Finding You in the Christmas Story (with Ron Hutchcraft)

Doug:
Hey, welcome to Go Mad with Doug and Brad and Dad? Oh Daddy Christmas Man. If you love Christmas, you gotta tune in on YouTube and see this incredible set.

It looks different than it usually does. It looks great. It does.

So it's Christmas. Get out the tinsel, get out the garland, everything the You know, in the mood for a potential lawsuit, the missile top. My wife has been listening to Christmas music.

I think since oh Labor Day. Anybody else? No, pretty much, except I may be guilty on that one.

But look, if we're talking holidays. We are talking the Christmas story, maybe even finding yourself in the Christmas story, which is a very Hutchcraft thing to do.

Brad:
Indeed. You know what? In fact, I remember it's that's One of the reasons that we're so grateful, Dad, that you can be on this episode with us, 'cause when we think of Christmas and we think of growing up, we remember we have Several memories and some of them mesh together in my mind, but uh often of acting out the Christmas story that it wasn't just a Sit there and I'm going to read the story to you. It was a full immersive experience immersive.

Ron:
Immersive. That's a great word for it. Well, uh one I remember one Christmas Eve, now we worked with a lot of teenagers, uh, you know, at that time.

I still do. And um we were uh each had a a part. Now Brad was an oversized baby in a in a no no no in in a laundry basket and uh Dug in his bathrobe, he was Joseph, of course, and a stick in your hand or something like that.

And I, of course, was the angel. Uh and uh wearing something white and I'm sitting on the back of the couch uh saying um b angelic things and eating angel food cakes. Well who played the shame and mom oh no no mom mom I will now uh uh tell you mom's line Bah she had a sheep that I brought home from a trip and she's crawling around with a sheepskin over her.

The doorbell rings Sure enough, two teenage girls that we've been working with, um, from from a family that didn't have, you know, anything spiritual going on really, sh they came to the door and said, Ron, can we come to your house? It's just You know, it's everybody's partying at our house. We'd like to come here.

And they came in to have a sane um Christmas Eve and they walked in. Our theory was, you know, anything we were doing if Teenagers came over, you did it with us. And uh so there we are in mom's back and I'm on the back doing angelic things and Brad's crying and you're and so They're they're um uh they they stayed five minutes and they said This is quite a scene.

Brad:
I think we'll go home. Oh, for social media to have been in those days and the pictures that would have been shared and that that's what but that's what we've always experience was finding ourselves in the Christmas story. That's our prayer for you listening today.

Yeah. Is that you will find yourself in the Christmas story. Uh we're gonna talk about a couple different characters.

Uh these Christmas characters

Doug:
Yeah, when Brad asked me if I wanted to focus on Mary from a Christmas story. Yeah, good. I admit I had to go back and rewatch It's a Wonderful Life, you know, George and Mary, his wife, oh I'll lasso the moon for you, Mary

Brad:
Doug, this is gonna be awkward because um very long you missed one key word. Oh the Christmas story. The as in as in Valentine's not just any Christmas story like the finding spiritual points in this.

No, not Linus. What? We may um maybe we should pause.

No, we we're gonna go Christmas story.

Doug:
I'm gonna tell you who I chose You ready? I actually chose Mary from a cr the Christ the Christmas story because she's an awesome example of having peace. in the middle of challenging times like Christmas can be for some of us.

For me it's something I really need right now. Kind of a challenging season. Maybe you're in the middle of it right now.

The shopping, the entertaining, getting all the cards out. Um, some things are even more pressing. Unpaid bills, maybe a spiritually wandering child, illness, and and suddenly the Christmas season seems more like what, stress on earth than peace on earth.

Um we're looking for peace all the time. We hear about it all the time at Christmas. How do we find it?

I I got to thinking about Mary and all that she was carrying during this pregnancy When the angel said, Peace be with you, we all think, well, it's because he was a scary looking angel, and he was. You know, calm down, Mary. But but I think the news she heard, as much as she praised God for it I mean think about what's going through her mind.

This means potential shunning from her family and maybe losing her fiance. She's aware of Simeon's prophecy that She'll feel as if a sword will pierce her. She's carrying all this during the visitors at the manger, during her son's ministry.

So she's carrying a lot of things that most others weren't aware of. Remember, and in God's word it says she she held these things close to her heart. Uh maybe that's you.

Maybe you're carrying burdens not a lot of people know about. Uh a scary financial picture, a concerning report from the doctor. losing a loved one.

Um there could have been an anxiety like Mary had that may have overwhelmed a lot of us. The Bible doesn't say explicitly so, but I I've kinda believe that Mary kept going back to that Peace, peace be with you, um, remembering God's promise. Uh for her not to be living in a world of anxiety and knowing the public violent death her son was headed for It's pretty amazing.

So the Bible says he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And there it is. Jesus came here to be our Prince of Peace.

But it kind of hit me You can't have his peace until he's your prince or until he's lord of everything in your life. So I miss God's peace when I don't make the Prince of Peace the Lord of everything in my life. Just trying to go through this story and find how we can personally have peace.

So if I'm looking at myself or my own strength for answers to things only God can solve, I can't expect God's peace to be there One big big point as I was thinking about this guys, how we handle stress is one big way Jesus ambassadors Ambassador Eyes, we're always talking about how do we represent Jesus the way he wants us to so other people will want who we have. So does stress make us tense? Does it make it easily annoyed just like everybody else Or will people know you're in a struggle, but still patient, kind, and loving when most other people aren't, especially in the craziness of Christmas?

And we are surrounded by a world by family members, by friends, by co-workers, by teammates, golf partners that are trying to somehow navigate the hardships of life. without the Jesus that can get them through it. And that breaks my heart.

We're surrounded by people that are dying to know that this Jesus is real. So if we're his ambassadors, according to Second Corinthians, then we're demonstrating the evidence of God's peace in the middle of our hardships. And then others see it.

And want what we have, you're showing them just how powerful this Jesus that calms the storms really is. So because we always like to give some practical advice. I'm going to give you a few ambassador advice points for this Christmas.

You ready? Here, try these. This has worked for me.

Number one, take quiet time. Christmas is a great time to take a deep breath, take stock of where you're at with the Lord. Turn off the news, leave all the other voices, get where you can just be with God.

That's one. Number two, pray. And I'm not just talking about the kinda those lame prayers we start to get into.

Doug:
Lord help me have a good day. Help us all to have a good day. Amen.

Ron:
for Christmas. Give me some Legos for Christmas.

Doug:
But specifically Brad's list. But specific prayer requests. with specific concerns.

This is where we boldly and specifically cast our cares on the peace giver. A couple more. Try going for a walk.

This actually works. Get it go outside, even if it's a little cold, get some get some deep breaths, t some kind of exercise. It's amazing how much that'll clear your head.

Two more. Try to get focused off yourself There are lots of needs that become more evident around Christmas. I got a great brother-in-law, Rick.

He goes and he plays the piano at retirement homes and and sings Christmas songs. Um getting the focus off ourselves. And finally, if you really want to make sure you're at peace with your family, especially, forgive those family members you've had a hard time with.

Before you get together with family Release those grudges you got, get rid of that list of wrongs, and offer forgiveness to begin healing and get rid of that relational tension. Second Thessalonians 3:16. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times, and in every way it can't be done, just ask Mary.

Ron:
That is good. You know what? And and she knew who she was.

That's why she could have that peace through it all. Because when the angel comes And and is uh disrupting her entire life. I mean and even her life could be at stake 'cause they stoned people who'd had an unexplained pregnancy in those days.

But she said her final decision was, she said, I am the Lord's servant. Not I'm Joseph's girl, not I'm the nice girl of Nazareth. I am j I am I am uh the Lord's servant.

And that sustained her throughout her life, knowing who she was. I trust God and I am his servant. If he wants me to do something I'm his girl.

Doug:
So I found myself in the Christmas story. Brad, did you happen to find one?

Ron:
Let me guess King Herod. I didn't know No.

Brad:
Um I actually so I'm going um maybe this is uh uh I guess some would see this as pre-Christmas story, but uh Luke definitely factors Zechariah into the Christmas story. Totally Christmas story. So This if you're looking to read something about Zechariah, it's in uh Luke 1, verses 5 through 25, and 57 through 80.

And it's interesting because you have the story of Zechariah that is kind of sandwiched. w in between where Mary gets the visit from the angel. And so you have Zechariah who is the him and his wife, they the Bible tells us They're they're getting old.

I mean they're just old. They are not expecting children. His wife Elizabeth has been barren.

She cannot have children. And this has been really hard for them. And he is serving as uh one of the priests in the temple.

And it is an honor and a privilege that he's there. And all of a sudden he is in the setting where the angel again comes from and starts with a very familiar phrase. Do not be afraid, because they evidently always would be.

So it's do not be afraid. And the angel proceeds to say, Zechariah, I have great news. You guys are going to have a son.

And Zechariah's response, when you read his and Mary's, it's very similar but different. He believes him instantly, right? Well believes him.

How how is this going to happen? How can this be? And his is really kind of more the cynical and doubt-filled question, whereas Mary's was inquisitive as far as Well tell me tell me how the I mean it's I don't understand, but tell me more.

And so Zechariah goes into this season where he's not able to speak until John if if you aren't aware you're listening his son is John the Baptist uh who's paving the way for Jesus and what I learn as I'm reading about Zechariah is that God hears our prayers even when his timetable looks different than ours. That's the first thing that I took from him. So my one of my make a difference steps for people who are listening is Don't stop praying even when the discouragement might come.

It is really important to remember that we lay these needs before the Lord and And God is saying, I I've got this, but you have to trust me for some pretty big things. And that's really kind of the second thing that I saw is we underestimate God's power a lot. And that's what was happening here.

Zechariah just had missed God's power because when we forget how much God can do, we are led into doubt and discouragement. Because all of a sudden we're limiting who God is. Um, one uh commentator, David Guzick, writes this we rob ourselves of many a miracle.

by the same attitude as Zechariah, setting these low expectations, basically, saying, well, I don't know what God can really do in this. Always remember God's infinite power. Don't let yourself get distracted by what can seem like overwhelming circumstances.

I'm going to share with you something from my own life in just a second here because this is why it speaks to me, because I've walked this road. Don't underestimate God's above and beyond. The answer to Zechariah and Elizabeth's prayer, that quite honestly they had stopped praying, obviously at some point, because they were just like, we're old, we're done, this this isn't gonna happen But God says, not only am I sending an answer to your prayer that you're going to have a son, but the Messiah is coming So not only are they getting the answered prayer for a son, but they're getting this answered prayer that the Messiah is coming right after him.

Ephesians 3. 20. God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

Don't underestimate God's above and beyond way to answer prayer. And for me, that really came into my life that uh you guys are very familiar with the story of serving on a reservation in the southwest and Doug you and I and our spouses uh Anna and Sarah we were like we We felt we were going to build this training center out there. We felt we're going to build this youth center.

I remember and God opened door after door and we were like so excited about it. And then God said, We thought no. We thought God said no. And he clearly closed the doors. I didn't have enough faith.

This is my Zechariah moment where it was I'm glad he didn't have me stay quiet all that time because it was several years, but God came back and said I wasn't saying no. I was saying wait because I have an above and beyond answer to your prayer And we now have that on our property here, the uh on Eagle Swings Leadership Center, which is in our fourth year of housing students here. And it is beyond anything I could have asked or imagined. And God was just saying, guess what?

I've got something better. Just hang on. So my encouragement to folks listening to this, if you're watching it on YouTube, is to just know That God has a plan in place.

He wants you to wait on him. And sometimes the answer is no. Let's face it. Sometimes we don't get the answer we want.

but still wait for his answer because even in the nos, he's got a purpose for that. And my last encouragement would be when you have those answers to prayer. Remember to praise him when the answered prayer comes, because that's what Zechariah did.

John the Baptist is born, and I Zechariah he starts not by even praising God for a son. He praises God with a song about salvation. Praise God even in advance as you pray.

I'm I'm speaking especially to parents who have children that are wandering right now. If you have prayed for them and you have prayed for them and you have prayed for them, the Matthew West song says, Don't stop praying, it's pretty simple and it's so on point. Don't stop praying for them.

Don't stop trusting the Lord for them. And when you see even the smallest amount of progress in their lives, praise God for it and continue to trust Him. So Zechariah is my Guy in the Christmas story that I really looked to.

Doug:
You know who else was celebrating? I love that part of the Christmas story. John the Baptist while he's still in his mom's tummy.

is still is celebrating. He's like, he's like, wow, there's some science close by. And crazy.

Oh. I love that So well, I guess that's a great podcast. Well let's wrap it up.

Oh wait. Wait a minute.

Brad:
So we've got we've got Mary.

Ron:
You've got Zachariah. Hi. I I thought I hiss goodbye and see all you guys were doing.

Doug:
Do you happen to see yourself at all in the Christmas story?

Ron:
Oh, uh yeah There was there a donkey in the Christmas story? Oh no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no. Um the you did Zechariah and and I've got another guy. In fact We uh his name is Simeon, and uh I've got him here in the Bible.

He actually is in the Christmas story, but he's not at the manger. We just had a whole house decorated this weekend. And we must have you know your mom was crazy about manger.

So we got nativities everywhere. And w I looked in every nativity for Simeon. He was nowhere.

There's no Simeon guy to go 'cause he wasn't at the manger. It's true. But he was Listen, let me just read this about him.

There was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. He was expecting the Messiah. to come.

And he's an old guy, so in fact the name Simeon, you know what it means? Old guy at the temple is what does not mean. That's what all those Greek classes at at Wheaton did for you.

I'll tell you I'll tell you what it does mean in just a minute. And it says that he had had revealed to him by the Holy Spirit he would not die before he saw the Lord's Messiah. So he's like, God promised me I'm gonna be here till and so In comes Mary and Joseph for for a ceremonial, you know, i thing they do with the babies when they're eight days old, and the Jewish people, and uh it says, Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple, and he ends up holding The Messiah, the Son of God, in his arms, God keeping his promise to him.

So what do I have to s now when I say what do I have in common with Simeon? Don't go there with the old guy at the temple, okay? No. I'm sitting over here quiet.

No, I get to decide if this isn't uh what this is. It it means one who hears. That's what Simeon means Well look at this guy.

He is literally led by the Holy Spirit, and because he is moved by the Spirit, He's God's guy at the right place, at the right time, for a God event. That's me, I hope, and that's all of us. You talk about being an ambassador for Christ?

If we will get used to listening to that nudge of the Holy Spirit, this guy was a God listener. And that's how he ended up in the middle of one of the greatest moments in human history. Um and also he was living his life life in light of the Messiah's coming.

Hello everybody. The world is not done with Jesus. No, the big one's coming.

And Jesus is coming back, and so we get to do what he did. He was living in light of the, his whole life was built around the Messiah coming And 1 John 2. 28 says, let us continue in him or abide in him, be consistently living for him, in other words, so that we can be confident and unashamed when he comes back.

There's going to be two kinds of reactions among God's people. When Jesus comes and somebody's going to go, oh boy, and somebody else is going to go, oh no. Oh no. And it's going to be confident, yay, or unashamed. And confident or ashamed.

And so Um that I love this idea of living it it makes it really helps you sort out what really matters and what really doesn't. You're like, will it matter when he comes? If it doesn't Do I need is it that important? And then the the the last thing about him is that he is he's living on divine assignment.

He is standing by it for an assignment, and he ends up in the middle of an incredible Jesus moment. And again, let me say that for any of us, this is what this whole podcast is always about, being his ambassador, being on living on a mission, living on assignment to say. .

. Here I am today, Lord. Where do you want me to go?

Moved by the Spirit. He just goes where the Spirit tells him to go and he ends up holding the Son of God in his hands. One last thing about Simeon, he prayed a tremendous blessing on the new Messiah.

And uh I'm gonna read it because at the end he says something that is like, well, that wasn't very good. You know, uh you you you want to incur and it's encouraging, but God has even given him an idea of what Jesus is going to be doing. He says, this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.

Okay. And a sword, Mary, will pierce your own soul. And it did 33 years later as she stood at the foot of her son's cross.

And I thought right there, eight days old uh God brings into Mary's heart the ultimate mission of the boy that she just had gave birth to that that cross will be why he came And so here's my kind of my bottom line for this Christmas. Simeon said he'd be ready to die after he had seen Christ. Nobody who's listening right now is ready to die until you have seen Christ.

And this could be, I'll say to somebody who's listening, your first Christmas with Christ in your heart. Yeah, you're not ready to die until you've seen him. We have that in common with Simeon, and this could be the Christmas, that he isn't just the baby in the manger or the savior hanging on a cross.

But the Savior who lives in your heart by your invitation. That's Merry Christmas.

Brad:
Praise God. Because what Simeon knew, Dad, as you share that, just to kind of put an exclamation point on that The that we were created to have a relationship with Jesus. Simeon knew he was created for more.

He was created to have this relationship with the Lord. But it's a relationship that we don't have because we've been running our lives our way. We uh which the Bible calls sin.

And so we have to make a choice. We have to choose are are we going to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sinner. We're going to invite him into our lives and have this relationship with him, asking him for his forgiveness.

And then choosing that, we get to enter into this lifelong love relationship with Jesus. So I'm so grateful you shared that because it's the most important message someone could hear. at the Christmas season, any time, but especially as we lead into Christmas.

Ron:
And look, you know, Simeon was pointing to the cross at the very point basically where the baby was born. But we shouldn't be surprised because remember What um Joseph was told by the angel. You know, people they go to a lot of trouble to name their baby and they have a reveal party and all of that, and what does the name mean?

And how about this one? And God named this baby, and God told Joseph, he said, you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. And Jesus means God rescues.

And what you were just saying, Brad, is that's exactly how that rescue takes place. And we are rescued from a life without meaning and an eternity without hope by this one who The the baby in the manger becomes the Christ on the cross and then the savior, the conquering savior of the empty tomb. And what better time of the year?

To have a relationship with Jesus begin, that you welcome him into your life. At the time we celebrate his coming into the world, but he comes into your world this Christmas.

Doug:
Praise God for Christmas, man. that we were able to do this today with dad. Always love doing this with you, Brad.

We've got another podcast that there will that we'll release before Christmas. It's gonna be a good one. That's all I'm gonna say.

So tell your friends, tell your family, and until next time, go mad