[00:00:07] Speaker A: Welcome to the Weekday Podcast of Sugar Hill Church, where we desire to help you know God and discover your purpose, whether you're exercising, driving, meditating, or just hanging out while you tune in with us today. Thanks. We hope these next five minutes help you feel encouraged and inspired for your day.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: Well, hey friends, welcome back to the Weekday Podcast. We're so glad you're here. This season means so much to us and we are so thrilled to get to walk through Christmas season with all of you. If there's anything that we can do to support you and serve you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Drop us a
[email protected] well today I want to talk about the hope that finds us. In Luke 2:10 it says, but the angel said to them, do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. What's interesting is that when God decided to announce the arrival of hope to the world, he didn't choose the obvious channels. There's no press release to the palace. There was no viral post on Jerusalem's social media. There was no exclusive interview with the Relig elite. Instead, he chose shepherd the outsiders. The Unreliables. The ones that couldn't even testify in court because their word wasn't trusted. The ones who lived with their sheep at the margins of society. Why? Because hope isn't for the ones who have it all together. Hope is for the ones who know they don't think about it when was the last time you saw a child wake up on Christmas morning worried about whether they earned their presents? Children don't check their bank accounts before opening gifts. They don't review their behavior scorecard first. They simply receive with joy what love has provided. And that's the kind of hope that Jesus brings. Not a hope that we achieve, but a hope that we receive. Not a hope that we earn, but a hope that's given. Not a hope that depends on our status, but a hope that delights more in our surrender. And maybe you feel like those shepherds. Maybe you feel like you're in the outskirts in the dark, just doing your best to make it through another night shift. Well, here's the good news. You're exactly the kind of person hope loves to find. This isn't the kind of hope that waits for us to clean up our act. It's not the sort of hope that demands us to fix ourselves first. The hope moves into the neighborhood right in the middle of our mess, bringing light to our darkness, peace to our chaos, and joy to our despair. So this Christmas, whether you're facing an empty chair at your table, an uncertain future, a heart heavy with grief, remember hope isn't waiting for you to deserve it. Hope is already arrived. It's wrapped not in shiny paper and bows but in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Your invitation is simply receive. Like those shepherds on that holy night. I want to encourage you. Let hope find you right where you are. God bless you. Have a great day.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: Thanks so much for joining us today for the weekday podcast. Our prayer is that the encouragement you just heard would help you live more like Jesus today. We would love to see you at Sugar Hill Church for one of our gatherings each Sunday at 9, 15 and 11 and we're always streaming live at live Sugarhill Church. Thanks again for joining us today. As always, if today's message encouraged you, share it with friends and family by tapping the share button. Have an awesome day.
