and as Jesus rises again to complete the work of redemption for us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, now, we\u2019ve got to start singing, \u201cGreat joy to the world! The Lord is come,\u201d and \u201cHark the herald angels said,\u201d in order to be more biblically accurate. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Very good! [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Let\u2019s get real practical and talk about: \u201cHow can we really carve this into our schedules?\u201d . What are some things that you guys have done, Bob, in your family to make sure that we\u2019re really getting this in our hearts and in our homes? David, what kind of practical things, besides reading Scripture every day\u2014like are you guys praying as a family?\u2014are you praying with your wife?\u2014are you reading the Scripture, more than just the one words, with just you and your wife?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> A great way to build any habit is to get it as early in the day as possible. Once the day gets going and rolling, there\u2019s a chance something\u2019s going to come up\/interrupt it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014said the morning person. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Said someone, who\u2019s <em>made<\/em> himself a morning person, who <em>didn\u2019t<\/em> live that way the first 20 years of life. The earlier we can get to it, the more it will set the pace\/the trajectory for the day. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you want to break up the Advent season into individual days, why not fly it as a banner over each day?\u2014whether that\u2019s personal devotions or that\u2019s gathering the family together. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI love taking a single verse, explaining it to my kids, praying through it together, and then we launch into the day, just to have that reminder: \u201cHey! This is <em>great<\/em>! It\u2019s Christmas season! We\u2019re coming up on Christmas. We\u2019re in Advent here!\u201d Let\u2019s start the day with that reminder. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, growing up, our family would do an Advent candle on the Sundays. We did a once-a-week rhythm there, growing up. We\u2019d have the Advent calendar; we\u2019d do a Sunday reminder of that. There can be weekly rhythms to it; some churches will do that, where they\u2019ll light the Advent candle as part of the service on Sunday.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne way to think through it\u2014some personal rhythms that may help <em>you<\/em> remember the season and keep Jesus central. Something for the <em>family<\/em>, that\u2019s perhaps daily\/something, maybe weekly. Then, as a church family, it\u2019s an opportunity\u2014for any pastors who are listening or lay leaders in the church\u2014think, \u201cHow can we make this season special?\u201d \u201cHow can we take an opportunity?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Grandparents, you can do a Zoom.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Oh, yes; grandparents are the best for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> They\u2019re great for that; yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We do the Advent wreath at our church; we lit the first candle this week as we sang <em>O Come, O Come, Emmanuel<\/em> and <em>Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think having Christmas music on in the house\u2014I would say: \u201cTry and have Christmas music on that\u2019s about Jesus, not just about Rudolf and Frosty.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> [Singing <em>It\u2019s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year<\/em>]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I like all the\u2014<em>I\u2019ll Be Home for Christmas<\/em>\u2014I like all of that\u2014but there\u2019s something about <em>Hark, the Herald Angels Sing<\/em>\/there\u2019s something about <em>O Little Town of Bethlehem<\/em>\u2014there\u2019s something about those songs, that just getting those in your children\u2019s heads and hearts\u2014maybe you\u2019ve got a guitar, and you pull it out and you sing it together as a family\/maybe you teach your kids some of these classic carols\u2014go to the hymnal. If you have a hymnal in your home\u2014and you should\u2014go get out the hymnal and find the songs in your hymnal that will not include <em>Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? <\/em>or <em>Jingle Bells<\/em>; right? Sing the songs of Jesus in the season, and plant those in your kids\u2019 hearts. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I would even add\u2014at bedtime is a great time for discussion with kids, who are a little bit older, not toddlers necessarily. Just maybe on those evenings, talk about a Bible character that was in the Christmas story\u2014like, \u201cWhat do you think it would be like to be Mary?\u201d\u2014to talk about Elizabeth\/to talk about the shepherds in the field. It would be great to listen to kids as you tell the story of the shepherds were in the field and \u201cThis is what the angels said.\u201d It\u2019d be so interesting to get kids to identify with the characters in the Bible.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great if God would do to Dad what He did to Zechariah, and he couldn\u2019t speak for several months?\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u201cReally!\u2014yes!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Maybe get a copy of David\u2019s book. I think, with older kids, you can read a few paragraphs and talk about <em>that<\/em> at the dinner table. The point is intentionality\u2014we\u2019re back to that\u2014making this something that\u2019s purposeful. Don\u2019t let this season get past you and go, \u201cWe <em>missed<\/em> an opportunity.\u201d Take advantage of an opportunity God\u2019s given you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDavid, thanks for helping us kick off the season, rightly, here. And thanks for the book. I think that\u2019s going to help a lot of folks\/help a lot of us during this Christmas season. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> I enjoyed it. Thanks for having me here. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; you can go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, to find out more about David Mathis\u2019s Advent devotional, <em>The Christmas We Didn\u2019t Expect: Daily Devotions for Advent. <\/em>Order a copy from our website, FamilyLifeToday.com; or call to order: 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs you have probably heard somewhere, today is Giving Tuesday. It\u2019s a good day for you to think about yearend donations to ministries\/organizations that God has used in your life over the last 12 months. If FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> is one of those ministries or organizations, this is a great time to make a donation for a couple of reasons. First, your donation is going to be matched, dollar for dollar. We\u2019ve got a matching-gift fund that goes up to $2 million. We want to take full advantage of that, so any donation you make today will be matched. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we\u2019ll send you, as a special thank-you gift today, a copy of my book, <em>Love Like You Mean It<\/em>. We\u2019ll also send you a flash drive that\u2019s got the top 100 <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> programs from the last 28 years. You\u2019ll have a library of some of the best programs we\u2019ve ever done on marriage, on parenting, on family issues; interviews with people whose names you will recognize. All of that comes your way when you make a donation today on Giving Tuesday. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com to donate, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to make a Giving Tuesday donation. Thanks, in advance, for whatever you\u2019re able to do. We appreciate you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTomorrow, we\u2019re going to turn our attention to a very challenging topic. We want to talk about the struggle that some people face with what\u2019s called gender dysphoria. How should we understand that? How should we think about it as Christians? How can we have compassion for those who are wrestling with this desire and still stand for the truth of Scripture? J. Alan Branch will join us tomorrow to talk about this. I hope you can be with us as well. <br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2020 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/306588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306588"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=306588"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=306588"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=306588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}