Ep 013 || Yes to Vulnerability || Christmas 2025

Hey everybody, welcome to the Pando exclusive podcast through SC Online. We are so glad that you are joining us as we continue journeying through our sermon series, The Jesus Filter. My name is Brandon. This is Derek. We are on the SC Online team. And Derek, it is Christmas. Yeah. Merry Christmas, everybody. We are so glad to be joining you on today. I mean, it's awesome. I love Christmas. Big day. Big day. Got a bunch of stuff going on throughout Christmas week. So this week we were in, well, not the Christmas story when we had former senior pastor Dave Stone talking with us. And we were more in the Easter story, kind of looking at the Garden of Gethsemane. And we'll kind of go back and forth between that and just talking about Christmas. But Derek, as you think about the Christmas story, you know, in this theme that Dave unpacked on Sunday, this idea of vulnerability, like how do you see that in the Christmas story? How do you see, you know, Jesus taking that on himself, sharing that with us as we celebrate his birth? Yeah. I mean, it blows my mind that when you think about like the God of the universe existing before anything else did, you see God, the Father, the Spirit, and you see Jesus existing before anything else, right, that he would subject himself as a little baby, like being born onto this earth that is so broken and, I mean, gosh, even more uncivilized than in a place 2,000 years ago than, you know, today we made joke of feeling like, oh man, this may seem uncivilized.

But back then, like, he was really born into this place where, you know, there was a lot of unrest. I mean, even think about, was it Egypt that he and Joseph and Mary had to evade to because they were killing? Yeah, they had to flee from King Herod, yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I think there were just, there were so many different things that, you know, could have gone wrong. Obviously, God's hand was upon Jesus's life there, upon Joseph and Mary, but, you know, I think there's absolutely something to notice and something to be said in the Christmas story that, you know, Jesus, what Scripture tells us, that through everything and forever, like he was, everything was made through him and for him, and yet he was willing to be subjected to being a baby, right, to grow up to being born 2,000 some years ago, and then ultimately leading to what Dave talked about, you know, trying to just wrestle with this fact that the night before he's about to get crucified, that like, okay, this is happening. Like, God, if there was another way, let this cup pass from me, but there wasn't. And ultimately, Jesus was crucified, died on a cross, and rose from the grave three days later. But like, talk about putting yourself in a vulnerable place where, you know, like, I'm grateful for that. Yeah. And, you know, you think specifically about what happens there in the Garden of Gethsemane, like, looking at Jesus's vulnerability and how vulnerable of a prayer request that is to say, you know, Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. I mean, that is not a trivial request, because you think about it, that is the reason why Jesus has come to this earth. Like the next, you know, 24 hours where he's going to be dead and buried, well, I guess the next 72 hours, dead, buried, resurrected. Like this is the whole point of everything.

This is the whole point of history, is like Jesus coming to fulfill this mission. And in this moment, he's so overcome by grief and sorrow that he asked God for that. Like, hey, if there is another way, like, let's do that. Right. You know, let this cup pass from me. And you know, I think there's a great amount of, I mean, vulnerability is the perfect word, in showing us even what we can pray for, right? Like if Jesus could go to God with this and be like, hey, this thing that all history has been building to, if there's another way, to be able to ask something so audacious in prayer and be vulnerable with that sort of emotion, like, I think Jesus is in that moment, in a sense, inviting us that we can make those same sort of requests to God. There's nothing that we can't go to him and say, hey, this is difficult, this is hard. You know, help me out in this. He's experienced those things, you know? And I think what's crazy about that, I was reading a book by a pastor named R.C. Sproul just a few days ago, and he was talking about, like, the difference between humans and God. And one of the things that seems maybe elementary to think about, but I thought it was really good. He was talking about, he's like, with God, like, he's obviously always existed, right? But there is no threat for him to never exist. Oh, yeah. He was like, for humans... He was like, that's a big difference. Like we have a beginning, but we're also one step away from annihilation. Like there's a clear difference between like – Merry Christmas. That's a good thought. Yeah, like talking about like us as beings and to relate that to this story of like, like Jay was talking about, like Jesus, gosh, like could he not have commanded thousands of angels and armies to come and save him, right?

But he said he decided not to, right? He allowed himself to go through that for our sake, right? And that just, it blows my mind thinking about reading that from R.C. Sproul, that last week, and then yet stepping down into our situation where things are so shaky. And that's what makes vulnerability really tough. Like just because, gosh, like we're so vulnerable in a lot of ways. And yet because of Christ, like he can empathize with us in the midst of that. And I love the way you say that, like, you know, we think of vulnerability as a struggle and in many regards it is because we are very tempted to act like we have everything together, that everything's fine. But we are always vulnerable, right? We are always vulnerable. And there are moments in life when we realize that, you know, when we go through a tough season where things, you know, whether it's financially or health-wise or, you know, relationship-wise, we recognize our vulnerability sometimes, but not all the time. But we are always vulnerable, we're always dealing with it. And the question is not, are we vulnerable, it's, are we going to, you know, share that with other people? Are we gonna embrace that and, you know, open ourselves up to that experience, you know? So, you know, going back to the Christmas story and kind of thinking about, you know, what we celebrate when we celebrate Christmas, you know, Luke's gospel in particular, I think, has such a way of talking to us about the vulnerability of Jesus. And even the fact that he invites people into, that he puts other people in very vulnerable situations. You think about Mary, right? Where she is, you know, at this point a teenage girl, basically, and is given this mission to, hey, you are going to have this baby, this immaculate conception, and who's gonna believe that? Oh my gosh.

Like, who's gonna believe her? Yeah. And even in this incredible position, you have the stories of, you know, the shepherds coming out who are in that culture, kind of look down on, who are already in a vulnerable place because of their position on the socioeconomic ladder. And Jesus invites them to come into and experience his birth. You have, it's Luke who records in Luke chapter two, that when Mary and Joseph go to offer sacrifices for Jesus's birth on the eighth day, that they offer the sacrifices of... Let me see where that is. They offered the sacrifice of the law, either a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. And in the law, that is not the actual sacrifice for a young child. It's the sacrifice that was allowed for poor people. So we see that Jesus has stepped into this very, very vulnerable position with the situation his mom and dad are in with the household that he's growing up in. But, you know, Luke has, Luke records the Christmas story largely through a series of songs. He talks, he has the song of the angels as they sing to the shepherds on the hillside, the song of Zachariah. But there's the song that Mary sings when she receives word of the birth of Jesus. And I love what she shares. Let me read this and then we can talk about how I see this kind of tying in. It's in Luke chapter one, beginning in verse 46, it says, Mary responded, Oh, how my soul praises the Lord, how my spirit rejoices in God, my savior. For he took notice of his lowly servant girl. And from now on, all generations will call me blessed. For the mighty one is holy and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things. He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever. Now, you know, theologically, there's a lot of crazy things going on there. That song is jam-packed with stuff. What I think I most noticed there in this lens of vulnerability is, you know, Mary is singing this song of praise in this very vulnerable situation that she's in and recognizing, right, that it's when I'm vulnerable and when I'm humble that God exalts me, that God lifts me up, that it's precisely and exactly in those moments. those times of vulnerability, where I see God's strength, where I see God's hand, where I know that He is in this with me." So as you kind of look through that song, as you think about that, why is it that we see God in those times of vulnerability? Why is it that we experience His strength more when we're weak? Yeah, that's a great point. Yeah, I hadn't really thought about that in her passage of Scripture there. You know, I think when we go through things in life that cause us to rely on God, we end up being in a lot better place spiritually than when we go through things in life that don't force us to depend on Him. And I think, gosh, we see that all throughout Scripture, where it's like, whether it's a king, or a person, or a judge, or whoever it is, where, you know, things are going well, and they get fat and happy, and they forget about relying on the Lord and abiding in Him. And I think that's the thing that Jesus continues...I mean, that's what He shows us, like, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and that we just read in Mark, of like, okay, you know, what do you do when things in life feel overwhelming? You know, like, do you turn inward and, like, try to figure it out all by yourself and, like, put up all these walls? Or do, like, you actually get on your knees and look up, maybe both physically and metaphorically, of thinking about, okay, how, like, where should my focus and attention be in this season? I think what Mary's recognizing is that, okay, like, everything around me may seem a little crazy. Like, people may think I'm crazy, but I know what I believe,

and I know where my trust is. And I think that's an important lesson for us. I think one of the points that Dave had was, when you turn to prayer, you invite God to do His best work. And I've seen that over and over and over again in my life, where it's like, okay, I'm getting to the end of my own ability to be able to handle this situation, you know, and so what do I do with it? You know, do I continue to obey the worry and obey the stress and obey the fear in my mind? Or do I choose to obey Christ by not only bringing that insecurity and stress to Him and to other people that can help me in the midst of all of it? And so I think that's a great life lesson, I think, for any of us. Yeah. You know, as you were talking, I thought about a book quote that I read several years ago in the middle of what was a really tough season for me, for my family, but I was reading this book by Jared Wilson, and I can't remember which book it is, but I have... That's also the name of my barber, but I'm assuming it's a different... No, it's probably somewhere different, but maybe not. Maybe I'll go ask him to autograph it. But he said this, he said, I tend to believe that most of us do not truly treasure Jesus until we've run out of alternatives to Him, until every last option has run dry. And think about this, what if Jesus actually brings us to the very moment of these no more rope situations in order that we might actually finally trust Him? And I think that's what you're getting at, is just this, there's not, you know, we tend to think we've got it all together, that we're okay, that everything's good, and it's in those moments where we realize, like, I really need Him, like, I really, really need Jesus in this moment, and I have to have Him or else, you know, everything's gonna fall apart. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I was talking to a guy the other day, and he was telling me a little bit of his life story, and he's at a spot in his life right now where he's really struggling, and basically he's tried almost everything, everything you can imagine, to kind of medicate the pain in his life. And you know, one of the things that he and I talked about was like, alright man, well, you know, you've kind of tried everything else, like it might be time that you just give

following Jesus a shot. Yeah. Because I think you're right. A lot of times when we come to the very end of ourselves, the very end of what we think is gonna help us, I think we're all pretty normal in the fact that that's where we end up finding the Lord. Yeah, absolutely. And for whatever reason, you know, it's in the midst of trying those alternatives that we discover, like, they're just not gonna get the job done. It's not gonna work. It may dull the pain, it may numb me to it or whatever, but it's not ultimately gonna deal with the root of, you know, what's wrong with me, what's wrong with the world, that only Jesus ultimately is gonna speak into and be able to heal that. Yeah. So one final sentence I want to point out in this song, we read of Mary, and it was something we talked about with our group leaders a couple weeks ago. You know, there in verse 49, Mary says, you know, the Mighty One is holy and He has done great things for me. And I love how in that moment, you know, she's able to personally personalize this, that there are these great promises, these great things that Jesus is going to do for the world, that he's going to do in his teaching, in his miracles, in his ministry, in his death. But Mary is able to look at it in that moment and say, no, he has done great things for me. These are things that God has done for me. So as you think about Christmas, as you think about the good news of the Christmas season, how do we in this season take that and personalize that to ourselves? How do we remember that it's not just that Jesus came for us, which is true, Jesus came for us, but Jesus came for me? How do we personalize that in this Christmas season? Yeah. I think one of the greatest miracles, and I probably read this somewhere, so those probably aren't my words. But I think one of the greatest miracles is when we're able to read scripture, we're able to even, like, for example, say we're able to look and read at the story of how Jesus

gave his life on the cross, and when we can fully understand and have a revelation to think, whoa, he did that for me, right? Like when you are able to have that revelation of like, oh my gosh, like you said, like it's not just for us, like it is for us, right? But like my sin put him there. But also the reverse of that is that he loved me so much, like in the midst of all the stuff I've done, in the midst of all of my brokenness, like one of Dave's points was when you admit your weakness, you become a candidate for God's strength. Well, I think that makes sense when you look at like, man, like it was my sin that put him there, but it was the love that he had for me, right, that kept, that helped him so that he, in that moment, right, he didn't call in thousands of angels to get him off the cross, no, he stayed vulnerable to God's will, he stayed willing to the plan. And I think when you relate that to the Christmas story, it's like, man, like God loved me so much that he would step down as a baby 2,000 years ago to grow up in a really terrible situation to then grow up and die for me, right, for me, and I think that's what's so incredible about the Gospel, is that like, God loves you. He loves you, no matter where you are, what you look like, what language you speak, that if you admit your weakness, right, if you've come to the end of yourself, and you say, hey, Jesus, I am a sinner, right, and I need you, will you forgive me, and I want to follow you and make you the Lord and Savior of my life, and Brandon, I think when we do that, even if it's after making a lot of mistakes, following Jesus after living a life of making mistakes is a lot better than living what may seem like a good life and never knowing Jesus. Yeah, 100%, 100%. You know, one of the images I like to use when I think about the Christmas season is, you know, when you were a kid, and you'd go and look under the Christmas tree, right, you didn't care about presents that didn't have your name on them. Oh, absolutely not. Like, you'd flip through them. I know each of us grew up with siblings.

Like if I go through there, and the presents had my brother's name on it, I didn't care about it. Like, I don't care what's going to happen. I'm going to push that to the side. Here you go. We're going to put that in one of the vents so they don't find it. Like, I don't care. I don't care what happens. But, you know, when you went under the Christmas present, and you dug around, and you found a present that had your name on it, like, that made a difference. You care what's in that. I wonder what someone has picked out for me, and I think so often we can get ourselves in a place where we hear the Christmas story, we read the gospel message, and we think, man, that is really good for other people. That was really good that Jesus did that for them, when really that present that's under the tree, like, it has your name on it. It's for you. Jesus, yes, came for us, but he came for you, and he came, you know, to lay down his life and to take on your sin, to do all of these things so that you would come to know him. And I would just invite you, you know, as we celebrate this Christmas season, don't walk past that gift and think, oh, like, it's for somebody else, like, when Jesus has intended everything he did for you. Well, thank you for joining us this week on the Pando Podcast. We hope you have a Merry Christmas. We hope that you're able to spend some time reading through the gospel stories, remembering what Jesus has done for us in this season, what we remember on Christmas Day. As always, you can find in the description below the address for Southeast Christian Church. We'd love to hear from you, hear your story, hear how we can pray for you. So be sure to write into us.

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