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If you prefer reading, below is the script I used for this video. It’s not word for word, but it’s close enough.
STUDIO
NATHANIEL
Hello neighbor. I'm Nathaniel. Welcome
to Reluctant Sermonizing. Today we're
starting a Christmas series where
we're raising questions, specifically
one question: God is with who?
Immanuel means "God with us" but who
is "us"? Some people seem to think
it's a rather small group of people,
but I think this needs a second look.
So each week we're going to break down
a part of the Christmas story and see
what we get. If you want, hit the
subscribe button to get the whole
series.
TITLE
NATHANIEL
So let's start with the Christmas
story Dante's Inferno. Ok, that's not
a Christmas story, rather it's a
medieval book about a guy on a guided
tour through hell. But I remember my
professor saying the book held
knowledge as the way to heaven. Now
his interpretation or my memory might
be wrong, but I do remember bristling.
Knowledge is something we earn. We
educate ourselves. And as a good
Evangelical kid I was quite certain we
can't earn our way into heaven.
But then you look around and see
Sunday School and Bible Studies and
realize all the stories and things
we're supposed to believe to be a
Christian and go to heaven are
portions of knowledge.
Ok, actual Christmas story. There's a
bunch of shepherds. Uneducated,
illiterate shepherds. They don't know
squat.
At this time the God of the universe
happens to become a dad for the first
time. The family dynamics are a little
complicated, but this God gets
excited. And like any knew dad after a
bit he starts making phone calls,
though his are more angelic. So who
does he call first? Does he ring up
Bible scholars in their dreams? Leave
voice mails with priests? Text the
most accurate Rabbis?
No. This God goes to the know nothing
shepherds.
And seriously these shepherds wouldn't
have a clue what was going on. It's
not like they had some idea for a
"plan of salvation" or anything like
that. The disciples didn't, so why
should these shepherds. But The Divine
was just there, with them.
As a child I remember being afraid of
brain injuries and things like
alzheimer's. I knew sometimes people
couldn't remember or they couldn't
think the same way or their
personalities changed. I was afraid of
losing my salvation because I lost
some function of my mind and didn't
believe like I was supposed to. What
if I forgot who Jesus was?
My Grandma on my dad's side had
alzheimer's before passing, and I've
met many people with intellectual
disabilities. If you've had
experiences like mine, then you know
the divine is with them.
So the Divine is with, who? Those
who've learned the answers? Who knew
the right prayer to say?
Who educated themselves on what story
to believe earn God's acceptance?
Or is the nature of the Divine more
like the character of God in the
Christmas story, throwing a party to
celebrate with a bunch of ignorant
shepherds because... it's divine.
END TAG
NATHANIEL
Hey! Thanks for watching. Today was
shepherds. Next week will be magi or
wisemen their connection to the late
Freddy Mercury of Queen and the baby
Jesus. Be sure to subscribe. And merry
Christmas.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft.
