"Mary's song"

Luke chapter 1 verse 39 to 56. At that time, Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear. But why am I so favored that the mother of my lord should come to me?

As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, The baby in my womb leaped for joy, blessed is she who has believed that the lord would fulfill his promises to her. And Mary said, my soul glorifies the lord and my spirit rejoices in god, my savior. For he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed. For the mighty 1 has done great things for me.

Holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm. He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors Merry stayed with Elizabeth for about 3 months and then returned home. This is the world of the lord. It's quite a judgmental step there, isn't it? Yeah.

This hasn't even been Christmas yet. Gosh. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.

My name is is Garrett. I as I serve on the youth team here, at Helpchurch, and I'm a primary school teacher, and I'm excited this morning to be to be bringing you god's words. Let's pray because we we definitely need the the lord's help. So let's pray. Heavenly father, we, we praise and thank you for your faithfulness to us.

Father god, we thank you that, that you, you have something to say to us this morning. And father god, we pray that you would be with our hearts and our minds. Father, would you help us to pause? There are, thousands of things that we could be thinking about. Christmas presents, the dinner, the Carol service later.

Father, the work in the week in work that we've got coming up. Father, god help us now to give you our hearts and to give you our minds, to give you our attention. Father, help us to pause from these things. So that you may speak to us. We pray.

For the god we pray for our time now this morning for your glory. Our men. Oh, men. It is it's a real, real joy to to be here the morning, and, we're gonna be opening up a new series in these songs for Christmas. So we're gonna be looking at some songs for Christmas.

I don't know about you, but some of you may have I've looked at your Spotify wrapped. My my Spotify wrapped doesn't tell me an awful lot about me. Spotify wrapped for those of you who don't know, Spotify is is a music service, and Spotify wrapped at the end of the year tells you what music you you tend to listen to. My Spotify rep doesn't really tell me an awful lot because I tend to listen to Spotify on Rachel's account. So I'm apparently a a real big secret Taylor Swift fan according according according to that.

But, yeah, I'd I wonder what what your Spotify rap says about you. And what what music do you tend to listen to? What songs are you singing? I've caught eyes with someone who's, who's definitely someone who sings in the shower, Harry Glen, not you. Definitely, 1 of those 1 of those people who just belts it out in the streets of Oxford can hear you.

You got a lovely voice, I'm sure. But I I I I do. I wonder where and when do you sing? What causes you to sing? And what songs do you choose to sing?

I'm a I'm a proud Welsh. And, as a proud Welsh, you, you get thrown into a choir. So growing up, I I was in a choir. I, I've 2 older brothers, and they were part of the choir before before I was allowed to join. And because I wasn't allowed to be part of it, I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

And then I was able to be part of it and no longer wanted to be part of it. But I I was forced to to be part of this choir, after longing for so so long. And, we traveled the country. We traveled up and down, Wales. We we we entered competitions and and won a couple up in North Wales and and in South Wales, As a choir, I I sometimes, when I was singing, I loved singing.

But I I knew it as well. It didn't get me street cred with my with my mates. It wasn't cool to say I was part of the choir. But I loved it. I loved that that that moment of of performing, that that moment of just singing and and losing yourself.

I I loved learning all these these different songs. I loved the the choir teacher who was was so odd in her, in her mannerisms and would, you know, would do this thing. What does that mean? What does that mean? They they're just doing that, aren't they?

But she she was fantastic. And I'd I loved singing. I I wonder what what's your relationship like we're seeing? What when when are you caused to sing? Maybe your circumstances cause you to to sing, cause you to just bellow out Great songs.

Maybe you're at a sports event, and, you're watching you're watching your team, and you're you're you're caught by a moment, and you just you join in the the song that's surrounding you. Don't take me home. And you're you're singing with all your friends. May maybe it's it's at a wedding. That's that's a that's a rousing moment to sing, isn't it?

That's a wedding where where you've seen your loved ones getting married and and everything else seems to be forgotten for a moment, and and you can just sing. And the church seems louder than ever. All the loved ones are singing together. I I wonder what what causes you to sing. Maybe your your circumstances caused you to sing, caused you to celebrate, got a new job, got promotion.

Maybe maybe for some of us, It's not it's not happiness that causes us to sing, actually. Maybe it's, maybe it's actually sorrow, because we don't just sing when we're when we're feeling happy. We don't just sing at weddings or at at sports events. In fact, some of the the absolute best singing of my entire life that I've I've been a part of has been done at funerals. Where earlier this year, Rachel and I attended a funeral in in South Wales for a member of my youth group when, when I used to lead a youth group down in South Wales.

And, unfortunately, she, she had died, a very, very young age of 21. And we went to we went to South Wales, and this church is packed packed full of people, hundreds of people. I kid you not. And this this young girl knew the lord Jesus Christ, and through tears, through absolute sorrow, seeing the pictures of this this gorgeous **** ** on the screen. This church is bellowing out and bellowing out their voices to to a god who knows.

I wonder what what causes you to sing. Maybe you're more likely to sing in your sorrow. Maybe you're more likely to sing in your in your happiness. But our circumstances answers, the things that are going on around us often give us cause to sing 1 way or another. And we're gonna see this morning, we're gonna look at Mary's song.

As we open this series songs of Christmas. To Mary, she's just been visited by an angel, and she's been told that she's going to have a baby. To a young unmarried woman, a virgin gets told this, and we're gonna look at it in 2 parts. Firstly, as with any decent song, I'm not I'm not sure if anyone here is has had a go at writing a song. I'm sure there are people here who had a go at writing a song.

It's it's I'm I'm guessing it's the people who are now putting their heads down and trying not to make eye contact. But I'm I'm guessing there's people here who had a go at writing a song. And when you're writing a song, you need to have, have a have a session, don't you? You can't just expect that the lyrics will fall into place on your lap in the first moment. So you need to have, have a, have a jamming session.

Yeah? Where you've got John Line on the bass, and he's trying this different melody. I haven't got a clue what I'm doing, John. He's he's trying this different melody, and he's got, no, no, no, let let's let's try it in a higher key. Let's try it like this.

Well, what about if we change the lyrics here? That's what we've got going on here? The first thing that we're gonna look at is the jamming session between Elizabeth and Mary. Before we look at the lyrics, we're gonna see how how they come to these lyrics. What Elizabeth says to Mary, how she stirs Mary, the different different melodies that they they try.

And then after we've looked at the the jamming session, we're gonna look at the lyrics themselves. Excuse me. What's I? Have a little drink. So firstly, the the jamming session, this is 30 ninth to 45.

Mary has just experience 1 of the the craziest things that as Christians, we are far too used to hearing. She has had an angel appear to her And she has been told that she is having a baby. She's unmarried. She is a virgin. This is big news.

Big, big news. Mary's just been told that and then she goes on a journey to see her cousin, Elizabeth. This journey is roughly 70 miles. That's what the the commentators would would guess that the the journey is, roughly 70 miles. Mary's not taking taking the train, not taking the bus.

Mary's got an awful lot of time to think about this interaction with the angel. She's got an awful lot of time to think about what she's gonna say to her cousin, Elizabeth. And she's got an awful lot of time to think, gosh, this is this is mad. This is crazy. I've got a baby in my stomach all of a sudden.

She had all of her life ahead of her. And now she's thinking on this journey, on this 70 mile journey, she's thinking, what are my friends and family gonna think of me? Am I just gonna be a total social outcast for the rest of my life? Totally disowned by by my family, thrown out of the synagogue perhaps. I wonder what what Mary is thinking about on this journey.

Perhaps she's thinking, Perhaps she's thinking about her cousin, Elizabeth, who's who's much, much older, and who's also miraculously now with child. This there's a lot of time for Mary to be thinking. She's it's almost as if god has chosen these 2 women, Mary, and Elizabeth, to be the first to bear witness to his plan to redeem the world. Both of their pregnancies are signs of god's power and faithfulness. Even before Jesus is born as a baby, there's signs being held up, signs to take notice.

These 2 women, these 2 miraculous pregnancies, angels visiting, signs for people to take notice. And then Mary arrives, so she's had the journey. And something amazing happens. Look with me at verse 41. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

What's going on there? I I've no secret. I've never been pregnant, but that scares me. That that what is happening there? Why there's a baby leaping in the womb There's a baby leaping in the womb.

Verse 41, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in the womb. This is a divine moment. Elizabeth, despite being the the older, the more senior of the 2, doesn't wait for Mary to greet her as would be the custom, instead she greets Mary in a loud voice, proclaiming that she is blessed to have the mother of her lord in her presence. Elizabeth here is blessed to be in Mary's presence. Elizabeth, look at verse 43.

But why am I so favored Elizabeth talking that the mother of my lord should come to me? Elizabeth sees what a great blessing this is. Why? Because she's got Mary in the room with her. This is what a blessing to have Mary there.

That is a great blessing for Elizabeth that day. How much how much more blessed are we as Christians who can say, we have Christ with us. Not not just Mary with us, but the lord Jesus Christ himself with us in us. The new testament talks about being in Christ. The conversation that follows is filled with praise and prophecy.

And you can see this 43, Elizabeth seems to understand something, but why am I so favored? That the mother of my lord, Elizabeth uses the title lord to talk about this baby in the womb, the mother of my lord. This is a huge moment. This is a huge statement from Elizabeth, god himself, in the person of Jesus Christ is in the stomach of Mary. The mother of my lord should come to me.

This is an unbelievable moment because all the all that Elizabeth is used to, she's used to all the rituals. She's used to having to go to the the temple, having to offer sacrifices just to get into the temple courts, and having to offer more sacrifices to go and see a priest who will offer sacrifices on her behalf so that she can be right with god. Elizabeth hasn't got access to god. Hasn't got easy access to god. It is through the temple, through the sacrificial system.

Through the rituals, through the priest, through all these things. That's how she can get to god. And now she's she's standing in a room. And the mother of my lord is not a temple in between her and her lord. It's not a sacrificial system between her and her lords.

It's not rituals. It's not a priest standing in between her and her lord. Right now at this moment, the only thing between human and the divine is a matter of skin as Jesus sits in the belly of Mary, That's the only thing in between the 2. And in a few months time, it's not even going to be skin. In a few months time, we will see Jesus face to face will be what Elizabeth is thinking.

In a few months' time, the lord Jesus will be born. And that is that is a really, really exciting thing for Elizabeth. Elizabeth is recognizing something of this moment. Lord, no longer sacrifices. Elizabeth calls Jesus lord, and Mary is picking up all sorts of ideas and inspiration from from this jamming session for hear song lyrics.

And Elizabeth continues verse 44. As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, The baby in my womb leaped for joy. This is the moment that Elizabeth tells Mary. The baby in my womb leaped for joy. Why?

Why does this happen? I don't think midwife? I don't think this is an ordinary, an ordinary thing that's happening. A kick in the womb, fine. But leaping in the womb, a a gymnast, Nadia herself being in the womb.

This is this is bizarre. It's a divine moment. But why leaping? Why is it that there's this leaping in the womb? You see, what we're reading here today comes at the start of Luke's gospel, comes at the the the start of the new testament part of the Bible.

So what's happened up to this point? Well, we've had the old testament, and then for 400 years, we've had silence. We've had silence from god for 400 years. So for god's people who are living in this time, they've they've had nothing for 400 years. They've they've got the same stories They can tell 1 another.

They can pass on through oral tradition. They can say, our god is amazing. They can say what god did with with Abraham. They can say the covenants that that god has promised to Abraham. They can say, what god has done through Moses and how he's delivered his people out of the hands of the Egyptians, and how he's delivered them through the Red Sea.

Guys, amazing, they can say. And they they can they can sit their grandchildren on their lap, and they can say, god will always keep his promises because god was good in the Old Testament. God was good to us in in Egypt. God will always be good to us. But actually, for 400 years, there's been nothing.

There's just been been silence. And for for some, for some of god's people, that's that's a very, very hard thing. But the old testament leaves or ends with a note of of promise with a note of hope. Because it ends in the book of Malachi, in the minor prophets, what does god say, Malachi chapter 4, verse 1 and 2, Surely, the day is coming. It will burn like a furnace.

All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire says the Lord, almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. Biz too. But for you who revere my name, the son of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays, and you will go out and frolic like well fed calves. The word frolic there is is the same word that we have translated in in in Luke here.

The same word that we have translated as leap. We haven't translated as frolic here leap to spring about. You see, before god was silent for 400 years. Before this this silence happened, god gave hope. He said the son of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.

And how will you know if the son of righteousness has come? You will know because you will go out and frolic. You will go out and leap. The son of god, the lord Jesus Christ himself, has come with healing in in his rays, and John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth is leaping. He is leaping in the womb.

I'm not I I went to New Zealand in the summer with with Rach because the picture we've got here is they will leak like well fed calves. We we are not farmers. We haven't got a clue. And we were invited to, to go and do some sheep farming, because Rachel has some family in New Zealand, and they gave me a big orange boiler suit. Really, like, highlight the orange, really bright, really vibrant.

And we went to to see the sheep, and we went into their pen. They saw the the farmer that they used to. They didn't care at all. They saw a rage, didn't care at all. They saw me.

They pooed themselves. They got so scared. What ended up happening was just she had hundreds of sheep just leaping and leaping and leaping to try and get out of out of the pen. And they broke the fence that they that was keeping them in. We were just stood stood there laughing our heads.

It was hilarious. It was brilliant. They're just leaping and leaping and leaping, and these farmers trying to sort of herd them, and they're so terrified of me that they do not stop at all. And they've broken this electric fence, and they're carrying on and they're leaping and leaping and leaping. This is, in some ways, without the fear of the sheep, this is in some ways, the picture that we've got here.

They will be leaping. They will be excitement. We won't be able to contain ourselves. If you want a better image, perhaps it's, you know, you know, when you're in school and and they start snowing outside as a as a teacher, you you know this. There's a few teachers in the room, but it starts snowing outside, and the kids just snow day.

We get to go home. We get to go home. And they start leaving. Oh, snow day. Brilliant.

Brilliant. We get to go home. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness? That that's the picture that we've got here.

These calves are leaping. They're excited. They can't contain themselves. Why? Because the son of righteousness has come with healing in his rays.

Leeping. What a gorgeous picture. And perhaps for some of you, perhaps for some of you, you can leap with them. Because you know that the lord Jesus Christ has come. Perhaps you can look to promises as the as god's people would have looked to this promise, this promise of There will be 1 who comes with healing this race, and they will be leaping.

Perhaps some of you can can sit here, and you can think, oh, I'm holding fast to these promises of the lord god that 1 day there will be a new heaven and a new earth and you're passing these promises down to your your children, and you're excited about them, and you can hold on to them. That's brilliant. Keep doing that. Keep leaping. Keep singing about that.

But in all reality, there's gonna be some of us who that's not the not the truthful. That's not the same for us. Sorry. Perhaps we we don't feel like leaping. Perhaps, in actual fact, we we feel more like we're we're we're feeling the silence from god.

Perhaps is some of us in this room that maybe you've been praying for your children or for your mom or for your dad for years and years and years to come to know the lord god. And perhaps you feel god is utterly silent to that. Perhaps you don't feel like leaping. Or perhaps it's it's everywhere around you, the hustle and bustle of Christmas, and that all, or I've I've I've got my child this, I've got my husband this, and actually for you, the thought of Christmas is terrifying. The thought of all that expenditure, with all these, these bills, all the debt that that you're already incurring, and the fact that you've got that meeting with your landlord after after the new year, Perhaps that's with with some of you are totally worry, totally anxious about about your financial situation.

And you're thinking, what causes there to leap? What causes there to sing? What are you talking about? Or perhaps perhaps as some of you've you've got a loved 1 who is is going through the mill at the moment, and you're just god, why? Why are you so silent to this god?

Why why aren't you doing anything god? The this they've got the doctor come in, and you know it's gonna be bad news. And perhaps for some of you, this there's very little pause to leap. Can I can I hurt you? If that's you this morning, Perhaps the song on your lips is less of a Oh, happy day.

Oh, happy day. Perhaps that's that's not the song that you're singing this morning. Perhaps your circumstances don't require a happy song. But do not stop singing. Please can I please can I challenge you?

Please can I urge you if you are feeling the weight of your struggles with your circumstances around you this morning? Don't stop singing. Your song doesn't have to be, oh, happy day. Your song can be a cry. Your song can be a lament.

Your song can be painful, but sing to the lord god. 1 of my favorite stories that is often often told is about a a songwriter called horatio Spafford, and some of you will know exactly what some are about to say. Heratio Spafford wrote a powerful song in the late 18 hundreds. But here are his circumstances before writing the song. In 18 71, there was the great Chicago fire.

His business totally destroyed his financial situation in ruin. And then 2 years later, On a journey, on a on a ship's journey across to Europe, his 4 daughters died in shipwreck while traveling to Europe. And his wife, Anna, survived, and sent him a telegram that read, saved alone. What shall I do? So Harratio Spafford got on a ship to meet his wife to travel across Europe, travel across to Europe.

Sorry. And Spafford's ship passed near the spot where the shipwreck took place. And it was at this moment that he wrote these words. When peace Like a river, attended my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say.

This is well. It is well with my soul. This isn't an no happy day, but this this man is this awesome man of faith is holding on to a god who is good, to a god who is in control. And and despite his circumstances, He is saying, when sorrows like sea billows roll, and this man has known sorrows, known his 4 daughters to die in a moment. He doesn't stop singing.

He doesn't stop looking to the lord god almighty. So can that be my my challenge to you this morning? If your circumstances require, oh, happy day. He washed my sin away, and it it demands leaping and dancing. Dance.

Leave to god almighty because he deserves your praise. Absolutely. But if your circumstances are are not that. If your circumstances are are struggles, real struggles, our darkness, sing to the lord, give him your darkness, give him your struggles, and when sorrows like c Billo's role help him to teach you to sing, it is well with my soul. And perhaps you're here today, and actually, you don't know god.

Perhaps the you're thinking, I'm not gonna sing either of those songs. I'm not gonna sing an Oh, happy day. I'm not gonna sing at 1 1 sorrow's Lexi Billow's role. But Can I can I tell you this morning? If you're not choosing 1 of these songs, you are still singing.

You're singing a song. I'm not sure what song it is. If your if your if your circumstances are light and everything around you is is good, fine. Maybe your song is is just pure happiness. Life's great.

Look at me. I'm amazing. Me me me. Maybe that's maybe that's your song. And fine, maybe your circumstances, you can sing that at the moment.

But when struggles hit, when darkness hits, what what are you going to sing then? Because this world offers you a song. This world offers you a song, and it's it's a really catchy song. I'll I'll I'll give the world that. This world offers you a song, and it goes like this.

Because eat, drink, be merry. I'm not sure if it's sung like that. It goes like that. If you're if you're surrounded by darkness, if your 4 daughters have died, whilst traveling to Europe. This will tells you there's no hope.

Nothing you can do about it. You might as well eat, drink, be merry. For tomorrow, we die. Can I urge you this morning? You you are singing a song.

Please can your song be be a song that has hope a song that that isn't empty. Can I urge you? Pore out your pain to him? Perhaps for the first time, ask him into your life. And pick up his song, pick up his chorus, pick up a different song that is filled with hope, a song that can be bellowed out at the funeral of a 21 year old woman.

By a church full. That's unique. If this young girl wasn't wasn't a believer, if this young girl wasn't a Christian, that that church would have been So different. But as as it was, this this girl was was a believer baptized, and this church bellowed out These choruses through tears and tears and tears, but when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, you have taught me to say lord god, it is well with my soul. So what are you going to be singing?

And then secondly, we're going to look at the the lyrics. And we're going to look much more briefly at the the lyrics here. And you'll notice in In verse 49, Mary calls the lord god by his name. Holy. Holy.

Is his name. The lord god is perfect. He is holy. He is mighty. Holy means set apart.

Holy means different. You might have a good mum. You might have a good dad, but you their name's not holy. Their name isn't set apart. Their name isn't perfect.

Righteous, divine, holy. This is who Mary's praising. This is who her song is to. Verse 51 to to 53, There's some there's some odd things happening perhaps. Look at what our holy god is doing with his mighty arm.

He scatters those who are proud. He brings down rulers from their thrones. He lifts up the humble, He fills the hungry with good things. He sends the rich away. And in some senses, this list can feel confusing.

This these things that he's doing in a nice way to to the humble and things that he's sending the rich away empty. The key seems to be in verse 50. His mercy extends to those who fear him. God extends his mercy to the humble who fear him, to the poor, or to the rich who fear him. God extends his mercy to the rulers who fear him.

Now that's not to contradict what what the verses are saying here. Because god does send the rich away. Why does god send the rich away? Because the rich tend to be people who do not fear the lord. Why does god send rulers away?

Why does he bring down rulers? Because rulers tend to not know the lord, not fear the lord. This is why it's so important, so important to be praying for our leaders. So so important to be praying for for the leaders of of our nation, and the leaders of our church or your bosses. It's so, so important to be praying for our leaders.

And then verse 54, the chief way by which god extends his mercy. He has helped his servant Israel remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever. Just as he promised our ancestors. What has the lord god promised to Mary's ancestors? What has the lord god promised she she uses Abraham, the title of Abraham here, that he's been merciful to Abraham and his descendants.

Abraham, with Abraham, the lord god made a covenant the the the word covenant, the probably the closest thing we have in our culture is is marriage, the idea of marriage, where 2 parties come together, and there's an agreement from both parties about what will happen. And it's not the type of deal that you make on the playground that that can just be broken instantly. Will you give me your sharpener? Yes, of course, I'll give you my sharpener. And then instantly, when you get back to cars, the sharpener's with somebody else.

This isn't 1 of those agreements. This is a covenant This is a marriage between god and his people. Abraham, you do this, and I will do this. And what does god say to Abraham? Genesis 12, verse 1 to 3, get out of your country from your family.

And from your father's house, to a land that I will show you, I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

The lord promises a land to Abraham. The lord promises a great nation will come from his line and the law promises that all the nations on this earth will be blessed through Abraham. And here we realize this, this blessing, this blessing is here. This blessing is in her stomach. This blessing, lord Jesus Christ is the guarantee of this covenant through Jesus God guarantees.

That through Abraham's offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed. You'll remember verse 49, holy is his name, set apart different free from sin. We have a holy god. We have a perfect god. But the problem there is your name isn't holy.

You're not perfect. The problem there is we've been dishonest. We've dishonored our friends. We've lied. We've cheated.

We've stolen things, perhaps. The Holy god. Set apart? How can I be? How can I dwell with somebody who's set apart?

I can't. I can't come into the presence of a holy god. That's where you've got the temple. That's where you've got the sacrificial system. God can't dwell with me because I'm unholy.

But verse 50, god extends his mercy to those who fear him. God extends. He holds out his mighty, and offers us mercy. He offers us a way by which we can be saved. A way by which we can live with a holy and set apart god.

Our god does this by sending his son. In the form of a baby, the lord Jesus Christ to this earth is through this baby. It's through Jesus in the womb of Mary. And Jesus alone that that god holds his promise, holds his covenant, holds his marriage to Abraham. That all nations on this earth can be blessed.

Jesus lives a holy life without deceit, not selfish, not dishonoring his friends, And yet, Jesus is marched up to golgotha. He's mocked. He's beaten. He's hung on a cross. And he's killed.

The holy 1, Jesus is killed. And through his death, he makes a way for all nations on earth to be blessed. By dying the death that he we deserved. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. God made the holy, set apart 1.

To be sin so that we might become the righteousness of god. That's my reason to leap. That's my reason to to rejoice. That's my reason to to sing a happy day. I'll spare you from that.

But that's that's my reason to do that because the lord god sends his son, Jesus, to Mary, and Jesus lives, and he dies the death that I should have died, him who knew no sin, died. Why? So that I might become the righteousness of god. So now I am holy. I am set apart I am different to this world.

And now because I'm holy, I'm set apart. I am different. I can live. I can live with the lord god. And 1 day, as Bart's been preaching the past couple of weeks, I will inherit this land and live with him forever because god keeps his promises.

So this morning, What song are you going to sing? Do you have a reason to leap? Do you have a reason to rejoice? To praise the lord god. And if if perhaps this morning, your circumstances mean that you don't feel like leaping, can your song be crying out to god in your darkness, calling out to god in your darkness.

In a moment, we are going to sing and praise this glorious god. But just before we do, Can I invite us to take a moment to reflect? And then I'll pray, and then the band will come up and and lead us in in song. Heavenly father, we we thank you for the lord Jesus Christ We thank you for sending your darling son. And we thank you that we can celebrate it at this time of the year.

We praise you for Jesus, and we pray father that you would give each of us a song, and you would help his father to never stop singing. In our darkness or in our happiness, father, that we would sing your praises, we would sing your glory.