Episode Transcript
[00:00:14] Speaker A: Welcome to the Kids Advance Podcast.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: And heaven and nature sing and heaven and nature sing and heaven in nature.
[00:00:31] Speaker C: Welcome to the Village Kids in Five, Six Advent podcast. We have two special guests with us today who are going to be leading us through talking about Emmanuel, God with us. And the gift of the presence of Christmas might not be the presents that you're thinking of, though. First, I would love for our guests to just introduce themselves. Go ahead. What is your first name and the grade that you are in?
[00:00:52] Speaker A: Elias? Six.
Jason? Six.
[00:00:56] Speaker C: All right, so we are in the same grade and we have been in the same grade all of our lives, correct? Yep. Here we go. We are talking about, again, Christmas presents. But before we get into that, we are going to be just talking through a couple of questions. What are you looking forward to most about Christmas this year?
[00:01:13] Speaker A: My grandma makes really good caramel rolls for breakfast.
[00:01:17] Speaker C: I've actually had them and I'd have to affirm that she really does make good. She makes good everything in my opinion. But those are a good one. All right, and X, what are you looking forward to most about Christmas?
[00:01:29] Speaker A: We go to Michigan every year to.
[00:01:30] Speaker C: See our family and it's pretty fun. I mean, not that I've been there with you. Oh, wait, no, I have actually, because I'm your mom. Yep. So it is. It's fun. We have fun, right? All right. And so if you think about a gift that you've received at Christmas that was just very memorable, very special to you, what's something that you've received that you enjoyed?
[00:01:50] Speaker A: I got crutches one year.
[00:01:52] Speaker C: And did you need those crutches for real at the time? No, but they were just such a fun gift. Yeah. Have you used those crutches since then?
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:02:03] Speaker C: See, the Lord knew what you needed before you knew what you needed in the gift of fun. All right. What if you had asked for like Glitter? Maybe then you would have just needed glitter. Who knows? I don't know. You should think about that sometime. And how about you? What is a gift that you've received?
[00:02:17] Speaker A: I got a ping pong table.
[00:02:18] Speaker C: And how was that gift?
[00:02:20] Speaker B: Good.
[00:02:20] Speaker C: Is it the gift that keeps on giving?
[00:02:23] Speaker A: Maybe.
[00:02:25] Speaker C: Do you still play with.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:27] Speaker C: Yeah. All right. And what is a gift that you've given to someone else that you were just kind of excited. You knew it was going to be thoughtful. You were excited to give it to them. X, what do you think?
[00:02:36] Speaker A: I gave someone a mini air hockey table.
[00:02:39] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. And that was like a fun thing. How about you, Pace?
[00:02:42] Speaker A: I gave my sister Callie a K. Pillow.
[00:02:45] Speaker C: And what did she think about that? Did it go over well?
[00:02:47] Speaker A: Yeah, pretty well.
[00:02:49] Speaker C: Pretty well. It was a hit. Not as good as the crutches, but it was a good one. So if you guys could give the whole world one gift, what would you give to them?
Like, there's no rules on this. It can be anything. What do you think the whole world would need? What do you think, Pace?
[00:03:05] Speaker A: Probably jingle bells. So then they can jingle them whenever they're happy.
[00:03:08] Speaker C: Well, that is actually the parting gift for everyone who is a host on this podcast. Right? You're going to get a necklace with some jingle bells on it. So you and I, we were on a pretty similar track of mind in that gifting X. What would you love to give the whole world as a Christmas gift? No boundaries. What would you give them?
[00:03:24] Speaker A: I would give everybody a dog.
[00:03:26] Speaker C: A dog? Hey, someone else was giving everyone a cat. And so now, because of village kids and five six, everyone in the world will have a kitten and a dog. And can I just probe there a little bit? Why a dog?
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Because they're fun.
[00:03:39] Speaker C: Yep. Good companions, eh? Right. Everyone have a companion. All right, so would you give Payson A.
[00:03:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:50] Speaker C: Yeah. But we know now that in order for paison to get pets, we just have to let the front door open and let it go inside the house. And then you have to keep it once it's in your house, right? Is that the rule?
[00:03:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:00] Speaker C: What kind of animal? Did you get that actually, it chose you. What kind of animal?
[00:04:04] Speaker A: A parakeet.
[00:04:05] Speaker C: Yeah, it chose you. Right? It's like, where's Payson and her sisters? I need to be in their home.
You never know. Maybe a dog someday will come bouncing in, too. All righT, here's my bonus question for you guys. Whose presence is a present to you at Christmas? Whose presence is a present to you at Christmas? We're talking about the gift of presents, which is a very similar word to presents. In fact, they sound the exact same. But one, it means you're with someone, right? And one means it's a gift. So whose gift? Like, who do you like being around at Christmas time? Who's someone that's fun? Could be totally random. You're like, they got a good holiday spirit.
[00:04:45] Speaker A: My grandma.
[00:04:46] Speaker C: Your grandma. Yep. I could see that. How about Ux?
[00:04:49] Speaker A: My mom after Thanksgiving?
[00:04:54] Speaker C: Yes, I believe in tree only after turkey, and so therefore I go from the Grinch to the Christmas fairy of them. All right. Like, after, you just have to finish eating Thanksgiving meal. That's all you have to do on Thanksgiving Day. And, Alex, do you believe in that way of celebrating Christmas, or do you have a differing opinion?
[00:05:12] Speaker A: No.
[00:05:13] Speaker C: Yeah, so you have a differing opinion. When should Christmas start?
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Always.
[00:05:18] Speaker C: Always? Yes. And what happens in our home if you're caught singing jingle bells on a non Christmas day?
[00:05:24] Speaker A: Nothing.
[00:05:27] Speaker C: It's illegal. All right, so let's get into our content today. I'm just going to pray to start us, and then we're going to jump in. God of amazing gifts, we know that you save your people from sin, and we pray that you would just be growing our excitement today about what you save your people for, what you save us towards. Lord, may we see that clearly today. Pray this in your precious name. Amen. Ladies and gentlemen, who are all the people you'd most like to invite to spend Christmas Day with you? Let's think of, like, a weird person who, if you could have a weird. Maybe, not that they're weird, but you're like, it's not a normal person who usually spends Christmas with us. Who's one person that you'd be like, I think it'd be fun if they spent Christmas Day with us. Like, I know your sisters would probably say, like, Taylor Swift. So that's a thing, right? So who is, like, a person that you'd be like, that'd be a fun Person to spend Christmas with us?
What about any missionaries that you know of, or any people in the Bible? Or, like, your great great grandpa, who would be an interesting person?
[00:06:22] Speaker B: What do you think?
[00:06:24] Speaker A: Probably my great grandpa.
[00:06:27] Speaker C: Okay, so, like, someone you've never met before, your great grandpa. So you have met your great grandpa? Yep. Okay. What do you think, Payson? Who would be fun?
[00:06:35] Speaker A: Peter from the Bible.
[00:06:36] Speaker C: Peter from the Bible. All right, so we got our great grandpa coming to dinner with us, and we have Peter from the Bible. We often look forward to having family and friends with us. And today we're going to see how God's Christmas gift is about enjoying God with us. So let's return to the angel's appearance to Joseph. The writer Matthew talks about another promise that God made through his messenger, the prophet Isaiah. Listen out for three details that we're going to read of that promise.
[00:07:03] Speaker A: An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said, through the prophet, the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us.
[00:07:35] Speaker C: All right, so that's Matthew, chapter one, verses 20 and 23. And to conceive means that you're going to start growing a baby. So when we talk about this, what name did Isaiah say God's promised Christmas gift would be called in verse 23?
[00:07:47] Speaker A: Emmanuel.
[00:07:48] Speaker C: That's right. And I think what's kind of tricky about that word is sometimes people spell it em, sometimes people spell it im. But it's the same thing, and it means God with us right there. Right. Why is this a good description for Jesus? What do you think, Payson? Why is this name a good description for Jesus?
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Because it means God with us, and he is God, which means he's always with us.
[00:08:11] Speaker C: What difference does that make for you every day? If God was like, God far away, if that was like what we were celebrating, like, oh, the God who's far away versus the God who's with us. Why is that important to you?
[00:08:22] Speaker A: Because when we know he's with us, we don't have to be scared.
[00:08:26] Speaker C: Yeah. Well, because it can feel scary to try to do things alone. Right. Would you rather do something alone or with another person the first time?
[00:08:33] Speaker A: With another person, yeah.
[00:08:34] Speaker C: How about you, Payson?
[00:08:35] Speaker A: Same, yeah.
[00:08:37] Speaker C: When you are getting nervous about something, does it feel better to be alone or with another person?
[00:08:42] Speaker A: With another person, Yep.
[00:08:45] Speaker C: When you feel like you are being attacked by something, let's say a whole bunch of bees come running after you. Would you rather be figuring that out alone or with another person?
[00:08:52] Speaker A: Another person.
[00:08:53] Speaker C: Right. And so the concept of having someone with us, even though they might not be someone that we can see all the time. Right. By us, it's a huge game changer for the fact that we don't have to do anything alone. And so all these times when we are feeling alone, we're like, but we're not. Right. We don't have to fear. We don't have to do these things alone. God is with us in this. Now let's go to the very end of Matthew's gospel and hear Jesus'last words to his friends. As he got ready to go back.
[00:09:18] Speaker A: To heaven, Jesus came to them and said, surely I am with you always to the end of the age.
[00:09:25] Speaker C: So Matthew's gospel begins with a promise, God is with us. And what did you read? How does it end?
[00:09:32] Speaker A: He's with us till the end of the age.
[00:09:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:35] Speaker C: So what does it suggest to you, Payson? That he starts out the gospel with that way and then ends the same. Like, if that's what he's telling us about at the very beginning and the end, how important is this fact?
[00:09:47] Speaker A: Very important.
[00:09:48] Speaker C: That's exactly right. I tried to lead you right into that one. Right? You're like, yeah, this is a big deal. That that's how you're choosing. You could tell us all sorts of things about him. This is how you're choosing to start the story and not end the story, but kind of close this chapter of the story. Alex, there's a verse that we saw last time, if you can read one. Peter three, verse 18. Go ahead and read that for us.
[00:10:10] Speaker A: Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God.
[00:10:17] Speaker C: So, Elias, what did Jesus die to make possible? According to this verse?
[00:10:21] Speaker A: He died so we can go to heaven. And he died for our sins.
[00:10:26] Speaker C: He died for us to have his righteousness, and he died to bring us to God. And so people often think of God as, like, really far away, vaguely up there somewhere, sitting in some magical kingdom that's, like, far away. But the amazing reality that we've seen about God's presence in all of these verses is what? Where is he actually with us, straight up, right? That's the whole thing that we're looking at. As we unwrap all of these gifts, as we see who the God is that gives us these amazing gifts, we see that he is not a faraway God who just chucked these presents into our lives. He's a God who gives us his presence and actually stays here with us, as in all of these things. Jesus'birth was God coming to live with his people. His death was God making a way for people to live with him one day. Jesus. God's Christmas gift is the way we can enjoy God with us now and forever. And God's Christmas gift is all about God's presence. Jesus seems to think that enjoying a relationship with God and being in God's presence is the best gift that anyone could receive. If other people looked at your life and listened to you talk, would they think that that is your attitude, too? I'd love to hear from both of you. Do you think that when people look at your life or they see the way you are, that they can see like, yeah, he knows God. She knows God.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: I hope so.
[00:11:40] Speaker C: Right? And why do you hope so? Because who lives inside of you?
[00:11:43] Speaker B: Jesus, right?
[00:11:45] Speaker C: You have confessed that you know Jesus. You've gotten baptized, right? You're like, I want them. I hope that they can see that the Holy Spirit is inside of me. Payson, what about you? If other people looked at your life and listened to you talk, do they think that your attitude is one where you're like, yeah, God's presence is the best that I could have?
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Probably sometimes. But sometimes probably not.
[00:12:06] Speaker C: I wish you could see Payson's face as she delivered this news. Right? You're like, let's all be real.
And that's probably how all of us are, right? We are like, yeah, there are sometimes when they're going to be able to look at our stories and they're going to be able to see.
Right on. I see the Lord working in her life, and then there's going to be other times when we're just struggling, right? And you're like, I don't yet know how to include the gospel in what I'm experiencing right now and what this looks like, and that's legit and that's all of us. And one of our ways that we want to continue to grow is that people can continually be looking at our stories and seeing more and more and more, we're seeing Christ reflected in us at that point. So with that, I would just love for paison. If you want to just start us and close us in prayer for today, and then, Alex, you can pray after her and just pray for all of our listeners today as they kind of unwrap the gift of God's presence and what means for them.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: Dear God, thank you for this day. I pray that we all have a good time until Christmas and that we all just remember how God is with us and how his presence is a great gift to us.
Dear God, I pray that you can be with us and that Christmas isn't all about presents. It's about presents. And that everybody can know that you're with them and that they can remember everything that Christmas is about you. Amen.
[00:13:29] Speaker C: Amen. All right, and so let's go ahead and let's end today by just wishing all of our listeners a merry Christmas.
[00:13:36] Speaker A: Merry Christmas.
[00:13:37] Speaker C: All right, everybody, we hope you have a lovely day and that you enjoy the presence of God with you.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: Loud and laugh. I can laugh. I can laugh. I can laugh. Joy to the world the Lord is come let everything.
Let every heart be there in room. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. Giant love and love dark and love her world the truth and grace and nations room the glory of his righteousness and wonders of his love and wonders of his love and wonder of his love? Joy to the world, join in the world? Joy to the world?
Join in the world? Joy to joy?
You got a glory Lord in the world I before you open to the sun above? Joy to the world? The Lord is let everything working?
Let every heart be there in room? And heaven, nature sing? And heaven, nature sing? And heaven, and nature?
Joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy.
