From Manger to Mission: Trust, Tell, Invite Others

We’ve run the Christmas marathon—presents, lines, baking, and bills we’ll face later—and yet all of it traces back to a birth in a forgotten corner of Bethlehem. Almost no one knew when it happened—Mary, Joseph, and some shepherds. So how did we get from there to here? Two things changed everything. First, the baby grew up. There’s a subtle pressure to leave Jesus in the manger: a once‑a‑year sentiment that never interferes with how we live. But that child became the most consequential human the world has ever known. He healed, forgave, confronted evil, and showed both the power and the heart to make everything new. He revealed that the Creator is not distant; he knows our names, our tears, our dreams—and we matter to him.

Second, the shepherds told what they had seen. That simple telling created a chain that ran through centuries, across continents, and eventually reached me—and many of you. So we asked three questions. Who came? The Word who was with God and was God; the fullness of God in human form. Why did he come? To rescue us from sin—not arbitrary rule‑breaking, but living out of alignment with how we were designed, which injures our souls and spills over to damage one another. He also came to give us life in the fullest possible way, even in a world still marked by sorrow and death. What does he desire from us? Trust—trust that becomes following. “Put your trust in the light so that you may become people of light.” Trust lets him lead, guide, and guard us—like a doctor whose wisdom only helps if we take the medicine. Everyone’s following someone; why not the One who made us and proved his love on the cross?

Those who trust him are called to proclaim his excellencies—the goodness we’ve tasted. God doesn’t toot his own horn; he chooses witnesses. So I asked for a gift: keep me encouraged to keep telling. But here’s the bigger gift to Jesus: make 2026 a year of unprecedented outreach together. A simple partnership—“I’ll keep telling it if you’ll keep inviting them.” Let’s join the shepherds, open our mouths, and watch God change lives.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The baby in the manger grew. Jesus did not come to be admired; he came to be obeyed, trusted, and followed. Leaving him in the crib keeps him harmless and distant, but he insists on leading grown men and women into a new life. The world shook because he confronted death, disease, hatred, and despair with authority and compassion. Let him grow up in your life, too. [60:28]
• 2. Sin is misalignment with design. Sin isn’t a cosmic technicality—it’s a way of being that corrodes the soul and fractures relationships because it contradicts how we were made to live and love. We don’t just break rules; we break ourselves, then we bleed on others. Naming sin as an enemy is the first mercy; turning from it is the second. Christ’s rescue starts with this clarity. [67:25]
• 3. Trust that moves into following. God’s ask is not performance but trust—yet trust that does not act is pretend. Like taking a physician’s counsel, following Jesus is how trust becomes healing and clarity. As we listen to his voice, we become people of light and receive the durable hope of eternal life that begins now and stretches beyond death. [70:56]
• 4. Join the shepherds: keep telling. God advances his good news through ordinary voices, not self‑promotion. Your lived experience of his goodness carries credibility in places I’ll never reach. Make your invitation the front door to his transforming presence—and I’ll keep telling the story when they come. Let’s make 2026 a year of faithful, joyful courage. [77:49]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [59:07] - Calendars set by Bethlehem birth
• [60:02] - Two things that changed everything
• [60:28] - Don’t freeze Jesus in the manger
• [60:56] - Humanity’s deep ache for perfection
• [61:40] - Jesus reveals the Creator’s heart
• [63:14] - Three big questions to ask
• [63:41] - Who came: the Word made flesh
• [65:04] - Fullness of God in human form
• [66:20] - Why he came: rescue and renewal
• [67:58] - Life to the full, even now
• [69:22] - What he desires: our trust
• [70:56] - Following, forgiveness, and eternal life
• [72:59] - Called to proclaim his excellencies
• [77:49] - 2026 outreach partnership invitation

Bible reading

- John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

- Matthew 1:21

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.

- 1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Observation questions

1. In John 1:1-14, what names and claims are made about “the Word,” and what actions are attributed to him?
2. In Matthew 1:21, what problem is Jesus specifically named to solve, and how is that tied to his very name?
3. In 1 Peter 2:9, what identities are given to believers, and what is the stated purpose that flows from those identities?
4. The message named two things that changed everything—“the baby grew up” ([01:00:02]). What was the second thing, and who did it involve?

Interpretation questions

1. If “the Word was with God, and the Word was God … and the Word became flesh” (John 1:1,14), what does that say about God’s desire to be known—distant supervisor or self-giving presence? How might that reshape how prayer and daily life are viewed?
2. Matthew 1:21 says Jesus will save his people from their sins. The message described sin as “living discordant with the way God designed us” ([01:06:45]). How does that understanding deepen, clarify, or challenge a current working definition of sin?
3. 1 Peter 2:9 calls believers a people for God’s possession “that you may proclaim his excellencies.” What counts as “excellencies”—only big miracles, or also daily graces like peace in trouble, endurance, or answered prayer? How does that shape what gets shared?
4. The call was clear: God wants trust that becomes following—“He can’t lead us… unless we trust him” ([01:09:46]). Why is trust without action unreliable, and what signs would show that trust in Jesus is real and growing?

Application questions

1. Where are you tempted to “keep the baby in the manger”—enjoying seasonal warmth but resisting Jesus’ leadership in a specific area (time, money, relationships, habits)? Name one arena where you will let him grow up in your life ([01:00:28]).
2. Identify one habit or relational pattern that fits the description of sin as misalignment—“we do damage to our own souls” ([01:07:25]). What would repentance look like this week—confession, a boundary, an apology, a new practice?
3. Think of Jesus like a physician. What “prescription” from Scripture have you heard but not taken (forgiveness, purity, generosity, Sabbath rest, serving, reconciliation)? What concrete step will you take in the next seven days to act on it ([01:10:08])?
4. Jesus came so we could have life “in the fullest possible way.” Where do you feel lack right now—joy, peace, purpose, courage—and what specific practice will you adopt this month to receive his life (e.g., morning prayer, daily Scripture, silence, community, making amends) ([01:07:58])?
5. Share one “excellency” of God you’ve tasted this year—an answered prayer, comfort in grief, strength in a temptation, a changed attitude. Who is one person you will tell that story to this week ([01:12:59])?
6. Write down two names for the 2026 invitation partnership—neighbors, coworkers, friends. What is one natural next step (coffee, a text invite, a meal, serve together) you’ll take in January? “I’ll keep inviting them if you’ll keep telling it” ([01:17:49]).
7. Everyone is following someone. In what daily decision-making moment are you most likely to default to self? What will it look like tomorrow to listen for and choose Jesus’ voice instead ([01:11:43])?