Crossroads Christmas Special | Crossroads Church

Merry Christmas. Welcome to Crossroads Christmas Special. My name is Brian. I am so excited about today. We have Grammy Award winning artists. We've got world class dancers. We're going to be in the middle of Moab, Utah. We have original music. We're doing everything we can to give you and I a great Christmas experience because, man, we need Christmas more than ever because 2020 has sucked. From start to finish, or at least from March till now, it's been incredibly difficult. It's been sort of like this tree behind me. It's made national news in Fountain Square in Cincinnati of a tree that went up and it was like a ugly Charlie Brown reject tree, just nasty and gnarly. And what do you know, they brought somebody in and they did its magic to it and it ended up being an amazing, beautiful thing. It's kind of what Christmas is. Our life is difficult. Things aren't going right. And someone comes in and does something. His name is Jesus. He's known as the Savior. And we want to feel that today. We want to have a good time with that today. Some of us in the midst of our difficulty,

we're asking, where's God? In the midst of all of our waiting, He's inviting us to come in from the cold. If I'm being honest, I don't know how to make it make sense, how to keep from crying. I didn't know where else to go. Can I just come in from the cold? Just take off my coat. Get warm by the fire and rest my weary bones. Do you have a room at your table? It's hard for me to ask. I know we haven't spoken, but you're all that I have left. Can I come in from the cold? Can I come in from the cold? I can't catch my breath, it's really you. I've been waiting so long. Oh, you'll finally hold up. I can't catch my breath. It's really you. I've been waiting so long. Oh, you'll finally hold up. Right where you, where you belong. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Come in from the cold. Let me take your coat. Get warm by the fire and rest your weary bones. There's a room at the table. You don't need to ask.

It all has been forgotten. I'm so glad, so glad. Yeah, yeah. I'm loaded with stress. I'm at a loss. Ask me how I feel. How'd you just miss me? God, I miss my mom. When I go back, can I get a one-off? Wasn't ready for the boss. Never made me snug up. Nothing heavy, but the cost is deep. Undulating to the base of the heap. I'm drunk, I'm drunk. Feel the sense of need. It would lead to the callous life of Kip and Icy. A callous might get a hint of light. On the ropes of the ring where the dark has found me. Where's my mind? Where is my mind? Wasting, swimming in a pool of blind. A teapot in the air, got my head on the ground. Freezing, I need ya, yeah. Come in from the cold. Know where you belong. Get warm by the fire. Compress your weary bones. Come in from the cold. I'll never let you go. Come in from the cold.

You're where you belong. Well, we want to welcome Lecrae. Glad to be here. Man, it's good to have you here. We've got some real deal talent here. And one of the very few people when I'm on set with, you're actually taller than me. I don't like it. Yeah, I can see everything going on up there, just so you know. Well, I'm not going to be braiding my hair. That's for darn sure. I'm normally supposed to be the tallest person around here and you've got me beat. Not today. No, you can make it to the NBA, but you're like a short guard. I would not make it to the NBA on any reason at all. Well, I'm so excited to be with you because the whole idea behind this was get back to old school Christmas special. When I was a little itty bitty kid, I remember being with my parents and watching these Christmas specials on TV. David Bowie singing with Bing Crosby and Sammy Davis Jr. and just these things where everyone would just have a nice, good feel. of Christmas, so we're trying to do that today and glad you're to be a part of it.

We're going to hear more from you later and hear you sing later. But first, would you believe it if I told you that we can tell the whole Christmas story beatbox? – Wait, what? – Well, we're going to do something special for you right now. – I'm nervous. – The Christmas story from the Bible. A surprise is the kind of a thing you remember, and that's what we do every single December. We celebrate Christmas when Jesus was born. The surprise more surprising than any before. It wasn't that no one knew God would be sending a rescuer. The narrative had been pending for thousands of years. They knew he'd appear, but unknown was the when and the how and the year. See, in the beginning, God had created the world, which was good, but he thought his greatest idea had been people. Oh, he loved them so he gave them the world he had made for a home. But God told them one rule they could never break. There existed a tree that they just must not take any fruit from. Not one piece, not one single bite. But a devious serpent said that was a lie. He convinced God's creation they could do what they want. They didn't need rules, he said nonchalant. So they tasted the fruit and they instantly knew that it wasn't a thing that had been good to do.

But God couldn't let that be the end of the story, even though we all know that they should have been sorry. He crafted a plan to redeem his creation. His plan was a person, a family, a nation. Oh, yes, that Mary, a girl of great import, for without her part in the story, we'd be short a mother, someone who could have the new babe. Enter the angel. Let's call him Gabe. So Gabe told young Mary, you're having a son. Please call him Jesus because he is the one who saved the whole world. This was God's rescue plan to reverse the worst curse. Remember that? The first man? Hmm. So Mary was in. She believed. Good to go. But she was engaged to a guy we'll call Joe. He had reason to fear when the angel said not to. But opposite that, he obeyed like you ought to. So Joe was from Bethlehem. Oh, that little town? Yeah, that one. So they made a trip, looked around for a place they could stay, get married for some peace. But that night wasn't silent, not in the least. On this night had come God's great big surprise. A baby was born.

Yes, a baby who cries, who spits up and gets up all hours of the night, a newborn born to make everything right. But God did tell some of the birth of his son. They weren't popular nor special someone, just some shepherds watching over their flock when an angel appeared and they started to gawk. And the angel said, you've got no reason to fear. In fact, you should celebrate. Jesus is here. He's been born in a stable, a manger, in fact. So get going, get moving. It's time to react. A stable, they may have thought, that can't be right. A savior would not spend his very first night in a manger, the place where the animals eat. That's not quite a place where a king ought to be. But indeed, there he was, just like God had said, a king but no castle or comfortable bed, just a baby, a small tender child who was born, who, like no one else ever, would save the whole world. Now some magi out east had seen a bright star and decided to follow no matter how far. So they came and they saw and they knelt and they gave frankincense, myrrh, and gold to the heavenly babe. As we get to the end of our story, let's pause. And remember, the glorious part of this all was that God saved his people, the ones that he loves, with the greatest surprise that ever there was. It was small, at least at first glance, just a baby.

Pay close attention and maybe, just maybe, you'll see what God plans, that astonishing rescue, to ransom his people, and that includes you. ♪ Everybody knew a king was coming soon ♪ ♪ And everybody waited ♪ ♪ When's he gonna come ♪ ♪ When's he gonna make his move ♪ ♪ It's so long we've been waiting ♪ ♪ And they were looking for a big man, big town ♪ ♪ Surely knew his way around town ♪ ♪ And they were looking for a big man, big town ♪ ♪ They were looking for a big man, big town ♪ ♪ Surely knew his way around a big crowd ♪ ♪ Gold crown couldn't be defeated by anyone, anyone ♪ ♪ And they thought that they would spot him easy ♪ ♪ It would be a piece of cake to recognize ♪ ♪ All the changes he was gonna make things better ♪ ♪ Better, better, better ♪ ♪ Baby love crashed into the world, crashed in ♪ ♪ Baby love crashed into the world, crashed in ♪ ♪ Everybody knew a king was coming soon ♪ ♪ And everybody waited ♪ On a king now Come turn things upside down He's been oh so patient And not that he would be a big deal Everybody What they didn't realize So he didn't make a big splash To the world like anyone anyone

To the world Baby love To the world Oh the angels told Shepherds in the field and the star Glow wise men did appear and then The people began to hear and the king was no Yes, that king was no They say And be hold low and be hold low and be low and be hold Baby love crashed into the world crashed in baby love crashed In to the world crashed in baby Crashed in to the world crashed in I Oh Oh Oh When we Oh I am a poor boy, too That's it to give Oh Shall I play for you? Oh They say you're the love ♪ You're the light that gives me life ♪ ♪ With drum in hand I've come tonight ♪ ♪ What will you do with what I bring? ♪

♪ This is my beggar's offering ♪ ♪ You're the light that gives me life ♪ ♪ With drum in hand I've come tonight ♪ ♪ What will you do with what I bring? ♪ ♪ This is my beggar's offering ♪ ♪ And then he smiled at me ♪ ♪ So I played ♪ ♪ So I played ♪ ♪ On my drum ♪ ♪ On my drum ♪ ♪ On my drum ♪ ♪ On my drum ♪ There's a reason you aren't satisfied with the ordinary. You were made for adventure. A life with God doesn't have to be boring. It can be a pulse-pumping, heart-pounding life of purpose. And we can guide you there. The adventure awaiting you is bigger and more life-giving than you could ever imagine. Join us every weekend for 45 minutes of challenge, hope, and encouragement to guide you on your spiritual adventure. We love Christmas because it helps us feel. It's just a story that makes us feel good. And man, do we need to feel good this year. But if we're not careful, we can miss a huge part of the Christmas story. The Christmas story is not all about clean things and nice buildings and beautiful trees. It's actually a gritty story with gritty people

taking place in an environment very similar to this. It was in an environment like this where shepherds, who were a key part of the Christmas story, played their role out in the fields taking care of sheep. Let's go ahead and read this classic text that comes from the Book of Luke 2. Angels show up and the first thing they say is, fear not, fear not. Why would they tell the shepherds to not be afraid? Why? Because the shepherds are afraid. That's why, I don't know what your picture is of angels. Angels are God's warriors. They remind us that there is a spiritual battle that's taking place. And when an angel shows up who is God's Navy Seals, they have heavenly armaments on, whatever they are, and they freak people out. They're always going, oh, oh, stop, stop. Don't be afraid. Let me tell you something. If you ever saw an angel, you would not want to be touched by an angel. Shepherds are not expecting a touch with the heavens. In fact, they're not expecting much from anybody because shepherds are pretty unrespectable people in that culture and time. They're dirty, blue collar workers, so they believed. They had a dirty job of dealing with dirty sheep. And yet God shows up to them. I find this incredibly encouraging

because I've got areas of dirt in my life. I've got vices in my life. It's 2020, man, and I've had a harder run than I've ever had. You probably have too. It's been a dirty year for many of us. Broken New Year's resolutions, finances down, things we want to do not going well. We've learned things about ourselves that we might not have liked about ourselves as a result of all the changes that have come our way. Many of us just feel more unworthy, maybe, than we ever have. And yet angels come to these, quote unquote, unworthy, dirty people to act. actually use them in the Christmas story. There is a place for you at Christmas if your life isn't clean. Christmas is for those of us who are not clean because the whole idea of Christmas is that there is a Savior coming. Jesus is a Savior. Our bad history understanding of this is Jesus is in this nice, beautiful little barn, probably pottery barn, had a say in how to design it. Everything is nice and beautiful. No, no, that's not what a manger is. A manger isn't a cool barn. A manger is a feeding trough for cattle. Jesus is placed in a cow's cereal bowl.

This is a dirty place for the Son of God to lie, and yet He's lying there. This is a difficult time for Mary and Joseph. This is a freaky time for the shepherds. And that's what Christmas is. It brings us hope, it brings us purpose, it brings us a vision of the future, but it does that because our current circumstances might not be ideal. Maybe never before have we needed Christmas as much as we need it now, and specifically the original Christmas for people who have issues like you and I. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Hey, I'm here with Lecrae. Welcome. – Appreciate you. Thanks for having me. – Yeah, it was great having you. Got to know you a little bit this last year. So to have you here as a part of the Christmas special is a big, big deal. In fact, you're a big deal. – Oh, man. – Grammy Award winning recording artist, songwriter, author, performer, dog groomer. I mean, the little of these things that you can do and yet you're here with us and I'm excited to spend the day with you. – I appreciate it. I'm most proud about my dog grooming skills. – Just so we can be a little gritty and not just nice, feel good Christmas,

I think it's important to recognize that the first Christmas was born in pain and difficulty and it might be more true to Christmas form before struggling to some degree. – I definitely want to walk people through being able to navigate that pain. A lot of times we love Jeremiah 29, 11. I know the plans I have for you, plans for a future and a hope. But that promise was connected to pain. You know, those people were in captivity and so they needed to know that God had a promise for them on the other side of that. And I think that's what we have to know as well, is that as we're going through pain, that there's a promise we can hold on to. And Christmas is a reminder. You know, you're just talking about it's like, hey, this is a tough time, but this is the Savior of the world. Hold on to that promise. – We're more divided than we've ever been as a country. What is it, though, about Christmas that gives you hope this year? – You've got these wise men who've traveled for miles because of a prophecy that they've heard and these are not Jews, but they're coming to see the Jewish Savior. It's not just one ethnic group. It's not just one economic group.

It's not just male or female. It's a collective coming to worship the King. And that's what Christmas is about. It's about us seeing the Savior and the Savior brings us together and unites us. – That's good. Well, why don't we get to the good stuff? The good stuff is this man singing. Let's go do that right now. ♪ Yeah, in the east there was a star ♪ ♪ that three wise men followed. We called him King. ♪ ♪ Three big kings with the diamond rings ♪ ♪ bringing gifts coming from afar. Yeah. ♪ ♪ Over the hills and moors and mountains, ♪ ♪ following on the stars. That's right. That's right. ♪ ♪ Born a king in Bethlehem. Have you seen the one they call? ♪ ♪ What they call? Messiah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh. ♪ ♪ What we looking for? We're looking for a long way. ♪ ♪ The world is hidden and behind him. That's right. ♪ ♪ Deep in the soul felt his word. We're looking for it. Yeah. ♪ ♪ I think I found it. Found it. I think I found it. Yeah. ♪ ♪ Over everything, yeah. Over everything. That's right. ♪ ♪ We're looking over everything. Yeah. ♪ ♪ We King's wives wrote all night. Oh, what a blessing is to be your side. ♪ ♪ Staring at the sun, your glory shines so bright. ♪ ♪ I can see the stars shining on you all night. One day. Yeah. ♪ ♪ We've been waiting for this one day. Yeah. And we've been hoping for a long time. Yeah. ♪ ♪ But we knew you were coming someday. So come on. So come on. Come on. ♪ ♪ I hear the angels. I hear the angels. Sing the songs from the heavens that we know you came from. ♪ ♪ Was the lowest of the low born in the manger. Came to earth out of love so you could save us three. Yeah. ♪

♪ We King's with the diamond rings. Bringing gifts coming from afar. Coming from afar. ♪ ♪ Over the hills and mountains. Falling beyond the stars. Yeah. Yeah. ♪ ♪ Born a king in Bethlehem and we've seen the one they call Messiah. That's right. That's right. What we looking for? We're looking for a God in the world. Yeah. What we looking for? To be happy. In this old bounteous world we're looking for a king. I think I found a king. That's right. I think I found a king. Over everything. Yeah. Over everything. Yeah. We need over everything. ♪ And when these three kings approached the baby laying in a manger, they presented him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. One is what you would give to a king. One is what you would give to a priest. One is what you would give to a prophet. He was three in one. A king, priest, and a prophet laying there in a manger. We found a king, y'all. Remember the reason for the season. Celebrate the Savior. Yeah. Celebrate the Savior. That's right. God bless y'all. God often comes to us at the least expected time and even the least convenient time. The shepherds have got a job to do. They've got an agenda for their day. And now everything is thrown up in the air and they have got to move. You and I have to move right now. You might say, how in the world do I do that during quarantine and worldwide pandemic? There's always something you can do to get closer to God and be responsive to His voice. It could be a relationship you need to reach out to. It could be doubling down on your budget. It could be doubling down and evaluating your prayer life, how you're reading the scriptures, planning for your future. There's all kinds of things that you can do. But the key thing is when God comes to you, you've got to move because the next thing is the right thing. And it's a place that you need to move to right now. And it's the place where the shepherds were moving to. Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them. It says that the shepherds are in wonder. Well, no wonder they're in wonder. They're getting encounters with angels. They're seeing God in the flesh. Crazy things are happening. I love that they're in wonder and I grieve that in our culture we've lost the wonder. We've lost the mystery and the awe in this place. I am in wonder over this place, even though I understand it's happened over long periods of time with wind coming through and erosion and all that kind of stuff. There's still a wonder. We can Google just about anything we want and we can find answers immediately. And we think we know it all, and therefore we think we know it all about God, but we don't. There's a mystery about it. The Christmas story, we can't fully figure it out. We can't fully explain it. There's things going on that are beyond human reason. If God was to come down to the world and take on flesh, we should expect to not understand everything. We should expect to be blown away by things we don't understand.

And I love that about Christmas. I love that about the story of God. The shepherds not only are in wonder, but when they see this, they realize this is good news and they have to go share this good news. That's called the gospel, sharing of the good news. It's what we're doing right now. And it's what all of us need to do in the midst of our cynical world is share the good news of Jesus. The good news is that there is a Savior coming for us. The Jews were looking for a Savior. Now, they were looking for a different kind of Savior. They were looking for a Savior to save them from political oppression. That would have been the shepherds who were Jews. It would have been Mary and Joseph. It would have been everybody else who was under Roman oppression. They wanted someone to come and crush them. Does this sound a little familiar to you here in our culture? Everyone's wanting someone to come and crush the people who think differently than us, crush the people who vote differently than us. God's not interested in our political situation so much. He's interested in our hearts, as much as He's interested in us having a relationship with Him. When Jesus comes to save us and to unite us to God, to eliminate the barrier of sin and our rebelliousness that unites us to God, a crazy thing happens.

As we get united to God, we get united with all different kinds of people from all different cultures, with actually all different kinds of political ideologies. And there is a unity that comes. There's a harmony that comes because we've been united with God. Have we ever needed that more than we need it right now? Our culture is so divided, right, left, divided racially, divided economically. And Christmas can be a message of unity, people coming together in oneness, sharing a common belief that God loves me and that Jesus has died for me. And when this happens, you actually become a light. Jesus said of Himself one time that He is the light of the world. When we become like Him, when He comes inside of our lives, we actually become lights and we start reverberating around all of the cultures, all the communities. communities in which we reside. Where are the light bearers in our divided culture today? Where are they? Many of them are right now with us in this Christmas experience. And God wants you and I to be unifiers, to be people who bring good news, who bring the light of Jesus. Maybe you've experienced His warmth just now or in the midst of our experience together.

Maybe an angel has landed on your shoulder. And I don't mean just figuratively, I mean maybe literally. Maybe you're feeling something that you haven't felt before. Maybe you're getting caught up in the wonder. I just want to tell you, that's not because of the production. I believe that's because Jesus still comes and reaches and saves people. Maybe now is your time. You could say a prayer, one which I've said and millions and millions of others have said that goes something like this. If you want Him in your life, if you want Him to save you, if you want His warmth, if you want the unity that He brings, you could just pray something like this. Jesus, I want You in my life and in my heart. I ask that You forgive me for my sin. I ask that You would fill me right now with Your spirit. I want Your good news. As best I can, I will follow You the rest of my life. Amen. When a prayer like that gets prayed and when a life like yours starts going in the direction of Jesus, Christmas has come to this world and it's come to your life. Joy to the world, the Lord has come.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing. And heaven, heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy to the world, the Savior reigns. Let men their songs employ. While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains, repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat, repeat this round. Come on! Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy, the Lord has come. Yeah, this is Homer. You know I got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, yeah. Down in my heart, yeah. Down in my heart. You know I got the joy, joy, joy, joy. Down in my heart, I got the joy. Down in my heart, I got the joy. I got the joy. I got the joy. I got the joy.

I got the joy, yeah. I got the joy. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy to the world. Joy to the world. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. on your smart TV because that's where your family hangs out. And plus, taking a break from your phone and tablet feels good. Download the Crossroads TV app on your smart TV and your TV becomes a place to hear from God, a window into life change, a spiritual rhythm. Your, I finally went to church this week. Set a time to experience church on your TV. See, you've already made your TV smarter. Download the Crossroads TV app. It'll give you the boost you and your family need for your week. Hey, I want to welcome six time Grammy Award winning singer, the best selling contemporary Christian singer ever, the first Christian artist to go platinum. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She's an incredible songwriter and author. When I told my kids I was meeting you and you were going to be on our Christmas special, my kids said, my gosh, Amy Grant, she owns Christmas. Amy Grant, welcome. Thank you. It's great to be here.

So let's play a game. I say a line and then you sing the next line. Are you good enough to do that? I used to be, I don't know. OK, all right, here we go. Let's try it. Oh, I know there's more snow up in Colorado than my roof will ever see, but a tender Tennessee Christmas. Oh, that's so good. All right, one more question, because I've always wondered your song, Oh, Sleigh Ride. There's a line in that song. Every time I listen to it, I'm trying to figure out what's going on. You know what that line is? Yes, what is it? Tell me the story behind Yoo Hoo. It was, yeah, I just, you know, I had a sled. We all played outside. And did that just spontaneously come out in the recording studio, the Yoo Hoo? Or did you make that up ahead of time to do that? I just, yeah, I was just breathing and, you know, I grew up in a neighborhood with a whole bunch of kids, yeah. You went through a major health crisis this last year. Tell us about that. I did, I had open heart surgery in June and I felt fine all the way up until then. And after recovery, I was fine. They just randomly discovered a birth defect and-

Open heart, like crack your sternum. You know what I call it? Tattooed cleavage. Yeah, I know. I went, I went, here's the crazy thing is, like I've always had tons of energy and my husband does, he doesn't really have an active lifestyle and so he went to the doctor. And so he did all these tests. I'm like holding his hand, you're going to be okay. And the doctor said, your heart's great. You need to exercise, eat better. And then he looked at me and he said, we should check you out. And I was like, me? And then they ran a test and he was like, you're going to be dead in two years if we don't do this. Wow. Oh my God. Wow. Like he just felt compelled to say to the person he was not seeing, he was not my doctor. My scar reminds me, if I ever have an impulse that's not on my agenda, what if it could affect somebody's life? Call that person. Hey, think about so-and-so, reach out to so-and-so, whatever it is, turn left instead of right. I mean, what if the spirit really works that way? Just any time something kind of floats across your radar and you're like, why don't we, you know?

Because for me, it was like life and death. – This year's obviously been different. What's your hope for unity this Christmas? – I read an article one time that said it takes three seconds to actually acknowledge another person. That's what I want to do. There's so much fracture in the world and we don't know everybody's woundedness, everybody's disappointment, all of that. But if we could just approach every circle we walk into, especially strangers. And if you're looking to find a common, we're both human. I feel like the best community is created when there's a common purpose and that might even just be to have fun. Six summers ago, I started hosting a day camp, two weeks at our farm. And it's just a melting pot of all different ethnic, racial backgrounds, you know, a place that would look like heaven. In fact, the first summer we had that is when the shooting happened in North Charleston. And one of the counselors at the camp, his grandparents went to that church. And I just thought, oh my gosh, this camp is like our living prayer for reconciliation. – So I'm so excited to hear you perform. Tell us what you're going to do for us right now. – I'm going to do a song called Breath of Heaven.

I love this song because it's telling the story of Mary, but also it's just such an honest prayer, especially this year. It almost feels like I'm singing this as a prayer for all of us. – It's a good word. We all need God's breath to hold us together. So why don't we do that right now? I wrote these lyrics imagining what Mary must have felt like as the birth of Jesus approached. Terrified. Uncertain. Kind of like we feel right now. I have traveled many moonless nights, cold and weary, with a baby inside, and I wonder what I've done. Holy Father, You have come and chosen me now to carry Your Son. Do you wonder as you watch my face, if a wiser one should have had my place, but I Father, all I am, for the mercy of Your plan, help me be strong, help me be, help me be. 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, 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, breath of heaven, breath of heaven. One, two, oh, one, two, three. Come on weatherman, give us a forecast, snowy white. Can't you hear the prayers of every childlike heart tonight? Rockies all callin', Denver snow fallin', somebody said it's four feet deep, but it doesn't matter, give me the lap deck, I'm gonna choose to keep, another tender Tennessee Christmas. ♪ Christmas for me ♪ ♪ Where the love circles around us ♪

♪ Like the gifts around our tree ♪ ♪ Well, I know there's more snow up in Colorado ♪ ♪ Than my room will ever see ♪ ♪ But a tender Tennessee Christmas ♪ ♪ Is the only Christmas for me ♪ ♪ And every now and then I get a wandering urge to see ♪ ♪ Oh, maybe California, maybe Denzel, Tennessee ♪ ♪ Sounds for me ♪ ♪ Cause there's a parade there, we have it made there ♪ ♪ Bring home a tin for New Year's Eve ♪ ♪ Sure sounds exciting, awfully inviting ♪ ♪ Still I think I'm gonna keep ♪ ♪ Another tender Tennessee Christmas ♪ ♪ Is the only Christmas for me ♪ ♪ Where the love circles around us ♪ ♪ Like the gifts around our tree ♪ ♪ Well, they say in L.A. it's a warm holiday ♪ ♪ It's the only place to be ♪ ♪ But a tender Tennessee Christmas ♪ ♪ Is the only Christmas for me ♪ ♪ Everybody, it sounds good when you sing it along ♪ ♪ Oh, you know I wanna be home ♪ ♪ Mm-hmm ♪ ♪ Well, I know there's more snow up in Colorado ♪ ♪ Than my roof will ever see ♪ ♪ But a tender Tennessee Christmas ♪ ♪ Is the only Christmas for me ♪ ♪ A tender Tennessee Christmas ♪ ♪ Is the only Christmas for me ♪ Part of what makes Christmas special to us

are the traditions, the things we do year after year after year. For many of us, we sing Silent Night every year. Maybe you go to a church building and they sing Silent Night. Maybe they have candles and everyone's holding up the candle in that dark auditorium. We want to do that right now. Why don't you go someplace in your house, get yourself a candle, get a book of matches, get lighter. We're going to do this together. This signifies how Jesus is the light of the world. He comes into dark times and dark places like us in our country right now in 2020. And yet He illuminates things. He warms things. And as we all hold these candles, if it's just you in your house, just please do it still, you'll be standing in unity with everybody all across the country that's saying to God, God, I want to be united under Your banner and I want Christmas this year. Let's do this together. Let's play. 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. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. 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. Amen. Thanks for being with us for this Christmas special. I hope you'll share this with your friends, with your family, with everybody you know, because all of us need a little bit of feel good over the Christmas. We encourage you to go ahead and download the Crossroads app for iPhone, Android or TV. You can connect with us all the time You can actually join us for a weekend service at Crossroads.net. We'd love to connect with you for the rest of 2020 and into 2021. Have a very Merry Christmas. If you want your 2021 to be different, you have to try something new.

Join us the first weekend of January for a brand new weekly online episode. I'll show you how to blaze a new, adventurous path this coming year. lead our community care team. So my team answers any questions that you have that could be as small as, how do I stream? I need prayer. Everything in my life is going down. I'm lonely. My marriage stinks. I need someone to be there for me. So we come alongside of people in their journeys to let them know that God loves them. We'd love to talk to you. Chat with us today at crossroads.net to get started on your spiritual adventure.