Boy, if you can, make it to church the next few Sundays. Shannon is doing a series of sermons on people who are part of the original Christmas story. Today he spoke about Zechariah.

He began with a monologue from Zechariah's perspective. I've included the monologue on a separate page. Click here to see it.

Following are the notes I took today. And following the notes I will put the Youtube link -- it does have a few pictures with it but you do not have to watch it. You can just listen to it (like a podcast).

the Notes:

The Jewish people had not had a prophet speak for 400 years! 

Somehow through the years God's people had lost their way.

Though He didn't speak through prophets to His people He was not inacttive. At this time in history Alexander the Great brought Greek and libraries to the area. The Romans built roads throughout the Roman empire. All of this was used eventually to spread the gospel around the world!

God was actively working. God had prepared the way logistically so the gospel could be spread. We are tarting to prepare for Christmas. God prepared these things for the Good News.

Galatians 4:4-5 -- in God's time. 400 years of waiting. For Zechariah, it took striking him dumb to understand. He lived in a tiny town. Never had praise like the big city priests most likely received. He was not important in people's eyes. But then he was chosen to go into the holy of holies. To be chosen was a very special thing. People didn't see Zechariah as special but God did. People probably saw him as cursed (since his wife was barren). God saw him as blessed. Zechariah had his eyes opened through that year of silence. His whole world changed.

Zechariah was able to sit and watch what was going on. He had time to study God's propheicies. He understood what Elijah's return really meant. Most of us can't hear our own voice. We miss what God is doing in others. Be an active listener, an active observer.

Luke 1:1-3 It is different from the other gospels.

Luke 1:5 -- Don't think the silence was a punishment but a gift of silence.

Luke 1:57-66 -- The neighbors had all sorts of ideas for the baby!

Luke 1:67 -- Zechariah prophesies.

I am now replacing the video (11/22/2016). The one I put up yesterday was only about 4 minutes long. I wondered why it was quick loading! So, I hope you have returned to listen to the entire sermon. Thanks for visiting!

Following are the notes I took yesterday during Shannon's sermon. My pen ran out of ink so I didn't take notes the entire time (I use a fountain pen -- love my fountain pen). The notes will be below followed by the podcast of the sermon. I won't put the links for the scripture. You can plug it in yourself at Biblegateway.com. Well, I guess I just gave you a link. Open that up and put in the scripture to read it yourself (or have your Bible handy). Notes are below:

I'm thankful for taxes, for clothes that are too tight, for big heating bills; loads of laundry (listen to see why he says these things).

Poverty better than persecution. 

The acknowledgement of God and His Divine Providence was reason they pulled away from England (talking about first colonists to America).

Thanksgiving -- special holiday. Began in 1789 declared by George Washington to acknowledge and worship God. Everything we have is from God -- we all join together to thank God.

Today we're so torn apart (in our country). 

We've lost the reason for Thanksgiving.

Founding documents of our country say we are a Christian nation. We can always be thankful for God.

Psalm 100:1-5 -- written as commands.

#1 Let the world know you are joyful. Shout loudly so all can hear you (then tells story about "I will tell your name!").

We have regained our very lives. The joy is not put on but spills out.

#2 Worship the LORD with Gladness, loud instruments. Make a joyful noise!

Fill our minds with worship. There's a blessing, a lifting of our spirits with music -- It brings forth emotions. Music is a gift from God.

#4 Know God is God in every cell of your body. Let that knowledge soak into your very DNA. God doesn't abandon His creation as human creators do. He continues to build is us. We are works in progress. 

Philippians 1:6

Sometimes to get blind to the need.

Our gratefulness should come from knowing who we are (at our worst) and who made us.

Psalm 103:8-12

Remember where all good things come from (James 1)

Do His bidding. Give ourselves to His mission. That the best way to live. Get out of the way and let God work.

Following are the notes I (Jane, pastor's wife) took today at church:

Today Shannon talked about The Harvest. In Matthew 9:36 -38. Jesus says the "harvest is plentiful."

We aren't the lords of the harvest. Father God is the Lord of the Harvest. It is the Father's harvest. 

Sheep can't see what's right and wrong. They get confused and lost. They need a shepherd.

We need to ask for harvesters. Pray that the Lord sends workers to the harvst. We can't do it alone. 

The affect one person can have is incredible.

John 4:36-38

​Look out and see the harvest waiting to be harvested. "Look up and see the harvest."

Stop looking at yourself. Look up and see the harvest.

A farmer who doesn't harvest or who doesn't know what he's/she's doing will fail.

Are we a hobby church? 

Go Get Em!

Drop everything to get the one who is lost.

Don't be content where we are.

We're supposed to be working.

Six million people were asked what it would take for them to go to church. The number one reason was "If I was invited." 

The harvest is meant to be done on God's time. It isn't our time. Time we have in life is a gift. it is from God -- seek Him on how to use it. 

Luke 10:1-4

It's not about .....NO EXCUSES.

​Take no excuses and just go. He did not say think about it. We are not supposed to reject Jesus for them. When the opportunity is gone it's gone.
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Well folks, we heard that some people prefer the notes to the podcast. So, we will furnish both on this blog (or should it be a plog or a Blogplog). Below I will type out my notes and then share the video from this 11/6/2016. I recommend you look up the scriptures too. I'll put  a link to Biblegateway so you can read them right online. Thanks for visiting:

God's creation is perfect in that God created it exactly as He intended to. Think about this -- all the things we create (we humans that is) have purpose. Even art that hangs on a wall has purpose.

Genesis 1:1-2

Genesis 1:26  
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God created us for a purpose. He created us to be good stewards (managers) of His creation. God created us to be His vessels. We carry the Spirit of God within us. We can have compassion for everything (no other animal can do this). He created us to be stewards like He is in regard to us.

Romans 1:20

No one is immune to seeing God's handiwork. DNA -- God's signature! We are surrounded by God's creation, His very fingerprints. God doesn't have a reject pile. 

Randall Factory story -- if the knives aren't perfect the Randall staff don't allow them out of the factory. 

Again, God doesn't have a reject pile!

Psalm 139:13-14 -- I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God made me the way He wanted me to be. I ought to respect this. God's fingerprints are on me. On everything I've done, experienced, seen; my gifts -- they are all over me (His fingerprints). We will see the whole picture of our lives when we get to heaven. We will see that God was always there. God never let's go of us. We should acknowledge God's handiwork in us.

Romans 8:19-21

God created us for life. The whole earth fell when the stewards fell (If a rancher would suddenly leave his ranch and cattle unattended for months on end, that ranch and the cattle would suffer. If a business manager/owner left the business and didn't take care of it, it would suffer or be closed up).

The creation waits to be reborn​. We have a glimpse of that. We got a special peek of life -- God showed us eternity through His Son. 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Part of the reason I accept where I am is because I know where I am going.

James 1:18  We have a new job. We were created spotless through Christ as God's first fruits!

We are all that special. We are each a custom creation. We are intended for great things. God made you specifically for a specific job. 

Ephesians 2:10: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

God created the work when He created the tool.

When we are reborn we have a job to do. We are meant to be doing something in our lives. When we accept that salvation we have a job to do. We won't be truly happy until we are doing the work God has called us to do. You will be most content when you are God's instrument. We have to be about our Father's business.