Wish Upon A Star - Christmas Production - 2018 | LifecentralChurchUK

hello and thank you for tuning into our Christmas production of wish upon a star we did this production on the 8th and 9th of December 2018 and we have done four shows in hills Owen and one in Hadley and across all these shows we have seen around 1,400 people it has been a phenomenal weekend we want you to enjoy it so sit back relax enjoy and if you do love it please do feel free to come and join us you can check out our website which is www.hyken.com our production 2018 [Music] upon us makes no difference [Music] desert [Music] you're [Music] No [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] star light star bright first star I see tonight I wish I may I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight one star in the sky Oh blinking and bright here's what I wish for if it fell tonight if I only had one wish this Christmas and to be honest I shall have many more because I have been really really good this year you can ask anyone except my little brother he's a liar so only one wish well maybe I should start with my brother for him I wish he could have a new bike but it should come in pieces cuz my dad really likes to build stuff and I get to learn a whole bunch of new words he tells me never to say but if I only had one wish then maybe it should be for my mum I wish he could have knew scales that way when gran a sixth her if she's lost any weight she'll actually know the right answer and then there's gran I wish she could stay awake faster Queen's speech or a my wishing just a little too much then there's our neighbors I wish they could just have a little restraint on their decorations unless you're landing a plane or communicating with a distant planet there is really no need for all those lights it might even be worth my wish just to get some sleep tonight but what am i doing there's so many wishes this year but I haven't even got to mine yet I mean this is Christmas this should be easy I guess I should wish for peace on earth but I really wanted your iPhone No No focus focus Christmas is a celebration a time to gather with friends and family Christmas is about hope about joy and about peace okay if I could only have one wish only one star then here goes starlight Starbright of all the things I wish I might a sky full of stars Christmas lights for all my wishes on this holy night [Applause] [Music] Christmas night a derby fine cheese we cried poison with poison I took my feet to watch the chew [Music] just welcome eva's little but I can't with your still way over stone [Music] [Music] [Applause] - time you're still waiting for the snow it doesn't really feel like Christmas waiting for Stokes [Music] those Christmas lights [Music] me I swear to shine [Music] [Music] those Christmas Oh Suze eyes keep shining [Music] [Applause] [Music] at this time of year we are filled with wishes desires and expectations advent calendars are helping us count down the days until Christmas and it just feels like such a magical time of year through this year's theme of wish upon a star we want to explore why Christmas is so captivating for so many especially kids but as the song says when you wish upon a star it makes no difference who you are Christmas is special for all of us I thought you might be going to sing then not a chance birth a dance last year and that was an awful so this year's theme of wish upon a star got us thinking about what we are wishing for this Christmas perhaps a particular gift or the restoration of a relationship or just for once for everything to go to plan on Christmas Day in order to find out what the general public are wishing for this Christmas we sent Andy and one of our gappiya students Sophie into Hill's Owen and Hagley and this is what they found out Christmas is comin and the goose is going fast and we're here inhale Zoe and Hagley to find out what people's Christmas wishes this year these are absolutely freezing they're everybody's happy everybody's happy everybody even the people you don't like no no we've got to be really forgiveness around the place so I'm here with Nick Nick tell me what is your wish for this Christmas luckily he go to listen to your next sermon on a beach in Cape Verde on a podcast what two days ago I mean it is everybody's wish to take me to Cape Verde when are you taking me that's bender will you behave keep my health is what the way it is to be perfectly honest with you infinite wish she's in for far may I see your loophole she all gone one wish get more wishes to be happy success flipside just get big that's my band flip side as yeah the flip side is I'm gonna fall over his part see where he now is over them I'm playing the accordion tell us what is your Christmas wish this year yeah why is your Christmas wish this year now now taking the jingle bell jingle bell jingle jingle bells could you play jingle bells for us that is my Christmas wish okay jingle bells - be happy and prosperous nice and it's not by selling more baked potatoes you know my Christmas wishes this year it is for a free jacket potato what's the odds evens at the moment the evens I'll take that I move Debbie say hi Debbie what is your one Christmas wish this year excuse me I was wondering what your Christmas wish was this year projected I think I'd wish that all the homeless people off the streets more world peace okay and when you're not applying for Miss World what will your Christmas wish be better calf muscles [Music] I think this might be a different signal bells at the 1i affairs oh my goodness how I didn't get punched in the face as a Christmas miracle in itself there yeah maybe Santa will bring that guy better calf muscles clapping to ask for oh my goodness right we are gonna play a game together laser jamming so you need to grab your programs as you did before and we are gonna stand if you are able to aim so if you stand to your feet and the way this will work is we are trying to find some of our life central Christmas quiz champions so there are gonna be four questions if you are still standing at the end of the four questions you are officially one of our quiz champions so if you get it wrong you sit down and you are out of the game Beth give us the first question dete so kicking us off is who sings the opening line in band-aids do they know it's Christmas gold for Boy George or silver for Paul Young it's a lot of people sing it in their head it's a lot of people having a little thing especially the front area over here 50-50 chance I mean oh okay so if you have got silver up in the air you are absolutely correct because it was Paul Young gold please sit down so vehicle to sit down okay our next question 6,000,000 roles of sellotape will be sold in the UK in the run-up to Christmas is that gold true or silver false so six million rolls of sellotape will be sold in the UK in the run on to christmas gold for true silver for false the correct answer is gold so if you a silver sit down we are whittling down now we're in the semi-finals still in the game the next question is what is the time difference between Lapland and the UK in December is it gold one hour or silver two hours what is the time difference people in the air or well we have got a lot of very brainy people at the house cuz it is indeed silver to ours and there was a majority of yourself well done okay we're into the final if you make it through you are one of our champions the last question is by which title was the song jingle bells originally released the song that that guy knew so well is it gold dashing through the snow or silver one-horse open sleigh and the correct answer is silver one-horse open sleigh see if you are cold sit down are Silver's you are the champions bask in the glory of a round of applause congratulations you know more about Christmas than the rest of your friends and family well done you can claim your crown later on as we said earlier lots of people wish for lots and lots of different things every Christmas if some of those things are trivial like the presents which say certain foods we've already established pigs and blankets are the most Christmas foods and also people might wish for like their football team to win a game sadly for us them Villa fans even Santa Claus can't deliver that gift this year however some wishes are a little deeper perhaps wishing for the safe return of a relative the resolution to an argument or just for one more Christmas with a loved one but no matter how deep our wishes that often summed up in the kinds of songs that we listened to in the Christmas period whether it's simply for a white Christmas or for Wars to be over but if one thing's for sure there is a song we'll be going through the minds of most children this Christmas and that is I wish it could be Christmas every day [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh you know anyway [Music] Oh [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Oh Christmas just like the ones I used to go the truth [Music] Sun Tzu yeah [Music] stop that [Music] Christmas with every Christmas [Music] and [Music] dreaming it's why [Music] [Music] every Christmas [Music] [Music] this must be [Music] [Music] [Music] white Christmas with every Christmas [Music] [Music] and may [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] so this is crazy [Music] time [Music] do one just [Music] [Music] we can foster [Music] Oh world is so [Applause] [Music] we just be [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] in you can't have but love this this Christmas time and the Sun feeling there's a little bit of [Music] [Applause] [Music] baby maybe more [Music] [Music] [Music] funny how it takes a holiday [Music] there be [Music] [Music] know it there [Music] sweet [Music] ooh joy is mine [Music] [Music] [Music] wishing upon a star at Christmas I'm not sure this is working you know what are you talking about it just it doesn't feel very beep yeah but shouldn't you thought about that a little bit earlier yeah probably poor it just all feels a little bit wishy washy pardon upon and a bit a bit Disney like it just doesn't feel very hopeful yeah but the songs not when you hope upon a star is it yeah but it should be like Christmas is all about the hope that Jesus brings like at some point we should turn to hope wish tend to hope hey that's a good title maybe we should use that next year oh and you suggested we need to start again no not a chance cuz we've got to frankly this afternoon but maybe maybe we could just like rework some things okay what do you suggest I'm I'll tell you what let's get fan arounds Hannah come on comment comment to your bet again come on go right so if you if you stand here or maybe maybe you do your bit again texting can we um get like some stars or something like you are before perfects your great oppress importance okay the band maybe maybe you could place on my Christmassy chords and parts and things that'd be lovely come on girl that's it that's brilliant I may be kind of maybe you should read from the Bible that makes sense are in the church Leon could you could you pass us in a Bible [Music] of course you've got a Bible you're the pastor brilliant look at that open on the page that we need it on that's amazing Hannah why don't you read that and I'm Beth why don't you just rework the script a little it say something about ten and wish into hope okay so changing it from here yeah okay wishing upon a star at Christmas although magical can feel empty to some as some point wish has to turn to hope and that is where the story of Jesus comes in at that time Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire everyone then went to register himself each to his own hometown Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judea the birthplace of King David he went to register with Mary who was promised in marriage to him she was pregnant and while they were in Bethlehem the time came for her to have her baby she gave birth to her first son wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger there was no room for them to stay in there were some shepherds who were spending the night in the fields taking care of their flocks an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone over them they were terribly afraid that the angel said to them do not be afraid I am here with good news for you which will bring great joy to all the people this very day in David's town your savior was born Christ the Lord suddenly a great army of heavens angels appeared with the angel singing praises to God glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] lift your eyes and look to the heavens from distant places light breaks through the darkness a word cracks the silence a shining promise of hope to come you Lord put order to the stars how their depths between the tips of your fingers your hands crafted the majestic night sky the heavens are filled and moved with your breath a distant place we've longed for constellations pictures of your presence March at your command generations have looked to them seeking answers and searching for you in the silence a song began people looking to the sky saw a star growing bright during me and in a moment you fulfilled the promise that we would never be alone a vow fulfilled and a hope restored for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father and Prince of Peace [Applause] [Music] [Music] all too let's go [Music] [Music] Pullo to us [Music] to us [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] wow that was some pretty incredible music and I'm sure you'll agree some pretty amazing singing but it's gonna get better than that because now it's your turn to sing okay hi everyone my name's Leon I'm the pastor here at the church and in a few moments I get the chance to chat to you which is brilliant but before that we would really love to hear you singing you see our theme now has gone from wish upon a star - when wish turns to hope and one of the ways that people discover and develop hope is through singing we've sung from the beginning of the history of time really we sing in the car we sing in the shower we sing at the football we sing in the pub we sing when we're happy we sing when we're sad we sing songs of freedom we sing songs from captivity we sing songs of celebration and we sing songs of hope you know the Christmas story that you heard Hannah read a few moments ago is a story full of hope and for the last 2,000 years people have took that story and sets it to songs which we call carols so we want to invite you to sing some carols with us this morning I'm going to invite the guys to come back out and we're gonna set up around here like a campfire scene okay and we're going to invite you to join us around this campfire we're gonna sing three carols together and we really want to encourage you to sing these songs together with us and if you're watching online you might want to sing as well only if you're in the bus on the bus we're in the Train maybe not so much but anyway if you're at home then please sing with us as well so I want to invite you to stand with me if you don't mind just stand if you're able and these three songs are are some of these are written hundreds of years ago and they've been sung all around the world by literally millions of people they are songs of joy now songs of peace and they're songs of hope so the guys will lead you why don't we fill this place with a beautiful sound of your voices and with these songs of incredible hope first snow [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] where on a cold winter's night [Music] No [Music] I [Music] [Music] is we're gonna continue singing watch I love this [Music] just breathe Oh Jackie [Music] [Music] so come [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] rise [Music] [Music] since Christ the King whom Shepherds guard [Applause] [Music] gonna keep on singing joy to the world come on one two one two [Music] [Music] [Music] to see [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the world with [Music] and what [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] the oh hi [Music] the [Music] that I heard of one why [Music] somewhere [Music] the skies [Music] the [Music] dream that she tended to really to come to [Music] someday I wanna star and wake up where the clouds are fine [Music] where troubles melt like lemon drops boy [Music] [Laughter] [Music] my star in a wake up with the gloves our fire [Music] trouble and drops away above the chimney [Music] you [Music] the [Music] [Applause] [Music] to [Music] Oh yeah [Music] while it's stunning someday I wish upon a star and wake up and the clouds are far behind me how many you've ever felt that that's what wish isn't it someday we should understand wake up in the clouds of far behind me is that a wish or is it a hope I wonder what the difference is between the two maybe it's something to do with the foundation and the probability of it actually happening so let me try this on you someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up and the calories are far behind me is that a wish or a hope someday I wish upon a star and wake up and the credit card bills are far behind me all the family arguments all the pain all the her is it a wish or is it a hope it depends entirely on the foundation you know just a few years ago I saw this great Facebook post and if you're British you'll get this if you're not you might not but you probably will and it's basically just a cup of tea and it just basically says where there's tea there's hope how British is that but you know it's never connected to a war it's always connected to a home let me explain to you you see went went went kids get excited about Christmas they often write letters to Santa and you saw it in the dance at the beginning of the production whether the girls work we're putting letters through the letterbox and and here's some Santa letters that I really like this one do your Santa this year bring me a pony if you don't there will be consequences there's a kid with some issues or this one dear Santa um how's your reindeer nice but hey Santa hope your reindeer okay and if you don't bring me what I wish don't worry about it just bring me tons and tons of money again another kid that's got his priorities may be a little bit mixed up but this is the one I really like dear Santa could you let me see you I know this is the same request as last year but I really want to see you you see if we only had one hope or one wish it wouldn't be connected to a watt it would always be connected to a hoe it would be the person you care about the most it will be the person you miss the most the person you wish was there the person you loved the most the person you wish loved you the most it would all our deepest hope and desire is always connected to a who a person not connected to a wat which is a thing you're gonna hear now a story of one of the ladies from our church in fact often in our Christmas production she'll be up here singing she's one of our amazing group of singers she's not singing this year but she's gonna tell you her story instead and her and her family have been on a very traumatic journey over the last few years and you're gonna hear her tell her story for the first time publicly and you're gonna hear a lot about wishing but you're gonna hear more about hope this is Vicki story hi my name is Vicki I love Christmas not only because I've I love singing and I've been involved in Christmas productions here at the church for quite a few years but as a family when I was a child growing up Christmas was always magical so my family there's my mom my dad my sister Nick my brother Tim and then I'm the youngest of three but even more special was that my sister's birthday was Christmas Eve now me and my sister a very special relationship as we grew up we became two peas in a pod at Christmas as we got older we would celebrate her birthday we would have a Bailey's on Christmas Eve evening and seeing at Christmas Day together so then as time went on we got married and we had kids and say Christmas became even more magical seeing it through the eyes of our children then in autumn 2011 everything changed we found out that my sister had cancer I remember the day that she phoned me and told me the news I was shocked and I couldn't believe it but straight away my sister got into fighting motors I know we're gonna fight this I'm gonna I'm gonna fight this and so we got people praying we asked our friends and family to pray so me and my family were Christians we believe in God my mom and dad my sister my brother and me we all believe in God and believe in prayer the power of prayer so we were praying that that she would be healed and that Christmas I was actually singing and I remember singing a song called a Christmas to remember and I remember my sister sitting in the in the audience and I remember singing and saying yes we're gonna make this a Christmas to remember and then over the next few years it was a rollercoaster they managed to get rid of the cancer through surgery and through radiotherapy and she was cancelled for the year or so later they told her that the cancer had returned but we got back into fighting made again and praying and wishing and hoping that it would be gone again and again she was cancer-free so in the September 2015 my sister was given the news that the cancer had returned for the third time and this time they said that there was nothing do the the cancer that she had was a very rare cancer that was in her head which meant her face was affected she was very upset that her this one side of her mouth went down and my sister was always very very smiley as a person and she was really upset that she couldn't smile properly and in the November 2016 Nick was told that the cancer had spread and they had gone all into her bones this time and they'd said that she probably only had weeks to live at that point and we were still wishing and hoping actually would be healed and amazingly whether you know God and combination of treatments that they've been able to give her she was given a new sense of energy up until that point she had been quite poorly and so she could only sit really and watch the children play but that one Sunday she had this new sense of energy she was helping jack her son with his homework that Sunday she was planning Christmas talking about Christmas presents that she wanted to get and then the next day from the Monday I heard a phone call from my mum saying that Nick was really really bad and I needed so I got in the car with Mark my husband and we drove down no trade down to the hospital in Cheltenham we came and as a family and we prayed and we still were asking God to heal her to bring her through just you know and I remember saying come on Nick go fight this and then that helped us 1:00 in the morning of the 29th of November my sister died and up until about an hour before we were still wishing and hoping that she was gonna pull through but she didn't and we were together as a family and we cried together and we said goodbye say two weeks after she died I sang in the Christmas production here at church and I sang a song called I believe because despite the grief that I was feeling I knew that I believed in God so I knew that I could stand up and sing that Christmas but then after Christmas and into the new year it did change for me emotionally my journey of grief and I really struggled with some questions I had towards God I couldn't understand why she couldn't still be here with us why he didn't heal her and we can week out on a Sunday I would still come to church but I couldn't sing but then as time went on bit by bit I managed to sing again because I know that no matter what I've been through was dawn and I blew the craziness that the grief took me in I came out the other side and I know that God loves me he loves my family that no matter what we've been through what I've been through that he will always always be there through those things and that he is my sister said a few days before she died that she did not want to go but and she wondered what it might feel for him but she knew where she was going things are still hard I still miss my sister so much and Christmases is gonna be hard and I wish that I could pick up the phone and speak to her again or pop up to heaven and have a catch up again but I know that I can't I won't get what I wish for but I've got hope I've got hope in God and I know that death isn't the end that I know that I will see her again in heaven and that's why I can sing again that's why I can live again [Music] it's incredibly moving is net and real and honest you know when wish turns to hope will only happen when the light dawns on you and you realize that there's only one person in the universe who can meet your deepest needs and bring hope to your deepest fears you know in the Christmas story the star hovered not oh so much over a place but over a person it's never a watt it's always a who and there's a Carol that I love called a little town of Bethlehem and there's a line in that carrot says our hopes and fears of all the years are met envy or in you tonight and so we're introducing to you this idea that the foundation for Hope in your life is this person called Jesus Christ and some of you may be saying well hang on a minute I thought we moved away from wish isn't the Jesus story over with the wish and the Disneyland and the fairy tale and the myth and all of that absolutely not you know there's more historical evidence for Jesus Christ than there is for Julius Caesar arriving on the shores of Britain if you look through history there's many many scientists leading scientists people like Newton and and Calvin and Lister and Pascal all these kind of guys and girls that that have had faith in in God as well as science because they're not mutually exclusive you know science tells us how but faith tells us why so we're not talking about a hope that's on a whimsy kind of wish base we're talking about the hope that's based on evidence but you know the most compelling evidence is not the historical or the archaeological or any of that it's personal experience it's when you make room for the possibility that there could be a God and when you make room for that possibility he comes in and does amazing things and I don't know about you but I need some hope in my life as well and when you open the door when you make room for him you make room for him bringing hope into your life and he does that through bringing a different perspective I love what Vicki said at the end of that piece and we filmed that together over many hours and it was incredibly emotional for all of us because I've known Vicki since she was four and a sister Nick since she was about eight and so we've grown up together as families together it's incredibly difficult but that bit when she said I didn't get what I wish for but I've got hope and my hope is I know death is not the end and I'll see her again and my hope is I know I can sing again this side of heaven as well that's not a wish that's a hope and that's a strong foundation you get a different perspective and you get a different power in your life I want to read something to you from a guy called char swindle char swindle was a politician who in the 1970s some of you remember this he was arrested along with many others and put in prison for his part in the Watergate scandal when he went to prison he wasn't the Christian he wasn't a believer but he became a Christian in prison and he found hope and he writes this when we are trapped in a tunnel of misery hope points the light at the end when we are overworked and exhausted out of you that this evening I'm sure many of us hope gives us fresh energy when we're discouraged hope lifts our spirits when we tempted to quit hope keeps us going when we lose our way and confusion blurs the destination hope dulls the edge of panic when we struggle with a crippling disease or a lingering illness hope brings the reminder God is still in control when we find ourselves unemployed hope tells us we still have a future when we're forced to sit back and wait Hope gives us the patience to trust when we feel rejected or abandoned hope reminds us we're not alone and we will make it and when we say our final farewell to someone we love hope in the life beyond helps us and gets us through our grief when you make room for the possibility that there is a God when you make room for hope everything can change and you know here in this church you may look around and maybe if you're not I believe in you don't believe in God and you may think Oh everybody else is like they've been Christians all their life and they've been brought up Christians that's not the case at all there are loads of people in our church who just a few weeks or months or years ago wouldn't say there were followers of Jesus at all in fact many of them would say they were atheists and yet they've made room for the possibility that they were wrong and they've checked it out for themselves and one of the reasons that one of the ways they've done that is through something that you heard earlier on called the Alpha course and we along with other many hundreds of churches all around the world we've been running an alfa corse for years now and basically it's on a monday night for us and it's basically a very relaxed hour-and-a-half together we give you free food which is gray and you sit around tables we give you a little presentation of what the Christian faith is about then you get to ask whatever questions you want at the end of that process which lasts about seven or eight weeks if it's not for you you walk away all you've done is you've given up eight Monday nights and you've had some free food and maybe you met some new friends but maybe it is for you and maybe that starts when you make room for that possibility and we kick it off on January the 14th with a taste that evening some live music from some of the guys and girls that you've heard tonight and some great food and then just a little taster into it so I want to encourage you to think about coming just to that one night could you make room for the possibility that there might be a god could you at least check it out could you make room for your story intersecting with his story could you make room for the one who has the power to bring hope the family hi from the stone found no play nice at the keepers good it was four minutes the child was born saving world so cold and home sleeping town it did not know that life [Music] counting sheep you are precious in His sight God [Music] this [Music] jeez [Music] hold the promise tight every year our would be made right the road is straight in the burdens [Music] [Music] [Music] your dream [Music] I want to ask you it just for a minute won't ask you a question before you clap on ask you a question and this is whether you're a Christian or not whether you have faith whether you're not whether you believe God exists whether you don't I'm asking you all the same question have you got room in your heart for him and you might say I don't believe in him that's okay he believes in you he believes in you have you got room in your heart for him maybe maybe for some of us today there's not room for him because we're just so busy we've got so much stuff maybe for some of us in our heart there's not room because there's so much hurt and there's so much pain and there isn't any room I'm gonna tell you whether you're busy or whether you're in hurt or pain make room make room he's the only one that can bring your hope that turns wish into a home but even if you don't get what you wish you could still no hope and what I would love the privilege of doing this morning it's just praying for you and so I'm just going to do that very very quickly and I want to just ask you to come join with me and I want to pray for you and maybe this Christmas time for some of you it's going to be really difficult maybe you'll look around the table and there'll be an empty chair maybe this is the first Christmas for you without someone that you've lost when someone that you love maybe this is a the Christmas when some of you think hey this could be the last Christmas with someone that I really love maybe this is the Christmas when you don't get what you wish for but my prayer is that you still have hope you're still have hope you may have an empty chair but you'll have that sense that God can be with you and he is with you because that's what he's promised that's what many of us have experienced we've gone through grief we go through tough times but we know that God is with us so on and pray for you this morning let's pray Jesus I wanna pray for every single person here in this room for anyone watching online Lord whether they know you or not whether they say they believe in you are not God you know them and you believe in them and you love them so much that you sent your only Son and order we don't get hope by wishing upon a star we get it by putting our trust in the one who made the stars in the one who holds the universe in place in the one who defeated death and the one the one who loves us so much that he promised never to leave us or let us go so Jesus I want to pray for every person here I wanna pray for their families and their friends may this Christmas time may they know your peace your joy and above all may they know your hope in Jesus name Amen and you don't want to say a second thing now you know I want to encourage you to make room for the possibility that there may be a god this is for maybe those who you are not quite sure and one of the things when you come to a thing like this and you may have looked around this morning thought oh everybody else see and they're all Christian people they're all religious they've all been brought up they come to church they've come to church all their life not true many many people in this church would say that just a few months or years ago they weren't followers of Jesus at all some of them would actually say they were agnostics or atheists I didn't believe he got it all as many here who said that but they made room for the possibility that they might be wrong and many of them they did that by coming on something that we it's a course that's run all across the world thousands and thousands of people have been on it we've been running here in the church for many many years and for us it runs on Monday evenings and it's just a series of Monday evenings and you Carmen you get some great free food you get an engaging talk about the Christian faith and you sit around tables and just discuss and ask questions and hear from other people on their journey we've got an alpha taste that evening on Monday January the 14th and basically that's kind of like some music from some of the guys that you've seen on stage this morning again some great free food and then a little introduction to the Christian faith that evening you can decide whether you want to sign up for the seven weeks or whether you want to just leave it there and we want to really encourage you to do that okay and many people are doing that over this weekend and we'd encourage you to join with them and you can do in two ways you can go to the connection point and you can sign up with somebody out there or even easier than that you can take out your phone and you can text your name and alpha so text alpha and your name to sing so treble seven and someone will send you some information that's all we'll do send you some information connected to what is happening so you text alpha and your name - six Oh treble seven if you're on a contract with free text it won't cost you anything if you're not it'll cost you a few pence but that's all it will cost you so alpha your name six Oh treble seven and then someone will contact you we're gonna sing a final song now okay and on their way on your way out and the invest will come up and on your way out there's some more literature about alpha you can take with you or there's a little booklet that describes a little bit more about what I've been trying to say here this morning about the hope of the Christmas story you can take that for free and read it over the Christmas break we're gonna finish by singing a song that isn't a Christmas song it's a song we sing here in the church okay so many of you who are part of the church will know it I'm really encourage you to sing along and help the other guys who don't know it but it's such a great song to finish is we don't didn't want to finish by talking about wishing and stars we want to talk about hope and life that's what this song is all about because the hope is not connected to a watt it's always connected to a hope and we believe the who is Jesus so why don't we stand together and we're gonna sing this incredible song as we finish that time it's called Living Hope I agree purchases that ladies I could in perspiration iTunes to heaven spoke your name into the dog is your loving kindness so through the shed [Music] who the [Music] Jesus Christ bye [Music] so great [Music] this [Music] yes [Music] so across [Music] [Applause] she is but [Music] [Music] Oh [Music] my [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] out of the side [Music] the grave has no [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] has no [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh Oh [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] Oh [Music] Wow one amazing way to finish our time together yes indeed and thank you so much for joining us this morning do stick around for a drink and don't forget the selfie mirror out in the atrium to get those all-important froze your family and friends please do take your program with you as well like I said earlier I've got all the information of how you can join us through the Christmas season and into January and don't forget if you want to sign up for an alpha text alpha your name - six Oh treble seven and on your way out you can pick up a booklet to find out more about what Leon was talking about and a little flyer card thing invitation to our alpha launch party we would love to see you again soon yes and there have been so many people involved in print this production I'm assuming you have seen it some but you won't have seen so before we go can we please just give a massive round of applause to thank everyone who's helped make this [Applause] fantastic and we want to thank all of you in the room and those of you who've tuned in on YouTube we want to thank you for joining us on behalf of everybody at live central church we want to wish you a very happy Christmas and we will see you again soon take care everyone [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: LifecentralChurchUK

Views: 2,355

Rating: 4.7241378 out of 5

Keywords: lifecentralchurchuk, lifecentralchurch, halesowen, hagley, church, christianity, god, love, talks, relevant, gospel

Id: mrio3vWkAXw

Length: 95min 55sec (5755 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 19 2018