Let's give Dan a warm up here. Yeah I appreciate that John asked if I could be involved in uh this series because it's such a cool series that he's doing and God with us, Emmanuel with a perfect Christmas message and so last week he talked about God with us in our battles and this morning we're talking. And about God with us um in our valleys and and he's given me the the passage he said you know maybe use this as a springboard and it's um Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, and it talks about going through the valley of the shadow of death and so I'm just wondering uh if any of you have ever gone through kind of a dark valley. Yeah, we got a couple of hands going up. um, first service, um, laughed at me when I said that they were, yeah, uh, most of us at some time. have gone through a dark valley. Now I, I know for me there was a period of time, about a year. That I, I was in a valley and it to me made no sense whatsoever. I, I, I was 27 years old. I was 27 years old and my wife will tell you today that Dan has no issues sleeping at all. She'll tell you in fact that I will fall asleep in the middle of a sentence. And I don't, but that year I would lay in bed. I'd hit the pillow tired and boom my head would just start spinning and it would start going and going and going and I couldn't get to sleep and I would think I'm 27 years old, you know, by my family's genes it looks like I'm a third of my way through my life. A third of it's gone. Oh my goodness, and I'd start counting. Well, that means there's how many days left and uh man alive this is going and my head is just spinning. And I was in this valley. And so it's interesting the passage are what we're. Talking about the big idea today is that with God challenging transitions. Can produce Christ-like transformation. And, and I think that transitions produce valleys for us, um. Psalm 23:4 reads, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. There it is. There is the Emanuel of the message. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me, you know, for a lot of us, I think that we, we've misunderstood, um, that passage that Psalm 23, um, we, it, it's something that's used at funerals all the time, uh, maybe you, you've got a relative or something and you've, um. Said well we need to put something on the back of the program. What should we put? Well, let's put Psalm 23 on it so it seems always tied to like a funeral, but that's to miss the point. The point is that David in writing the psalm is looking at life through the eyes of a sheep. It begins with the Lord is my shepherd. And then it talks about going through these valleys. Well, those valleys, uh, there's a great little book you probably can get it online for 2 books. It it's called A Shepherd's look at the 23rd Psalm, and in it, um, this author, uh, describes, uh, Psalm 23 from a shepherd's perspective what his sheep were going through. And what would happen is that uh twice a year a shepherd in Israel would take his sheep from the the summer pastures up in the mountains and he would bring them down through the valley through these narrow paths to the winter valley winter fields down in the valley. You know we call those snow birds here but uh oh sorry um but it it's the same kind of picture that for the sheep. And then as you're down in the valley during the winter and uh the weather starts changing and all of a sudden it gets warmer and warmer and hot, the shepherd would take the sheep and again go right up the valley through these narrow paths. To the to the summer fields up on the top, so those valleys of the shadow of death or the sheep were these narrow passageways this transition that would the sheep would go on in order to go from one pasture to another. And so when we think of it that way, we think of our own lives and say what are the transitions that we are going through and when I reflect back on that valley of mine when I was 27, there was, there was a period of time about 2.5 months where there these incredible transitions. Number one, I, I had finished school. I've been in school for for uh 22 years from the time I was in kindergarten, kindergarten, elementary school, junior high, high school, college, and then seminary, and I've been through all of that and I've been in all that school and all of a sudden boom, it came to an end and we were now transitioning to a career. And no matter how much you say you were looking forward to a career, that's a transition that's a time when it's not about school, it's about. The job And and so I was fortunate, having grown up and spent all my time and my wife spent all her time in Minnesota, we just were blessed out of our ever-loving minds to get a call from a church and said would you come and help us in a church in. San Diego. Yeah, I'm thinking I'm gonna get invited as a graduate to Grundy Center, Iowa. And instead, I get a call, would you like to come to San Diego? Some of you are going, that's not a rough transition, Dan, and, and it isn't. At the same time. At the same time we were leaving our family. Our friends, everybody we knew our church, our support system, and we were going to a new place where we really didn't know people. So we were going to this new thing it was a transition. So it was school to career changing locations then we had another wonderful transition and it was that my wife had been pregnant, uh, as we moved and we got the job and we left and and so now two months into the job, um, she decides to give birth and she wants to do it. Um, in the most natural way possible, so we, we, we got a midwife and we went to a birthing center and we had the baby at 1 o'clock. It was unbelievably perfect timing because, um, the Vikings were playing the Chargers at 10 o'clock in the morning, so, so I got in the room watched the whole game and it ended and she said, OK, now I'm ready for birth and so she gave birth. 1 o'clock in the afternoon and at at 8 o'clock they said, you know, you can go home now. And I go, great, see you later. And I'm leaving they go, no, no, no, no, here, take your son with you. I go, are you out of your ever loving minds? I, I, I am not a dependable person. And they go, it doesn't matter, you're taking. The sun with you. And so there was a transition and I know in this room there's a bunch of you who have recently gone through that. You know, Mission Grove is just blessed with all kinds of young families with with new children and it's the exciting thing. In fact, quick plug. If you're sitting here and going, I, you know, I feel like God's maybe calling me in the ministry. I don't know where um it's called Children's ministry we are just blessed out of our mind with a number of kids, but I know that there's some of you here who are going, you know what? I don't know if I'm ready to be a father or a mother. My life has changed radically and you're in this transition. And then at the same time one of the things that happened was uh my wife's father passed away in that two month period uh from uh a 2 year bout with cancer. And so there was another transition, so transition, transition, transition, transition, and there I was in this valley. And I know that there's some of you. Who are in some of those valleys. You know, it may be that you're starting a career and you're just not sure it's something that you you love and you're just nervous about it. Maybe it's maybe it's a valley of finances. Maybe it's a valley of retirement that you're going into retirement and you're going. Man, I've worked all my life. I don't even know what that's gonna look like. You know, maybe you're a student and, and you're going, I'm supposed to pick a career and I'm not even sure what I wanna do. Um, maybe it's Chemical dependency of some kind. But I, in a, in a group this size, there are no doubt many of you who even right now are in this transitioning period of time where it feels like a valley. And and it's difficult. And it's interesting to me that the Christmas story is really a story. About a young girl who is going through a transition. I mean, obviously the stories about Jesus Christ coming to earth and what a celebration and the angels are singing and rejoicing and the shepherds are jumping up and down and everything is wonderful, but there was this teenage girl. A young teenage girl named Mary. And her life was about to change radically. In fact, we see in Luke. Chapter 1 beginning in verse 26, it says in the 6 month God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, Greetings, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you. Emmanuel, the Lord is with you. And so it says that Mary said this is the coolest thing in the world and angel that's not what happened at all. She was a little bit shocked. In fact, the next verse says Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said, Do not be afraid, Mary. That's comforting, right? Not comforting the angel said, Do not be afraid. And then he dropped this bomb on her. You have been, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, you know, we read that story so often that it seems so familiar, but imagine Mary. You know the the next few verses talk about that Mary goes, you know what? I know how this pregnancy thing works and it isn't possible. I, I haven't been with Joseph that way. He's my pledged husband, but I haven't been with him. And the angel tells her and assures her. That with God all things are possible. And she is going to have this baby and and we look at it and say, isn't that so cool? Imagine Mary. Imagine, you know what I, I often times when I study the Bible, try to read and look at not just what it tells us what scripture tells us, but what doesn't it tell us? It does not tell us about Mary's conversation with her parents. It doesn't tell us about that, but it does tell us. Not that she went to her parents. But that she went to her relative Elizabeth. Whose husband happened to be a priest and Mary maybe Mary thought, you know what, at least this is a place that they have to love me. He's a priest. And and so she goes to Elizabeth. One of the things we're not told is we're not told the conversation that Mary had with Joseph. But I can imagine. There were a lot of words in their conversation from Mary's side of it that were honest Joseph. I'm telling you the truth over and over, but what we do know. We don't know the conversation but we know that Joseph didn't believe her. We know that because it tells us in Matthew. In the book of Matthew, it says this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together she was found to be a child through the Holy Spirit because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace. He had in mind to divorce her quietly. You get that? Joseph loved Mary so much. cared about her, but he said, do you know what? I'm not gonna raise somebody else's kid. He, he says, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna let you go your way. And I'll go my way. Uh, we'll just kind of make a split here. And so Mary is doing this transition of life, this painful transition, and she had to feel all alone. She had to how am I gonna do this? Now fortunately God intervened. And it says in Matthew one beginning in verse 20 but after he, Joseph had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. Because he will save his people from their sins. And Joseph decide to take this journey with Mary. To come alongside her and when we think of the Christmas story, we think of that ride to Bethlehem, uh, and the fact that they they came to this. This little town Bethlehem, it's just a little town. and there was no room there for them. And so, um. They had to stay. In the barn Um, I, I'm not sure about you guys. Um, we've gone on trips before, my wife and I, and I, I've had a stay at. Kind of shaky bed best westerns. And uh I never thought to say to my wife, Joseph got Mary a barn, come on. So I think I should have tried that. But that's, that's where Mary was, so this journey, I'm going to give birth. To Jesus, the savior of the world, and I'm in a barn. And so she here she is in this transition time. And so I have a feeling. That she had a very specific prayer, God, I need you. And and I think there's some of you who are here today where all you want to do is pray and maybe that's your prayer has been is God, I need you. I need you now. I, I've asked the praise and the praise team to come and lead us in a song because I think the message of the song is that message that God I need you. And and so I'm gonna ask as as they lead us in this song, one of the things I'm gonna ask is, is for you to stay seated. This is not a, this is not a stand up and raise your hand. This is a prayer and I'm counting on them coming pretty quick. Because we spent hours working on when I say this, you'll come. Oh. And uh There they are, and so, but that it's a prayer, OK? Can we do that? It just for some of you just keep your heads down and your eyes closed for some you may want to look up at the words. But as they sing this song, see it as them leading us in this prayer that we need God. Oh my God, Oh rock rock of ages, I'm standing on your faithful. Who can help Let's go to that bridge. You heard your children then, you hear your children now. You heard your children. You. You You are the same. by You are the You No I You know, I don't know if that's your prayer, um, that God is, God is with you. Right now in the midst of your valley, maybe you're in that valley and you're just saying I just really, really. God, I need you. You, you know, the good news, here's a, here's the good news that the transition. Uh, the, those challenging transitions are often, often. God's way of of producing transformation Christ-like transformation in our lives it it is so cool. I mean the shepherd took those sheep, and he, he would, he would position himself on that path in those narrow spots that were dangerous and he would position himself so that the sheep he could, he could pull them with his rod and get them he could could nudge them along past those dangerous spots, but he was right there with them. In those valleys, those dark valleys. And you know I know from my own personal experience that uh. Uh, when I, when I deeply sensed the presence of God. That the light seemed to appear in the valley and and I felt like I was up on that that table it was time to move forward and I could do that you may be in the valley right now, but the exciting thing is that the sheep, they got up there in the pastures and it was glorious. It was incredible. And then we see in Luke chapter 2. Mary, as she's gone through this, this, this just transitioning into a completely different life. And the shepherds are out on the field and they, they've had the angels talk to them and they've seen a host of angels and it's just incredible and they they hustle down to Bethlehem. And they find Jesus in the stable, it says, and they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger and when they had seen him they spread the word concerning what they had been had been told them about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherd said to them, but Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. She treasured them. As she went through that transition she treasured them. I don't know what your transition is right now I really don't um but I do know that sometimes when you're in the midst of those it it can seem dark. It it can seem very difficult and I just wanna let you know that if you're there today and you um just need to talk to somebody that there'll be some of us who were up in front and we would love to talk to you. But I will tell you that one of the cool transitioning times, one of the times of incredible victory is, uh, a time when a person comes from they move from spiritual death to spiritual life and in that transition, one of the things that happens somewhere along that way in that transition. It is baptism. Baptism is a picture of. The completion of that transition gone from death to life and right now Pastor John is is gonna lead us. There's there's 3 people who are here this morning who who say I want to make that transition from death to life and and I've accepted Christ and so John, uh, I'm gonna pray and then uh we're gonna move into this time of celebration. Father, I thank you. I thank you that you. Have impacted the lives of these three people. That they have said, you know what we want to announce it to our friends and our family, we want to shout it to the world. That that we have gone through that transition. And we have given our lives to Jesus. And we want to make a public announcement of it and so I thank and praise you and I pray Lord that for those of us who are here from the church that we might celebrate with them. As they have gone through that transition and now stand in victory, thank you Jesus, it's in your name we pray. Amen.