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The Shepherds · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of
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  Speaker 1: great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2.10
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  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the lessons we learn
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  Speaker 1: from the shepherds' encounter with the angels. May we embrace humility,
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  Speaker 1: rejoice in your redemption, and engage in heartfelt worship this
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  Speaker 1: Christmas season. Help us to spread the good tidings of
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  Speaker 1: great joy to those around us, reflecting your love and grace. Amen.
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  Speaker 2: Joseph wrapped him in his arms and wiped him with
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  Speaker 2: woven wool. He stared into the child's eyes. There was
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  Speaker 2: nothing different about him. There were no lights radiating from
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  Speaker 2: his eyes or humming of heavenly hosts behind him. He
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  Speaker 2: was a baby, crying and taking in the newness of life.
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  Speaker 2: But as Joseph cradled him in his arms, he knew
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  Speaker 2: without a doubt this child was exceptional, chosen, blessed. All
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  Speaker 2: the turmoil, danger, and chaos he had to endure was
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  Speaker 2: worth it for the sake of this treasure he held
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  Speaker 2: in his hands. We already know his name, he said
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  Speaker 2: to Mary. Mary reached for her son and cradled him
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  Speaker 2: in her arms. She stroked his face. His name will
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  Speaker 2: be Jesus. She whispered, The Lord saves. Mary pressed Jesus
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  Speaker 2: against her chest and cried joyfully. He was the fulfillment
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  Speaker 2: of God's promise to humanity, the Good Shepherd of Israel,
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  Speaker 2: the Savior of the world.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. Thank you for joining me
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  Speaker 3: for this joyous celebration of Christ's birth. Today, we visit
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  Speaker 3: the hill country of Bethlehem. under a starlit sky. We'll
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  Speaker 3: meet three shepherds whose lives are about to be changed forever.
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  Speaker 3: These lowly shepherds, existing on the fringes of society, are
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  Speaker 3: about to be visited by a divine chorus of heavenly messengers.
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  Speaker 3: Their message is a resounding song of joy, peace, and salvation.
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  Speaker 3: Why would God choose to visit shepherds of all people
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  Speaker 3: to be the first to behold him, In biblical times,
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  Speaker 3: shepherds were often considered to be on the lower rungs
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  Speaker 3: of the social ladder. Their work was humble, demanding, and
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  Speaker 3: required they isolate for months at a time. As a result,
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  Speaker 3: shepherds were considered awkward and untrustworthy. Yet, God saw fit
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  Speaker 3: to choose them. God often refers to himself as a shepherd.
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  Speaker 3: This isn't because God considers himself awkward and untrustworthy. Rather,
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  Speaker 3: God calls himself a shepherd because we are like sheep.
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  Speaker 3: Think about sheep for a moment. They have large bodies,
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  Speaker 3: small legs, and aren't very intelligent. All those qualities make
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  Speaker 3: them fearful and anxious creatures, vulnerable to predators. Additionally, sheep
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  Speaker 3: are one of the only animals unable to survive in
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  Speaker 3: the wild without human care. They can't become feral, meaning
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  Speaker 3: they'll perish without a shepherd to look after them. We,
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  Speaker 3: like sheep, are skittish and vulnerable. That's why David called
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  Speaker 3: God his shepherd, who restores his soul and protects him
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  Speaker 3: from enemies. Scripture frequently uses the imagery of shepherds to
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  Speaker 3: describe spiritual leadership. Moses was a shepherd before returning to
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  Speaker 3: the people of Israel. King David was a shepherd before
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  Speaker 3: becoming Israel's king. And Jesus refers to himself as the
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  Speaker 3: good shepherd. The shepherds' inclusion in Christ's birth story underline
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  Speaker 3: the importance of spiritual guidance and reflects God's care for
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  Speaker 3: his people. So let's join these shepherds now on the
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  Speaker 3: rolling hills of Bethlehem. Imagine yourself lying back on a
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  Speaker 3: grassy hill, gazing up at the vast universe above. You
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  Speaker 3: hear the crackling of the fire behind you and the
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  Speaker 3: occasional of a nearby lamb. This is where the shepherds
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  Speaker 3: find themselves before an abrupt and glorious interruption.
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  Speaker 2: In a valley not too far from the glimmering hills
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  Speaker 2: of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds lay in the fields,
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  Speaker 2: tending to their flocks. The night was alive with the
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  Speaker 2: distant songs of crickets and the gentle rustle of tall
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  Speaker 2: grass swaying to a soft breeze. The sheep had settled
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  Speaker 2: for the night, their breathing gentle and rhythmic. Together, the
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  Speaker 2: shepherds pointed out constellations their fingers tracing the ancient patterns
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  Speaker 2: in the sky as they told stories and shared laughter.
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  Speaker 2: One of them, an older shepherd with eyes that held
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  Speaker 2: the spark of countless sunrises, pointed to the sky. Look there,
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  Speaker 2: he said, his voice like weathered wood. Aquila, the eagle.
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  Speaker 2: It flies high above our heads, never bound by Earth's hold.
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  Speaker 2: I wish I could soar like an eagle, the younger
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  Speaker 2: shepherd replied. The others chuckled at his boyish imagination. I
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  Speaker 2: would travel to Egypt and behold the great relics of Pharaoh. Well,
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  Speaker 2: I would soar to Rome and have a look at
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  Speaker 2: Caesar's great throne room. The three shepherds laughed together, their
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  Speaker 2: eyes tracing the lines of constellations, finding in them the
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  Speaker 2: stories of gods and heroes, love and loss. The valley listened,
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  Speaker 2: a silent witness to their friendship. the life of a
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  Speaker 2: shepherd was often lonely. For most of the year, they
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  Speaker 2: existed as outcasts on the edge of the city. They
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  Speaker 2: travelled the plains of the Judean wilderness, often alone with
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  Speaker 2: their sheep. But at this moment, they had each other,
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  Speaker 2: the stars, and shared stories beside a crackling fire. Their bodies,
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  Speaker 2: wearied from the day's labour, began to succumb to sleep's
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  Speaker 2: gentle pull. Their gazes, fixed on the boundless heaven's What
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  Speaker 2: is happening?
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  Speaker 3: Then.
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  Speaker 2: In an instant, a burst of light split the horizon
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  Speaker 2: like a long, shimmering blade. It split and danced, reaching
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  Speaker 2: out to them in a blinding embrace. Light poured out
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  Speaker 2: like a rushing waterfall and surrounded the shepherds in a
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  Speaker 2: myriad of beautiful colors. The shepherds heard an orchestra of
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  Speaker 2: instruments and singing come from the light. It was a symphony,
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  Speaker 2: pure and transcendent, as if they were listening to it
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  Speaker 2: within their own souls. as if they were listening to
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  Speaker 2: it within their own souls. Terror and awe came upon
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  Speaker 2: the shepherds as they fell to the ground, their bodies trembling. Then,
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  Speaker 2: from the light, a voice emerged. Fear not. The voice,
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  Speaker 2: clear and resonant, rang out from the light. Its timber
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  Speaker 2: was filled with authority and gentleness, command and comfort. We
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  Speaker 2: have come with good tidings of great joy. In the
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  Speaker 2: town of Bethlehem lies a baby, This child is the Messiah,
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  Speaker 2: the Lord, the Savior of the world and redemption of mankind.
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  Speaker 2: The shepherds' eyes widened as the angel and an entire
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  Speaker 2: choir of heavenly hosts emerged from the light. They couldn't speak,
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  Speaker 2: for their minds struggled to even grasp the magnitude of
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  Speaker 2: what was unfolding before them. The lights, hues of bright orange,
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  Speaker 2: pink and white, swirled around them like a flock of
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  Speaker 2: ethereal doves, casting a warm glow on their upturned faces. Go, therefore,
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  Speaker 2: and see for yourselves. You will find the baby wrapped
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  Speaker 2: in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. The angel continued,
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  Speaker 2: his words infused with an urgency that set their hearts aflame.
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  Speaker 2: As he spoke, the choir of angels slowly rose their voices.
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  Speaker 2: The lights swirled to the rising and falling of their harmony. Finally,
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  Speaker 2: the song crescendoed into a resonating song of praise. Then,
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  Speaker 2: As suddenly as it had come, the light dissipated, leaving
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  Speaker 2: the valley bathed in the soft glow of the stars
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  Speaker 2: once more. The melodies of heaven were replaced by the
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  Speaker 2: gentle whispers of the evening wind and a few chirping crickets.
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  Speaker 2: The shepherds sat, stunned and silent, their minds reeling from
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  Speaker 2: the vision they had just witnessed. The oldest shepherd turned
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  Speaker 2: to his companions.' Did we all just see that, or
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  Speaker 2: is this old man finally loose in his mind?' The
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  Speaker 2: two others nodded their heads in confirmation that they had
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  Speaker 2: all borne witness, still stunned by what they had seen. Slowly,
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  Speaker 2: their eyes turned towards Bethlehem, where a few torchlights still
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  Speaker 2: flickered in the distance. Resting above the city was a
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  Speaker 2: new star, radiant and singular, unlike any they had seen before.
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  Speaker 2: The older shepherd turned to his young friend and laughed.
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  Speaker 2: You may get to see royalty after all! They all
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  Speaker 2: laughed with unexplainable joy. With a shared understanding, they rose,
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  Speaker 2: leaving their belongings behind, their steps quickening as they ran
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  Speaker 2: towards Bethlehem. Their hearts were aflame with a joy they
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  Speaker 2: could not contain and a purpose they could not deny.
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  Speaker 3: Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of
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  Speaker 3: great joy, which shall be to all people. This message
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  Speaker 3: of joy echoes throughout the New Testament, as joy is
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  Speaker 3: a hallmark of those who have experienced Christ's redemption. The
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  Speaker 3: good tidings are indeed of great joy because they announce
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  Speaker 3: the arrival of the Savior, fulfilling God's promise to redeem
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  Speaker 3: His people. The angels' announcement heralded a new era filled
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  Speaker 3: with hope. The joy comes from the realization that God
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  Speaker 3: has not abandoned his people. That should bring all of
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  Speaker 3: us joy today. We don't worship a God who has
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  Speaker 3: remained distant and aloof. Despite our sin and depravity, God
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  Speaker 3: chose to rescue us and raise us to glory with him.
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  Speaker 3: The very fact that these lowly shepherds were able to
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  Speaker 3: behold the splendor and majesty of the angels is is
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  Speaker 3: a testament to how God operates. He doesn't think about
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  Speaker 3: status symbols or wealth. The wise men would have been
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  Speaker 3: the first to behold the newborn king if he did.
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  Speaker 3: God chose the rustic outcasts, proving he doesn't care about
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  Speaker 3: your wealth, your popularity, or your status. No matter where
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  Speaker 3: you are or what you have done, the gospel message
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  Speaker 3: is for you to enjoy. Let's not make the mistake
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  Speaker 3: of thinking Christmas is merely for us to enjoy, though. Ultimately,
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  Speaker 3: Christ's birth gives glory to God. The angelic praise, glory
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  Speaker 3: to God in the highest, should resonate in our hearts
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  Speaker 3: as we ponder the magnitude of what God has done.
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  Speaker 3: His redemptive plan and magnificence are shown throughout the birth, life, death,
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  Speaker 3: and resurrection of Jesus. Join us for our next episode
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  Speaker 3: of Stories of the Messiah as the shepherds search high
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  Speaker 3: and low for God's Son. When they finally arrive at
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  Speaker 3: the stables, the fear and awe of the Lord come
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  Speaker 3: upon them. And, unbeknownst to them, they set the stage
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  Speaker 3: for King Herod to catch wind of Jesus. Thanks for
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  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor
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  Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app and
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  Speaker 3: make prayer a priority in your life. If you enjoyed
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  Speaker 3: this podcast, share it with someone you love. By sharing
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  Speaker 3: this podcast, you can make a difference in someone's life.
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  Speaker 3: And if you want more resources on how to tap
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  Speaker 3: into God's power for successful Christian living, be sure to
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  Speaker 3: visit JackGraham.org. God bless you.