Merry Christmas to y'all. Thank you for joining us for one of our Christmas Eve services. Thank you, our online viewers as well.

This is number six out of eight, I think. I might have lost track. But it's so good to have you here in person.

By the way, too, we have hundreds of people right now in overflow in our chapel, our cafe, room 700, room 800. So let's all in the

sanctuary applaud them and thank them for being here too. You love you, even though if you're

in overflow rooms. And to our online audience, we got word yesterday that Russia has blocked our

live stream. So, Mr. Putin, tear down that wall.

Anyway, so good to have you here in person and online and wherever this is going around the world

where people can join us in celebrating what, the birth of Jesus Christ. This is what Christmas is all about.

I'm going to share briefly out of Luke chapter 2. This is what it says. And it came to pass in those

days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea,

to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,

because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with

Mary, his betrothed wife who was with child. And so it was that while they were there, the days

were accomplished for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him

in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them

in the inn. Let's pause and pray. Lord, it is good to be in your house to celebrate the birth of Jesus

when you entered our world and took on flesh to save us. And for those of us who already know you,

this is a time of celebration. And I pray for

those who don't know you in a personal way that today would be a time of revelation for them,

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