Christmas With the Chosen: The Messengers (2021)

[bunniefuu]

Take one.

Take one.

- Hey, y'all...
- We're the Kingdom.

Hey, I'm Jordan Feliz.

The Bonner Family.

I'm Leanna Crawford.

We are Dawson Hollow.

Hey, I'm Phil Wickham.

We're Brian and Katie Torwalt.

We are Maverick City Music.

- This is Joel & Luke here
with King & Country

I'm Brandon Lake.

Hi, I'm Matt Maher.

And we're Cain.

- Christmas as a kid,
it always felt magical.

Feeling the gravity
as an adult of knowing

that the magic is, God is here.

- This is the start of God
being with us.

That hope arrived, love arrived.

Knowing that Christ was born
as the lowliest of the low.

What a breathtaking start

to the most amazing story
ever been told.

People must know about it.

♫ Silent night ♫

♫ Holy night ♫

♫ All is calm ♫

♫ All is bright ♫

♫ Round yon virgin ♫

♫ Mother and Child ♫

♫ Holy Infant ♫

♫ So tender and mild ♫

♫ Sleep in heavenly peace ♫

♫ Sleep in heavenly peace ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Silent night ♫

♫ Holy night ♫

♫ Shepherds quake ♫

♫ At the sight ♫

♫ Glories stream ♫

♫ From heaven afar ♫

♫ Heavenly hosts sing ♫

♫ Alleluia ♫

♫ Christ the Savior is born ♫

♫ Christ the Savior is born ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Holy ♫

♫ Holy ♫

♫ Hope in a manger ♫

♫ For you and for me ♫

♫ Bow down ♫

♫ And worship ♫

♫ Come rest your eyes
on the King ♫

♫ Jesus our heavenly peace ♫

♫ ♫

♫ - Silent night ♫

♫ Holy night ♫

♫ Son of God ♫

♫ Love's pure light ♫

♫ Radiant beams ♫

♫ From Thy holy face ♫

♫ With the dawn ♫

♫ Of redeeming grace ♫

♫ Jesus Lord, at Thy birth ♫

♫ Jesus Lord, at Thy birth ♫

♫ Oh, holy ♫

♫ Oh... ♫

♫ Holy ♫

♫ You are holy ♫

♫ Hope in a manger ♫

♫ For you and for me ♫

♫ Oh, bow down ♫

♫ Worship ♫

♫ Come rest your eyes
on the King ♫

♫ Jesus, our heavenly peace ♫

♫ Jesus, our heavenly ♫

♫ Peace ♫♫

- Hey, there,
Dallas Jenkins here.

And welcome to
"Christmas with The Chosen."

I'm on our incredible set
here in Utah,

where we filmed half of Season 2

and all of tonight's event,

including the special episode
coming up soon.

You're going to see
some great stuff tonight.

We've got some of
our favorite musicians

bringing you new and classic
Christmas songs,

all pointing
towards a celebration.

You'll also hear
beautiful monologues

featuring four of the iconic
names of God from the Bible,

and why they matter to us today.

There are so many cool things
about tonight,

and it means a lot
that you're here with us.

Christmas is by far
my favorite season.

I believe the birth of Christ

is the single greatest event
in human history.

My favorite movie of all time is

"It's a Wonderful Life,"

the first film I ever directed
is a Christmas film,

and as you hopefully know,

"The Chosen" was actually
launched by "The Shepherd,"

a short film I made for my
church's Christmas Eve service

on my friend's farm

20 minutes from my house
in Illinois.

In that little film

that became the pilot episode
of "The Chosen,"

there's a line near the end

where the shepherd says to Mary
and Joseph three great words,

"People must know."

- People must know,
people must know.

People must know.

- That's a simple
but important truth,

which ultimately leads
to what I know you're eager for,

a very special Christmas episode
of "The Chosen."

And that episode

is all about the reality
of the birth of Jesus,

to portray,
as authentically as possible,

what it might have been like
for Mary and Joseph.

Authenticity is what
we're after tonight.

It's our number one goal
with "The Chosen,"

to show the world
the authentic Jesus.

It's why we chose the musicians
we did tonight.

They all share our passion
to get rid of the artificial

and some of the walls
we've put up between us,

and also between ourselves

and what actually happened
on that night

so that you can focus
solely on the One

who is the reason
we're all here.

So what's our response
to all that,

to all the great songs,

to understanding
the incredible names of God,

to the story of what actually
happened on that simple night,

where two overwhelmed peasants
stuck in a stable

brought the Son of God
into the world?

People must know.

If you don't already
passionately believe that,

I'm confident you will

by the time
you leave here tonight.

I'm so glad you're here
and Merry Christmas.

♫ Angels we have heard on high ♫

♫ Sweetly singing
o'er the plains ♫

♫ And the mountains in reply ♫

♫ Echoing their joyous strains ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ Ooh ♫

♫ Shepherds why this jubilee ♫

♫ Why your joyous strains
prolong ♫

♫ What the gladsome tidings be ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Which inspire
your heavenly song ♫

♫ Singing ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ Come to Bethlehem and see ♫

♫ Him whose birth
the angels sing ♫

♫ Come adore on bended knee ♫

♫ Christ, the Lord,
the newborn King ♫

♫ Singing, gloria ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ Gloria ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫

♫ In excelsis Deo ♫♫

♫ - The night was like
no other night ♫

♫ ♫

♫ As the world lay fast asleep ♫

♫ ♫

♫ The wise men
followed heaven's light ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Through a desert
dark and deep ♫

♫ ♫

♫ To a stable that echoed
with baby's cries ♫

♫ And they fell to their knees ♫

♫ By the manger side, singing ♫

♫ Holy, holy,
hallelujah, our King ♫

♫ You're the One
who sets the world free ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Holy, holy,
earth and heaven will sing ♫

♫ Hallelujah,
hallelujah, our King ♫

♫ ♫

♫ We're a million miles
from Bethlehem ♫

♫ ♫

♫ But the story
is still the same ♫

♫ ♫

♫ And when peace on earth
is hard to find ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Yeah, we still
cry out His name ♫

♫ Lord, we know who you are ♫

♫ And who You've been ♫

♫ So we fall on our knees
at Your feet again, singing ♫

♫ Holy, holy,
hallelujah, our King ♫

♫ You're the One
who sets the world free ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Holy, holy,
earth and heaven will sing ♫

♫ Hallelujah,
hallelujah, our King ♫

♫ Yeah ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Ohh, yeah ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ - Oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ - Hallelujah,
hope has arrived ♫

♫ Love took a breath
and we came alive ♫

♫ Hallelujah, Jesus has come,
we bow before Him ♫

♫ Hallelujah, hope has arrived ♫

♫ Love took a breath
and we came alive ♫

♫ Hallelujah, Jesus has come,
we bow before Him, singing ♫

♫ Holy, holy,
hallelujah, our King ♫

♫ You're the One
who sets the world free ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Holy, holy,
earth and heaven will sing ♫

♫ Hallelujah,
hallelujah, our King ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Holy, holy, ♫

♫ Hallelujah, our King ♫♫

You know that feeling

when the electricity
cuts out unexpectedly

and you are plunged
into sudden darkness?

As a child, alone in your room,

your first instinct
might be to cry out,

"Mom! Dad!"

Or maybe even God.

Many thousands of years ago,

a woman named Hagar
did just that.

The light of her life
was abruptly snuffed out

when she found herself pregnant
under dubious circumstances...

not unlike someone else

we'll be hearing
and singing about tonight.

She was frightened, alone,
and on the run...

feeling invisible,
small, and abandoned.

So Hagar cried out to God
for help,

and when He comforted her,

she responded
in relief by calling Him,

"Adonai El-Roi,"
the God Who Sees Me.

Hagar felt seen and known...

Which is all anyone
really wants...

And it gave her the courage
to face her dire circumstances

with the confidence
that God was with her,

watching over her,

never going to let her go.

Sixty-five generations later,

a prophet named Malachi...

Whose name means
"My Messenger"...

Wrote down these words,

"Behold,

"I will send you
Elijah the prophet

"before the great and awesome
Day of the Lord comes.

"And he will turn the hearts
of fathers to their children

"and the hearts of children
to their fathers,

"lest I come and strike the land

with a decree
of utter destruction."

And with that final word,
"destruction,"

fittingly,

the lights clicked off.

The people of God
were plunged into darkness,

as there would be no more words
from the prophets...

God's messengers...

For hundreds of years.

The silence
cast a shadow over Israel

that seemed to only deepen
when Alexander the Great

rode in with his Macedonian army
and conquered Jerusalem,

followed by
the Ptolemies of Egypt,

the Syrian Seleucids,

and finally Rome.

Ruler after ruler,
oppressor after oppressor,

it was hard to fathom
the name Adonai El-Roi...

The God Who Sees Us.

Was He really watching?

Paying attention?

Had He turned His face away
or shut His eyes?

That's the thing
about being mortal.

We can't see in the dark.

But God can.

Somehow, David knew this,

and he wrote about it in Psalms,

"Even the darkness
is not dark to you.

"The night is bright as the day,

for darkness
is as light with you."

Even when we can't see God,
He sees us.

Even when we can't see a way
forward through the night,

He's preparing a way.

The oppression that crushed
the people of God

during the 400 years of silence

made Israel feel small,
vulnerable, covered in blood,

kicked out of the house
and told to sleep in the barn.

Little did we know,

the God Who Sees
even when we can't,

was preparing a Savior

who would arrive the same way...

small, vulnerable,
covered in blood,

and hidden away
in a lowly stable

on a cold night,
in a small town.

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ Over the hills
and everywhere ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ That Jesus Christ is born ♫

♫ While shepherds
kept their watching ♫

♫ O'er silent flocks by night ♫

♫ Behold,
throughout the heavens ♫

♫ There shone a holy light ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ Over the hills
and everywhere ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ That Jesus Christ is born ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ - The shepherds
feared and trembled ♫

♫ When lo! Above the earth ♫

♫ Cried out the angel chorus ♫

♫ That hailed
our Savior's birth ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ Over the hills
and everywhere ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ That Jesus Christ is born ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ - Down in a lowly manger ♫

♫ Our humble Christ was born ♫

♫ And God sent us salvation ♫

♫ That precious Christmas morn ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ Over the hills
and everywhere ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ That Jesus Christ is born ♫

♫ Won't you go ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ Over the hills
and everywhere ♫

♫ Go, tell it on the mountain ♫

♫ That Jesus Christ is born ♫

♫ That Jesus Christ is born ♫

♫ That Jesus Christ is born ♫♫

When I think about Jesus

and I think about
the Christmas story,

I think people must know that
this is a miraculous story

and that miracles are
just as present and alive

and possible today
as they ever have been,

because Jesus is alive.

- Going to church,
you hear the story of Jesus

over and over again,

and when we think
about that story,

if someone asks me,

"What must people know
about Christmas?"

It's that reality that...

That the Nativity

isn't a piece of porcelain
that can be broken,

that you have
to keep on a shelf.

It's a very real encounter
with God,

that He wants you
to roll up your sleeves

and get down into
the middle of it with.

I mean, that's the gospel.

And so, getting back to
the real heartbeat, if you will,

of what people must know,

I think... we think
people must know

that there's this
incredible love story

that God is engaging
with humanity

through all of this.

And this incredible love story
started with a baby

that literally turned BC
into AD.

We must know that God is
offering each of us redemption

and a fresh start.

- People must know
that God loves them,

sent His Son to save them,

so that they can experience
what real living, real hope,

real joy,
real humanity truly is.

♫ - All my words fall short ♫

♫ ♫

♫ I've got nothing new ♫

♫ ♫

♫ How could I express ♫

♫ All my gratitude? ♫

♫ ♫

♫ I could sing these songs ♫

♫ ♫

♫ As I often do ♫

♫ ♫

♫ But every song must end ♫

♫ And You never do ♫

♫ ♫

♫ So I throw up my hands ♫

♫ And praise You
again and again ♫

♫ 'Cause all that I have
is a hallelujah ♫

♫ Hallelujah ♫

♫ And I know it's not much ♫

♫ But I've nothing else
fit for a King ♫

♫ Except for a heart
singing hallelujah ♫

♫ Hallelujah ♫

♫ ♫

♫ I've got one response ♫

♫ ♫

♫ I've got just one move ♫

♫ ♫

♫ With my arm stretched wide ♫

♫ I will worship You ♫

♫ So I throw up my hands ♫

♫ And praise You
again and again ♫

♫ 'Cause all that I have
is a hallelujah ♫

♫ Hallelujah ♫

♫ And I know it's not much ♫

♫ But I've nothing else
fit for a King ♫

♫ Except for a heart
singing hallelujah ♫

♫ Hallelujah ♫

♫ ♫

♫ So, come on, my soul ♫

♫ Oh, don't you get shy on me ♫

♫ Lift up your song ♫

♫ 'Cause you've got a lion
inside of those lungs ♫

♫ Get up and praise the Lord ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Oh, come on, my soul ♫

♫ Oh, don't you get shy on me ♫

♫ Lift up your song ♫

♫ 'Cause you've got a lion
inside of those lungs ♫

♫ Get up and praise the Lord ♫

♫ Come on, my soul ♫

♫ Oh, don't you get shy on me ♫

♫ Lift up your song ♫

♫ 'Cause you've got a lion
inside of those lungs ♫

♫ Get up and praise the Lord ♫

♫ Hey-eh-eh-eh ♫

♫ Praise the Lord ♫

♫ Praise the Lord ♫

♫ Yeah ♫

♫ Ooh-ah-ooh ♫

♫ Ooh-ahhh ♫

♫ Praise the Lord ♫

♫ Ah-ahhh-ooh ♫

♫ Ah-ehh ♫

♫ Aahhh ♫

♫ So I throw up my hands ♫

♫ And praise You
again and again ♫

♫ 'Cause all that I have
is a hallelujah ♫

♫ Hallelujah ♫

♫ And I know it's not much ♫

♫ But I've nothing else
fit for a King ♫

♫ Except for a heart
singing hallelujah ♫

♫ Hallelujah ♫♫

♫ - Before You set
the age of time ♫

♫ Foundations of the earth
and sky ♫

♫ You saw it all ♫

♫ You said that it was good ♫

♫ The joy was set
before your eyes ♫

♫ You knew that You
would give Your life ♫

♫ You saw it all ♫

♫ You said that it was good ♫

♫ Behold, behold the One ♫

♫ Our love is come ♫

♫ Behold, behold the One ♫

♫ Our King is come ♫

♫ Then heavens wore,
the earth stood still

His final breath,
He tore the veil ♫

♫ The angels sang
holy is His name ♫

♫ Defeated death,
He broke the grave ♫

♫ Our hope returned,
the lost are saved ♫

♫ We lift our voice
in never-ending praise ♫

♫ Behold, behold the One ♫

♫ Our love is come ♫

♫ Behold, behold the One ♫

♫ Our King is come ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ God with us forever ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Savior of the world ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Ohh ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Behold, behold the One ♫

♫ Our love is come ♫

♫ Behold, behold the One ♫

♫ Our King is come ♫

♫ Behold, behold the One ♫

♫ Our love is come ♫

♫ Behold, behold the One ♫

♫ Our King is come ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ God with us forever ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Savior of the world ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Ooh ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ God with us forever ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Savior of the world ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫♫

No one could agree on anything.

During the 400 years
when God stopped speaking,

people took it upon themselves

to fill the dead air
with their own ideas,

splintering into factions...

Pharisees, Sadducees,
Essenes, Zealots,

and more,

all obsessing over minutiae

and casting judgment
on the other groups.

Everyone was completely certain

that their way of following God

was the right way, the only way,

and anyone who differed
in the slightest

was an aberration,

a pariah, irredeemable,

not to be associated with,

perhaps even a pagan enemy.

The word "nuance"
didn't exist yet,

and even if it did
it wouldn't have mattered,

because no one was willing
to come to the table and listen,

choose generosity of spirit,

or pause to consider
another's point of view.

Sound familiar?

Everywhere
we look in the world today,

it feels like there is no peace.

Hunkered down in silos
of discord and division,

everyone seems to have decided
they have a corner on the truth,

all others be damned.

But we must not give in
to hopelessness.

If you think the world
looks scary today,

take a look
at the period of the Judges.

The people of God were
being massacred, besieged,

and attacked
from every direction,

to the point that
they were hiding themselves

in the mountain cliffs,
caves, and strongholds.

And yet, in the midst
of all the chaos,

there was a man named Gideon
who called God Jehovah-Shalom...

The Lord is Our Peace.

Can you imagine?

Jehovah-Shalom,
when w*r was raging all around.

An angel of the Lord,
a Messenger,

came to Gideon at Ophrah

and assured him
that God was with him,

that Gideon could lead
his people into battle

and defeat their enemies.

In faith that the word
of the Lord would prove true,

Gideon built an altar to God
and called it Jehovah-Shalom.

Shalom.

It might be the most
beautiful word in the universe.

It means peace, wholeness,

perfection, and tranquility...

the opposite of what the world
often reflects today

and during the 400 years
of crushing silence

between the Old
and New Testaments.

It's a word that
Hebrew-speaking people,

both then and now,

use to say "hello"
and "goodbye."

It marks the beginning and end
of an interaction.

The Alpha and Omega.

And so it is with
all of redemptive history,

the world began in Shalom...

a garden unblemished by sin.

And we know
it will end in Shalom...

a new heaven and a new earth,

where God will wipe away
every tear from our eyes

and death shall be no more,

neither shall there be
mourning, nor crying,

nor pain anymore.

And the city has no need of sun
or moon to shine on it,

for the glory of God
gives it light,

and its lamp is the Lamb.

By its light
will the nations walk

and there will be
no night there.

The Apostle John
wrote those words

while in exile
on the Isle of Patmos,

but the Man whose death
and resurrection

would make it possible
for people

to access the renewed kingdom
of which he wrote

was prophesied
centuries before Christ's birth.

Isaiah described
a coming Messiah

who would be called
Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

We needed Him then,
and we need Him now,

more than ever.

Our Prince of Peace.

Jehovah Shalom.

♫ - Noel ♫

♫ Oh, Noel ♫

♫ Ahhh-ahhh ♫

♫ - What Child is this,
who laid to rest ♫

♫ On Mary's lap is sleeping ♫

♫ - Whom angels greet
with anthems sweet ♫

♫ While shepherds watch
are keeping ♫

♫ - This,
this is Christ the King ♫

♫ Whom shepherds guard
and angels sing ♫

♫ Haste,
haste to bring Him laud ♫

♫ The Babe, the Son of Mary ♫

♫ - Why lies
He in such mean estate ♫

♫ - Where ox and lamb
are feeding? ♫

♫ - The end of fear ♫

♫ For those who hear ♫

♫ The silent Word is pleading ♫

♫ - Nails, spear
shall pierce Him through, ♫

♫ The cross be borne
for me, for you ♫

♫ - Hail, hail
the Word made flesh ♫

♫ The Babe, the Son of Mary. ♫

♫ - Aah, aah, aah,
ahhh, ahh-ahh-ahh ♫

♫ Aah, ♫

♫ Doo, doo, doo ♫

♫ Ah-ah-ah ♫

♫ Doo, doo, doo ♫

♫ Noel, oh, Noel ♫

♫ Born is the King of Israel ♫

♫ - So bring Him incense,
gold, and myrrh ♫

♫ Come peasant,
king to own Him ♫

♫ - The King of kings ♫

♫ - Salvation brings ♫

♫ Let loving hearts
enthrone Him ♫

♫ Raise, raise a song on high ♫

♫ The virgin sings her lullaby ♫

♫ - Joy,
joy for Christ is born. ♫

♫ - The Babe, the Son ♫

♫ - The Babe, the Son of Mary ♫

♫ The Babe, the Son of Mary ♫♫

♫ - La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ♫

♫ La la la la la ly ly ♫

♫ La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ♫

♫ La la la la la ly ly ♫

♫ Hark! the herald angels sing ♫

♫ "Glory to the newborn King" ♫

♫ Peace on earth
and mercy mild ♫

♫ God and sinners reconciled ♫

♫ Joyful, all ye nations rise ♫

♫ Join the triumph
of the skies ♫

♫ With angelic host proclaim ♫

♫ Christ is born in Bethlehem! ♫

♫ Hark! the herald angels sing ♫

♫ "Glory to the newborn King!" ♫

♫ ♫

♫ La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ly ♫

♫ La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ♫

♫ La la la la la ly ly ♫

♫ Christ,
by highest heaven adored

♫ Christ, the everlasting Lord ♫

♫ Late in time,
behold Him come ♫

♫ Offspring of
the virgin's womb ♫

♫ Veiled in flesh,
the Godhead see ♫

♫ Hail the incarnate Deity ♫

♫ Pleased as man
with men to dwell ♫

♫ Jesus, our Emmanuel ♫

♫ Hark!
The herald angels sing, ♫

♫ "Glory to the newborn King" ♫

♫ ♫

♫ And the angels they sing
and the heavens they bring ♫

♫ Won't you raise up your voice,
join the song of the king ♫

♫ Singing glory to God
and peace on the earth ♫

♫ Sing it out now,
the song of the King ♫

♫ La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ♫

♫ La la la la la ly ly ♫

♫ Hail the heaven-born
Prince of Peace! ♫

♫ Hail the Son
of Righteousness! ♫

♫ Light and life to all
He brings ♫

♫ Risen with healing
in His wings ♫

♫ Mild He lays His glory by ♫

♫ Born that man
no more may die ♫

♫ Born to raise
the sons of earth ♫

♫ Born to give them
second birth ♫

♫ Hark! the herald angels sing ♫

♫ "Glory to the newborn King" ♫

♫ And the angels they sing
and the heavens they bring ♫

♫ Won't you raise up your voice,
join the song of the King ♫

♫ Singing glory to God
and peace on the earth ♫

♫ Sing it out now,
the song of the King ♫

♫ La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ♫

♫ La la la la la ly ly ♫

♫ La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ♫

♫ La la la la la ly ly ♫

♫ La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ♫

♫ La la la la la ly ly ♫

♫ La la la la ly,
La la la la ly ♫

♫ La la la la la ly ly ly ♫♫

♫ ♫

♫ The first Noel ♫

♫ The angel did say ♫

♫ Was to certain poor shepherds
in fields as they lay ♫

♫ In fields where they lay
keeping their sheep ♫

♫ On a cold winter's night
that was so deep ♫

♫ - Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♫

♫ Born is the King of Israel ♫

♫ - Ohhh ♫

♫ - Emmanuel, God with us ♫

♫ - He was born in a manger ♫

♫ - Ohhh ♫

♫ - Bless the One
who's born to die ♫

♫ God and sinner reconcile ♫

♫ Peace on earth,
good will toward men ♫

♫ Now we freely worship Him ♫

♫ Bless the One
who's born to die ♫

♫ God and sinner reconcile ♫

♫ Peace on earth,
good will toward men ♫

♫ Now we freely worship Him ♫

♫ Oh, bless the One
who's born to die ♫

♫ God and sinner reconcile ♫

♫ Peace on earth,
good will toward men ♫

♫ Now we freely worship Him ♫

♫ Then let us all
with one accord ♫

♫ Sing praises to
our heavenly Lord ♫

♫ The pains of sin
and death He fought ♫

♫ And with His blood
mankind hath bought ♫

♫ Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♫

♫ Born is the King of Israel ♫

♫ Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♫

♫ Born is the King ♫

♫ Born is the King ♫

♫ Born is the King of Israel ♫♫

♫ ♫

People must know

that God's mercy and love
is infinite.

- He loves you so much
and He loves me so much.

Like, so, so much more
than I could ever imagine,

and way more than I deserve.

- There's nothing that
disqualifies us from His grace,

His love, and His mercy.

- He's for you,
no matter who you are

or where you're from,
Christ is for you.

- I've experienced
a lot of loneliness

and a lot of brokenness.

And the way that Jesus
entered into my story

and became my friend,

He's made me whole,

and He's given me purpose.

And it just makes me want to cry
thinking about it,

knowing that I have a friend.

- But I believe that
a lot of people

think of Jesus and
God our Father as a hard man,

and He's just not that way.

And I think that
people must know

that Jesus is always going
to be a safe place to land,

and open arms.

- Even from the Old Testament

they believed
that He was just distant.

He shut the heavens;
we can never really reach Him.

But then like
Jesus was Emmanuel,

He's God with us,
God in the flesh.

And it's like
that shows, you know,

He's actually like close.

People must know that

He's actually close
and present and loving.

- People must know
that when God,

the Creator of the universe,
chose to send His son,

that He was thinking about me,
He was thinking about you,

when He chose to come
as a helpless baby.

That has changed
everything for me,

that He was thinking about me
when He said like,

"Okay, We're going to go;

We're going to do this thing."

He's here.

And He's with us
in every season,

not just Christmas,

not just when
you've lost someone

that's close
and near and dear to you,

Not just when things
are going well,

but in every season,

He's here with you.

♫ - Oh, Lord, my God ♫

♫ When I in awesome wonder ♫

♫ Consider all ♫

♫ The worlds Thy hands
have made ♫

♫ I see the stars ♫

♫ I hear the rolling thunder ♫

♫ Thy power throughout ♫

♫ The universe displayed ♫

♫ Then sings my soul ♫

♫ My Savior God to Thee ♫

♫ - My Savior God to Thee ♫

♫ - How great Thou art ♫

♫ How great Thou art ♫

♫ - How great Thou art ♫

♫ Then sings my soul,
My Savior God to Thee ♫

♫ How great Thou art ♫

♫ - How great Thou art ♫

♫ - How great Thou art ♫

♫ And when I think ♫

♫ - Of God,
His Son not sparing ♫

♫ Sent Him to die ♫

♫ - I scarce can take it in ♫

♫ That on the cross ♫

♫ - That on the cross ♫

♫ - My burden gladly bearing ♫

♫ He bled and died ♫

♫ - To take away my sin ♫

♫ - Then sings my soul,
My Savior God to Thee ♫

♫ - My Savior God to Thee ♫

♫ - How great Thou art ♫

♫ How great Thou art ♫

♫ - My Savior ♫

♫ Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to Thee ♫

♫ - Savior God to Thee ♫

♫ - How great Thou art ♫

♫ How great Thou art ♫

♫ - How great ♫

♫ - How great Thou art ♫

♫ How great Thou art ♫♫

♫ - Gathered round the table ♫

♫ So much to be thankful for ♫

♫ It's Christmas ♫

♫ Oh, how I've missed this ♫

♫ But through the joy
and laughter ♫

♫ You can feel the sadness ♫

♫ 'Cause this Christmas ♫

♫ Everyone's not with us ♫

♫ - It's the time of year ♫

♫ When happiness and cheer ♫

♫ Won't be enough to get me
through the night ♫

♫ I need a Wonderful Counselor ♫

♫ The Mighty God,
The Prince of Peace ♫

♫ Who's strong enough
to carry me ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ God with us ♫

♫ The One whose love
will never end ♫

♫ Oh, Jesus can You
make this season ♫

♫ Wonderful ♫

♫ - Almighty in a manger ♫

♫ Told us He'd be no stranger ♫

♫ To all our sorrow ♫

♫ All the hurt we'll ever know ♫

♫ So let these gifts remind us ♫

♫ How Love came down
to find us ♫

♫ Wonder of the ages ♫

♫ The life, the truth, the way ♫

♫ He is
our Wonderful Counselor ♫

♫ The Mighty God,
The Prince of Peace ♫

♫ Who's strong enough
to carry me ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Oh, God with us ♫

♫ The One whose love
will never end ♫

♫ Oh, Jesus,
You can make this season ♫

♫ Wonderful ♫

♫ - Oh, and He will live ♫

♫ And He will die ♫

♫ To conquer death
and bring us life ♫

♫ Forever ♫

♫ He will be
our Wonderful Counselor ♫

♫ The Mighty God,
The Prince of Peace ♫

♫ Who's strong enough
to carry me ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Oh, God with us ♫

♫ The One whose love
will never end ♫

♫ - Oh, Jesus you are ♫

♫ Wonderful ♫

♫ - Wonderful, wonderful ♫

- ♫ - You're wonderful
- You're wonderful ♫♫

God has a name.

It's composed of
four Hebrew characters...

Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh,

sometimes
called the tetragrammaton.

It is considered
so holy and sacred

that the Jewish people would
not even say it out loud,

instead referring to God
as simply "The Name"

or HaShem.

Like, if they said
His real name,

their tongue might
fall out of their mouths

or their vocal chords
twist into a knot

and explode.

That's how seriously
they took it.

They took to using
descriptive terms instead

to identify Him,
as we've learned...

Adonai El-Roi...
The God Who Sees Me.

Jehovah Shalom...
The Lord is Our Peace.

El-Elyon... The Most High.

El-Shaddai... Almighty God.

On a lonely hillside
far from polite society,

a kid who smelled like
sweat, wool, and mud

came up with another one...

Jehovah Raah...
The Lord is My Shepherd.

Bold choice.

Never was the phrase,

"It's a dirty job,
but somebody's gotta do it"

more befitting of an occupation
than that of a shepherd.

They worked and slept outdoors,

moving their sheep
to cooler pastures

when the sun threatened to
k*ll them from heat exhaustion,

sheltering their flocks in caves

to protect from hyenas
and jackals,

remaining hyper-vigilant

to keep them from falling
into ravines or crevasses.

It was not a relaxing
work environment,

contrary to what
you may have seen

in sentimentalized paintings.

They did triple duty
as watchmen, defenders,

and midwives, delivering
lambs from pregnant ewes...

A slippery, messy,
bloody affair,

and one that came
with stipulations.

Every firstborn male lamb
was considered sacred

and would be set aside
for sacrifice in Jerusalem.

Even though shepherds
were at the bottom

of the economic food chain,

they did get one piece
of special attention

from the highest
aristocratic class of priests.

The priests furnished
the shepherds

with consecrated temple cloths
to swaddle the newborn lambs

as they laid in a manger
to inspect for blemishes.

So...

when John the Baptizer
called Jesus

"The Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world,"

he was simultaneously

foreshadowing a future
of sacrifice and atonement,

while also calling back to
his Cousin's humble birth...

the Lamb of God,
wrapped in swaddling clothes,

and lying in a manger.

It's almost like
Someone planned it.

Now, when David first penned

"Jehovah Raah...
The Lord is My Shepherd,"

he went on to describe

"the valley
of the shadow of death... "

a dark place.

In the years before the Light
came into the world,

the people of God had become
like sheep without a shepherd,

dying from the heat exhaustion

of Rome's oppressive taxation
and brutality,

their souls led astray
by hyenas and jackals

dressed as false teachers,

falling into the ravines
and crevasses

of tribalism and division,

untended in our valley
of the shadow of death.

We needed a Shepherd;

we knew that much.

We just never would've guessed
that shepherds themselves

would be the first ones
to find out He was here.

♫ I have traveled ♫

♫ Many moonless nights ♫

♫ Cold and weary ♫

♫ With a babe inside ♫

♫ And I wonder ♫

♫ What I've done ♫

♫ Holy Father ♫

♫ You have come ♫

♫ And chosen me now ♫

♫ To carry Your Son ♫

♫ ♫

♫ I am waiting ♫

♫ In a silent prayer ♫

♫ I am frightened ♫

♫ By the load I bear ♫

♫ In a world as cold as stone ♫

♫ Must I walk this path alone? ♫

♫ Be with me now ♫

♫ Be with me now ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Breath of heaven ♫

♫ Hold me together ♫

♫ Be forever near me ♫

♫ Breath of heaven ♫

♫ Breath of heaven ♫

♫ Lighten my darkness ♫

♫ Pour over me Your holiness ♫

♫ For You are holy ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Breath of heaven ♫

♫ Do You wonder ♫

♫ As You watch my face ♫

♫ If a wiser one ♫

♫ Should have had my place ♫

♫ But I offer all I am ♫

♫ For the mercy of Your plan ♫

♫ Help me be strong ♫

♫ Help me be ♫

♫ Help me ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Breath of heaven ♫

♫ Hold me together ♫

♫ Be forever near me ♫

♫ Breath of heaven ♫

♫ Breath of heaven ♫

♫ Lighten my darkness ♫

♫ Pour over me Your holiness ♫

♫ For You are holy ♫

♫ Breath of heaven ♫

♫ Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm ♫♫

So how I view
the story of Jesus now,

compared to how
I viewed it as a child,

I feel like they're
very, very different.

- A lot of it was wrapped around

the details of the manger
and the animals.

I think we had experienced
like a Nativity story

re-enacted in church
so many times.

- And inevitably I ended up
being a sheep or a star.

Not even the Star of Bethlehem,
just an ancillary star.

- All of our cousins,
we'd get together

and our grandma had a book,
the same book, passed it around,

and we read through
the whole story.

It had depth and meaning,
but it kinda felt fun

and just kinda something we did.

- I just categorized
that story of the Nativity,

there's Narnia,
and there's Frodo,

and there's the Nativity.

It's just another story
we can learn from

that's beautiful
and fun to talk about,

and I get to get gifts
because of it.

That's awesome, you know?

- There was this moment where
my faith was my parents' faith.

And then as I grew older,

obviously, there was
this invitation from Jesus

for my faith to become my own.

And so now the Christmas story
I think has become personal.

- And I think when you have kids
and you have family,

and later in life you realize

how messy the Nativity
really was.

- I am having my first child
and I know how I feel,

and I can only imagine how,

if I was having to deliver
that child by myself in a barn,

I'd not be so jumping
up and down about it.

So, scary, I think, for sure.

- Well, I grew up with horses
so I kind of have an idea

of what it smelled like,
maybe, in the barn.

- And it just hit me one day,
I was like,

"A manger is a feeding trough."

And you don't think of it.

You think of the manger,

that's where they
just laid Jesus,

but they laid Jesus
in a feeding trough.

- And I think that's
one of the beauties

of the manger scene

is that He didn't come
as some royal king.

Well, He certainly is
a royal King,

but the smell,
the odor, all of it.

I just think about
what it would've been like,

and I just think
it would've been messy.

And I love that He chose
to come into the world

in a messy place.

- As an adult, it kind of
becomes revolutionary.

All of the power paradigms

that we set up as humans

of celebrity,
or kings and queens,

the God of the universe

actually kind of flipped
the whole world on its head

and came in, in literally
the most humbled state

that you possibly could.

For God so loved you,

saw you as so valuable
and so worth it

that He didn't do away
with a world

that turns away from Him.

- I always believed in God,

I didn't know He believed in me.

That's what people must know
this Christmas,

is the God
who steps down into their life,

not stands up on a mountain
and demand that they reach Him.

We might see Samuel but...

it's been so long,

I don't know if he's
living in the same home.

I hope so.

You've said so much about him.

We will see.

We won't have any time to look
for him if he's not, of course.

We'll see.

Are we out?

Not even a drop?

Come on.

Um... Joseph.

Yes.

- Can you stop, please?

I'd like to walk for a bit.

- No, Mary,
why would you want to walk?

It's dangerous.

- I'm getting
a bit uncomfortable.

Elizabeth actually told me
it's good to walk and move

when I feel up to it.

- We won't have any water
until I get you to town,

you need your rest.

Ay, uh!

Let me get you
more comfortable, huh?

- Joseph, you don't need to be
the only one walking.

Plus, we're far enough away
from Nazareth

I don't need to hide
my condition anymore...

- Mary, this blanket is stuck.

There is no way
that you're comfortable.

Joseph.

I'd like to walk
with you... please.

- I am responsible
for you, Mary.

For you and...

You protect us.

Yes.

I know, I know.

I'll let you help me down.

All right,

you can walk
for a few minutes, huh?

But please, not too far?

You need to save your strength.

- I actually do need you
to help me down.

- Ah, ah, yes, ah, yes, sorry.

Slowly, slowly.

Watch the baby.

Okay, okay, okay.

You okay?

Yes, yes.

Ooh.

Hey.

This feels better.

Mm.

Thank you.

Thank you for protecting me.

I don't know that
I've said that yet.

- We have a little ways
to go yet;

let's see how
tonight goes and, uh...

- I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about... before.

Oh, ah.

- I've been meaning to say
something this whole journey,

and I just... I didn't,
and I should have.

Mm.

- I should have months ago.

You don't have to.

- Yes, yes, I do.

You could have gotten all of the
bride price back from my father.

- It was never about the money.

I know it wasn't,

and I know it's not
polite to talk about,

but no one
would have blamed you.

For what?

For divorcing me.

Publicly.

- Mary, I...

- You could be
betrothed to someone

that you don't have to hide.

And people wouldn't be
gossiping about you.

And you could go be registered

without having to drag me
on this donkey for five days.

Joseph?

You are a brave man,
and you are godly,

and I should have
said thank you.

God told me to.

I know He did.

Mm.

- But you had a choice.

Ah, ha!

I don't believe that I did.

But I'm glad either way.

I wouldn't change
a single thing that has happened

since that dream, hmm?

Neither would I.

Heh.

Oh, this all
seems impossible, huh?

Yes, yes.

But remember what
the messenger said to me...

Hmm?

- Nothing is impossible
with God.

- My messenger didn't say that.

That would have been nice, huh?

Are you feeling better?

- A bit, yes.

- Okay, up, up.

Okay... okay.

- We need to move quicker.

You need water,

and I planned to get settled

for the part where your
messenger and my messenger

said the same thing.

"And she will give birth
to a son..."

"And you shall
call His name Jesus."

- Yes... that part.

[Come on. {clicks tongue]

♫ ♫

Halt.

Late night for a delivery.

- It was a long journey.

What have you got?

I'm sorry?

Oh, agriculture.

Grain.

Fruit.

- What am I gonna find
if I look in here?

- The best figs in the region.

- Didn't mention the fine goods.

I'll take a look
at your papers now.

Everything all right?

You look a little pale.

Here they are.

Hail Caesar.

Better not have skipped my turn.

All right.

I believe that Samuel's house
is through here.

I'm not sure how
he will respond to your, uh...

condition,

but we will have water,

and it will be nice to see him.

Actually...
I don't know if this is it.

It looks so different.

Maybe because
there are so many people.

I think if we, um...

Yes?

- We don't have time
to look for Samuel.

- No, no, it will be fine,

I know you wanted to find him.

- I need to get you
to the inn, Mary;

you need your rest.

Maybe I can find a well
so you can drink,

and I'll take you
straight to the inn, huh?

Thank you.

- Ah, so many people.

- Are you lost, traveler?

- No longer,
for I have found the way.

Tychicus.

Lazarus.

It's an honor.

Your fame has spread
among so many of us.

You are very kind.

Paul says you are
brave and righteous.

- It's a pleasure to serve.

- There is someone very eager
for your arrival.

May I tell her
all is safe and sound?

Yes.

Come in quickly.

Move!

Ugh!

So this?

This is bull dropping here.

I don't like this, okay?

You're lying to me, huh?

Please, I beg of you.

No.

♫ ♫

- O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you.

My soul thirsts for you...

- My soul thirsts for you.

My flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land...

- dry and weary land

where there is no water.

Mary.

- Well, what did he say?

You won't believe it.

He said that
they are completely full.

The census,
the whole town is overrun.

Unh!

I think it's because, um...

ugh!

I think it's because, uh...

he knows we aren't exactly...

that I can't just give him
more money like the others can,

but he insisted
that they were full.

I was furious, but...

I kept my calm, like I promised.

Of course.

- I told him
about our situation...

that didn't make
a difference, either.

He just said that
there was nothing.

Finally, his wife said
that if we wanted,

we could try...
camping in the stable.

They promised us water
and blankets to help,

even lamb's cloths for the baby.

They promised that
they would be clean.

But I can go look for Samuel.

If he's living in the same home,

then he will have room.

- I'm sorry I slowed us down,
I should have stayed on...

- Oh, Mary, it's not your fault.

Joseph...

We can't keep looking.

- Have the pangs started?

He's coming.

Ah...

I'm sorry,
he said there was nothing.

I know, I know.

- All right, all right,

we will make it work, hmm?

- Yes, yes,
we will make it work,

we will make it work.

- We will make it work.

Woman...

Yes, Lazarus.

- I'm sorry to wake you, but...

- No, I was...
just resting my eyes.

- Are you feeling
well enough to see her?

She's here?

What are you waiting for?

Shalom.

Shalom.

Oh... how did they get you here?

- Our former zealot
had ideas and old friends

to get me to Tychicus
for the last leg.

I was safe.

- Do you need anything else?

Where is Zee now?

- Persia, Lebanon, Armenia...

all over the place.

- I'll just
leave you to it then.

Let me know if
you need anything.

Thank you!

I came as soon as I heard.

It's just a fever.

I'll be fine,

I just had something
to share with you.

But first, anything to report
about our boys?

I don't want...

let's just talk about
what you brought me here for.

- I want to know, Mary.

I pray for them every day,

I want to know what to pray for.

- They're preaching everywhere,

and the Church is growing.

And the deaths of
Big James and Nathanael

seemed to have
only emboldened everyone...

especially Peter.

Of course.

- But it is getting
more difficult.

It's clear they
want us all dead.

You can pray especially
for Andrew in Greece.

They say he will be
arrested at any moment.

- I will pray in earnest.

Do you know where Luke is?

- Yes, he's in Rome with Paul.

Can you reach him?

- If necessary, of course.

Why?

- He's been gathering
his record of the stories,

and we spoke,

but I didn't tell him
everything.

- Ah, there is enough wood here,

I can put something
together for you.

There's no time;

they're coming a bit faster now.

- All right, we can do this.

Try and see if you
can find a spot

to sit on this blanket,

and I'll put something
together for you

and clean up, huh?

Okay.

Okay.

- He needs a place to sleep.

What?

- When He gets here...
He needs a place to lie down.

You make my bed...
I'll make His.

- Already a mother, huh?

Okay.

- My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior,

for He has looked on the
humble estate of His servant.

What is that?

What?

- What are you saying?

Oh, nothing...

- Is it a song of David?

We could use one
right about now.

- No, sorry, it's...
just something to myself.

A poem you created?

- Yes, but...

When?

Several months ago.

- I would love to hear it.

Mary...?

Are you seeing this?

Mary?

Mary?

It's time.

Oh!

Come, I've got you... come sit.

- Shouldn't we call for help?

You've never done this before;

maybe the wife
could come and help?

- No, there isn't any time.

We've got this.

No, no, no,

I don't want you
to see me like this!

- Mary, look at me.

- No, no, no, I can wait.

Go get someone.

- Don't look over there, Mary;

look at me.

We are not alone.

I am so scared.

- Hey, remember what
your messenger said...

the first thing
your messenger said;

it was the same thing
my messenger said to me,

remember?

Don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid.

I love you.

I love you.

- Thank you for
taking care of me.

God gave you to me.

- He has been our help,

and in the shadow of His wings
we will sing for joy.

A song of David.

Yes.

- Can I hear yours now?

Not now.

- Oh, I know, I know.

It is time, yes?

Yes.

- Okay, it is time.

It's okay, I've got you.

- I told Luke about
the journey to Bethlehem,

and about how we couldn't
get a room at the inn.

But I didn't tell him
about my psalm.

Your psalm?

- When I went to see
my cousin Elizabeth

when she was pregnant with John,

she cried out when she saw me.

I told Luke about this,

how she was overwhelmed
for the both of us...

and she called me
the mother of her Lord.

And we were just laughing
and crying together,

and it was all too much,

and words of praise
just burst out of me.

- Please tell me
I'm about to hear them.

- You're going to
write them down

and deliver them to Luke.

- The materials are here.

I trust you to get them right,
and to keep it safe,

and to get it to Luke.

I've kept it all to myself.

As you know, I like to
treasure things in my heart.

I was shy,

and it felt personal
between God and me,

but... I wish I would have
shared it with Joseph.

And people must know...

these felt like God's words
as much as my own.

I can't explain it,
but they did,

and people must know.

I'm ready.

- My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior.

For behold, from now on,

generations
will call me blessed;

and He who is mighty
has done great things for me,

and holy is His name.

And His mercy is
for those who fear Him...

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength
with His arms;

He has scattered the proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down
the mighty from their throne

and exalted those
of humble estate;

He has filled the hungry
with good things,

and the rich
He has sent away empty.

He has helped
His servant Israel,

in remembrance of His mercy.

As He spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to
his offspring forever.

That's amazing.

It's like the song of Hannah,
but even more beautiful.

Oh.

Are you better?

Is this comfortable?

- Yes, thank you.

- Are you still in pain?

Yes, but, uh...

the blanket underneath
is helping.

- Oh, I don't know
how you did that.

I feel like my heart
is going to explode.

- Oh, don't make me laugh,
it hurts to laugh.

Hmm... He's so small.

- Smaller than I expected.

- I don't know what I expected,

but it wasn't any of this.

No...

from the beginning of it all.

So...

your messenger said that
He would be called holy,

the Son of God.

The prophecy mentions Emmanuel.

Are we going to stick
with Jesus?

Hmm...

I think we should.

- Probably best, huh?

- Mm-hmm.

He needs to sleep.

You both do.

Put him in the manger...

it's a better bed
than the one I made for you.

♫ ♫

There's something else

I want you to tell Luke.

I want you to tell him
about the swaddling cloths.

- You want him
to write about it?

People must know.

I want to honor the help
we received from the innkeeper,

but I also think it's lovely
that we used the same cloths

they used to wrap newborn lambs.

I wonder if God
gave us that as a sign.

It is lovely.

- And... there's something else.

Go get that box over there,
by the window.

Open it;

what's inside is yours.

I kept them.

♫ ♫

They meant so much to me,

I just couldn't leave them.

And now they're yours.

Mother...

- There's a rip here...

from where we gave a piece
to one of the shepherds

to dress his wound.

- Did you tell Luke
about the shepherds?

I love that part.

Of course.

- I-I can't; this is too...

- You can and you will.

It will be a reminder
of where all this began...

and how He was one of us
for a time.

- Thank you.

- I have loved you
like a daughter

since I met you at the wedding.

And you have done God's work.

I do miss Him.

And it seems like you'll
get to see Him before I do.

Shh, child.

This is not the end.

- I will get this to Luke
right away...

before anything happens to me,
or any of us.

Wait.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face
shine on you

and be gracious to you.

The Lord turn His face
toward you

and bring you peace.

And also to you.

Shalom.

Shalom.

♫ ♫

Mary of Magdala.

- It's good to see you, Luke.

- What are you doing here?

It's not safe.

I could have arranged
for people...

- You've been recording
an account of Jesus' birth, yes?

Ah, yes.

I've begun collecting
historical accounts.

- I've just been
to see Mother Mary

in a secure location.

Yes...

I have completed my writing
of her account.

Did she have something to add?

♫ ♫

♫ ♫

- Almost every name of God
uses attributes

that reinforce how lofty,
exalted, and separate He is...

El Olam...

Everlasting God.

Jehovah Mekoddishkem...

The Lord Who Sanctifies.

Jehovah Rapha...

The Lord Who Heals.

Jehovah Nissi...

The Lord is My Banner.

Jehovah Jireh...

The Lord Will Provide.

All true, comforting,
and singular,

emphasizing His untouchable,
unattainable, unrivaled power...

Someone so big and omnipotent

that language can never
fully capture His essence,

anymore than
a graven image could.

But you know what?

There's something better
than words or statues or names.

It's something
the prophet Isaiah foretold...

"Behold, the virgin
shall conceive and bear a son,"

and shall call his name

"Emmanuel."

God With Us.

It's not about
the name Emmanuel.

It's about the manifestation
of that name...

The audacious
this-really-happened

miracle of God
taking on human skin,

arriving down at our level,

surrounded by straw,
barn animals, manure, tears,

a wooden feeding trough
for a crib,

frightened parents
way over their heads,

total strangers
barging in on the whole scene,

every detail so deeply human
and raw,

and He was willing
to go through it,

even the worst,
that would come 33 years later,

all for one reason...

to be with us.

It almost sounds
too good to be true.

And that's because

if there's one thing you
could say God is too much of,

goes a little overboard with,

it's goodness...

and truth.

What, then, shall we say?

What of names
of prophets, conquerors,

secret pregnancies
and surprise guests at a birth?

For we cannot but speak
of what we have seen and heard.

That we're not alone anymore.

Emmanuel, God With Us.

The messages we received
mean we are not hearers only,

but doers and messengers
of the Word,

proclaiming the news to
the four corners of the earth,

inviting all to come and see...

That the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us.

In Him was life,

and the life
was the light of men.

The light shines
in the darkness,

and the darkness
has not overcome it.

And it never can,
and it never will.

It's not that people
ought to know,

people could know,
people should know,

but people must know.

The wait is over.

We're the messengers now.

♫ Joy to the world, ♫

♫ the Lord is come! ♫

♫ Let earth receive her King ♫

♫ ♫

♫ - Let every heart
prepare Him room ♫

♫ - And heaven and nature sing ♫

♫ And heaven and nature sing ♫

♫ And heaven,
and heaven and nature sing ♫

Yeah.

♫ ♫

♫ - We will sing, sing, sing ♫

♫ - Oh, sing ♫

♫ - Joy to the world ♫

♫ We will sing, sing, sing ♫

♫ - Oh, oh ♫

♫ - Joy to the world
the Savior reigns! ♫

♫ Let men their songs employ ♫

♫ - Their songs employ ♫

♫ - While fields and floods,
rocks, hills, and plains ♫

♫ - Repeat the sounding joy ♫

♫ - Repeat the sounding joy ♫

♫ - Repeat the sounding joy ♫

♫ - Repeat the sounding joy ♫

♫ - Repeat, repeat
the sounding joy-oy-oy-oy ♫

♫ We will sing, sing, sing ♫

♫ - Oh, we will sing, yeah ♫

♫ - Joy to the world ♫

♫ - Joy to the world ♫

♫ - We will sing, sing, sing ♫

♫ ♫

♫ - Oh, oh, whoa ♫

♫ - Whoa ♫

♫ - He rules the world
with truth and grace ♫

♫ And makes the nations prove ♫

♫ - The glories
of His righteousness ♫

♫ - And wonders of His love ♫

♫ And wonders,
wonders of His love ♫

♫ - His love, His love ♫

♫ His love, His love ♫

♫ We will sing, sing, sing ♫

♫ - We're singing,
we're singing ♫

♫ - Joy to the world ♫

♫ - We will sing, sing, sing ♫

♫ - Si-ii-ing ♫

♫ - Joyful, joyful
we adore Thee ♫

♫ God of glory, Lord of love ♫

♫ - Oh, Lord of love ♫

♫ - Hearts unfold like flowers
before Thee ♫

♫ - Opening to the sun above ♫

♫ - Oh, joy to the world ♫

♫ - Joyful, joyful,
we adore thee ♫

♫ - We adore you, God ♫

♫ - God of glory, Lord of love ♫

♫ - There's no one like You,
no one like You, God ♫

♫ - Hearts unfold like flowers
before Thee ♫

♫ Opening to
the sun abo-oo-ove ♫

♫ We will sing, sing, sing ♫

♫ ♫

♫ Joy to the wor-or-old ♫♫

♫ - Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ O Come, O Come, Emmanuel ♫

♫ And ransom c*ptive Israel ♫

♫ That mourns
in lonely exile here ♫

♫ Until the Son of God appear ♫

♫ Rejoice! Rejoice! ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Shall come to you, O Israel ♫

♫ O come, Thou Dayspring,
come and cheer ♫

♫ Our spirits
by your advent here ♫

♫ Disperse the gloomy
clouds of night ♫

♫ And death's dark shadows
put to flight ♫

♫ Rejoice! Rejoice! ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Shall come to you, O Israel ♫

♫ Rejoice! Rejoice! ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Shall come to you, O Israel ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ O come, desire of nations bind

♫ All people in one
the heart and mind ♫

♫ Let envy, strife,
and quarrels cease ♫

♫ And be Thyself
our King of Peace ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♫

♫ Rejoice! Rejoice! ♫

♫ Emmanuel ♫

♫ Shall come to you, O Israel ♫♫

♫ ♫