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Sam. Merry Christmas, everybody. I'm so grateful you're here today, and I hope you're having an incredible Christmas season. I know at the Pettus House, our four boys can hardly wait for Christmas Day. I hope and pray you're also enjoying our Christmas at Highlands experience. It's an honor to have you here. Before we go any further, I want to take a moment to thank the incredible team behind today's service, especially our music production and creative teams. For months, they have poured their heart and soul into what we're experiencing. Highlands is truly blessed with some of the most gifted people on the planet. Also want to take a moment to thank the thousands of Dream Teamers serving across all of our campuses today. Parking cars, making hot chocolate, welcoming families, loving people. Dream Team, you are incredible. And to our entire Highlands family, Jill and I love you so much. We are praying for you every single day, especially in this Christmas season. You mean the world to us. And finally, if today is your first time with us, let me say on behalf of all of us, welcome. We are so excited you're here. And if you're looking for a church family, I hope you found one. From the very beginning of Highlands in 2001, our church has been built on a purpose far bigger than launching another service or opening another campus. From day one, our passion has been to help people answer the question every human heart eventually asks. Is this all that there is? There has to be more. More to life, more to faith, and more to church. That's why our foundational verse as a church is Habakkuk 3:19. The Sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He enables me to tread on the heights. This verse is God's way of reminding us he has more for us, more for our lives, more for our families, and more for our faith. This verse also reminds us that the more God has for us doesn't happen all at once. It happens one step at a time. God has a spiritual journey for all of us in helping people take next steps. On that journey is our deepest passion as a church. The first step on that journey is when we come to truly know God. Not just know about him, but know him personally, intimately. So that our relationship with him becomes the highlight of our lives. As we walk with him, we begin to find freedom. Freedom from the things that hold us back. Freedom from the shame and regret of yesterday. Freedom to become the person God always intended us to be. And as he frees us, we start to discover purpose. Because when God made you, he made you on purpose and with a purpose. There's a calling inside of you and it is never too late to live out that calling. And all of that leads to a life that makes a difference, a life that matters. A life of eternal impact. Not just here at church, serving on a team, but all week long in our homes, our workplaces, and in our world. This is the journey God invites us into and it's the journey we're on here at Highlands. This is the more that God has for all of us, and that includes you. If that resonates with something on the inside, then come be a part of this journey with us. I believe 2026 is going to be the most powerful year ever for our church. On the first Sunday of the year, January 4, we're launching a brand new message series to help you start the year strong. And that day will also begin 21 days of prayer, one of the most life changing seasons of the year. I promise. You don't want to miss all that God has in store. Now, before our candlelighting moment, I want to take just a few minutes and share a Christmas message from God's word. Over the past few months, as I've prayed and prepared for our time together, I've come back to the Christmas story again and again. And it never ceases to amaze me. This story has everything. Angels breaking through the night sky proclaiming good news to shepherds watching their flocks. Wise men traveling across distant lands. A young, unwed pregnant couple putting their entire trust in God. A guiding star, A humble stable at the very center. A manger cradling the greatest gift ever given God's Son, the Savior of the world. As I've read through the story, I have found myself asking questions you may have asked. Why did it all happen this way? And maybe even more importantly, what does this story mean for us today? To answer those questions, we actually need to look back hundreds, even thousands of years before that manger. Because believe it or not, the Christmas story didn't begin in Bethlehem. It actually began the moment sin entered the world and our relationship with God was broken. From that moment on, God set a rescue plan into motion. We see glimpses of it all throughout Scripture, but one of the clearest is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 1:18. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they are as red as crimson, they shall be like wool. So you may be wondering why, why I am standing here in this field. Well, this is actually very similar to one you might have found in Israel in the time of Jesus. Standing right here, I can imagine, and I want you to imagine with me, the shepherds watching their sheep on that night that Jesus was born. All throughout the Bible, God uses sheep to describe us. And honestly, it would be offensive if it wasn't kind of true. Sheep wander off. Sheep get stuck in places they have no business being. Sheep will literally follow each other off a cliff. And as cute as they can be, they are pretty helpless on their own. God is telling us in Isaiah that, like sheep, we cannot cleanse ourselves. We cannot rescue ourselves. Sin leaves a stain deeper than effort, resolve, or religion can reach. When this verse says our lives will become white as wool, it would have confounded the Jewish. You see scarlet and crimson. They're the deepest, most permanent dyes, symbols of guilt and sin and snow and wool. It represents the purest, brightest whites anyone could imagine, symbols of forgiveness and restoration. It is humanly impossible to reverse scarlet on wool. Yet God says, what you cannot do, I will. I will forgive. I will restore. I will rescue. I will cleanse. The question, of course, was, how did God plan to accomplish this impossible rescue? Several chapters later, Isaiah answers it with a prophecy that changed everything. Isaiah 9, 2:6 says, the people walking in darkness have seen a great light on those living in the land of deep darkness. A light has dawned. For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. And the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Every one of us knows what darkness feels like, both in the natural and in our lives. Many, if not most of us, walked in today carrying some form of it. Sometimes it's darkness we created, sometimes it's darkness that found us. And sometimes it is darkness that simply settled in over time. And that darkness, it can settle anywhere in our minds, in our emotions, or even deep in our spirit. But here's the message of Isaiah and the real meaning of Christmas. No matter how deep the darkness, God's light can break through. No matter how deep the crimson stain, God's grace can make us white again. You may be thinking, Mark, you don't understand. You don't know what I have done. You don't know what was done to me. Hear me today, you can stand on this promise, because that prophecy in Isaiah, it wasn't just spoken, it was fulfilled. Matthew 1:21. 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. His name is Jesus, the promised Messiah, the Lamb of God, the Savior of the world. The God wrapped himself in flesh because his love for us would not let him remain distant. He saw our sin, our hurt, our brokenness. He saw the stain we could never remove. And in his great mercy, he refused to leave us as we were. So he came to rescue. He came to redeem. He came to save. Maybe right now you find yourself lost in life, wandering, unsure of what to do next or what your future holds. Isaiah tells us exactly who Jesus is. He is your wonderful counselor. Life can feel overwhelming for all of us, and the questions often outnumber the answers. Confusion may describe our situation, but it does not define our identity. Jesus came as the wonderful counselor, the One who guides, the one who speaks truth. The one who steps into our circumstances and walks with us through them. For some of us, we're facing a situation we simply cannot fix on our own. He is your mighty God. Mighty God. In the moments that are just too big for us. The addictions we can't break, the wounds we can't heal. The fears we can't silence. The mountains we can't move. Romans 8:11 tells us that when we know God, the same power that would end up raising Christ from the dead now lives in us. He came to carry what we cannot carry, to fight what we cannot fight, to accomplish what we can never accomplish on our own. He is mighty God. You know, during this time of year, so many of us experience loneliness. The feeling of being alone, unseen or disconnected, even when surrounded by others. If that is you, he is your everlasting Father. One of the greatest promises Jesus gives us is that when we belong to him, we are never alone. Through him, we experience the love of a perfect heavenly Father. A Father who sees us, who knows us completely, and who. And who loves us with a love that never fades, never weakens, and never runs out. And finally, if any part of your life is overwhelmed with anxiety, fear or inner chaos, and honestly, that is likely true for all of us in some way. Hold on to this promise. He is your Prince of peace. Not a prince of chaos, not a prince of distraction. The Prince of peace. A peace that isn't based on circumstances, emotions, understanding or control, but on his presence. Wherever Jesus reigns, peace rules. His peace is a peace we can all have today, no matter what is going on around us. Wonderful counselor. Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace. His name is Jesus. Because he came to save us. Not just in the moment of salvation, but in every way. He turns scarlet and crimson into snow and wool. He brings light into our darkness. This past week, I asked some of our campus pastors to send a text to people across our Highlands locations with one simple question. What has Jesus saved you from? It's a great question, and my prayer is that as you hear some of their responses, it will not only encourage you, but it will build your faith for what God wants to do in your life. Caitlin shared, jesus saved me from the trauma of my childhood. For Jeff, it was rescue from a hardened heart and bitterness. Jesus saved Susan from a lonely and unanchored life. He saved Bella from all consuming anxiety in Jesus, Michael experienced salvation from the crushing weight of shame and guilt. And Jesus rescued Jackson from emptiness and chasing the world's view of success. As I read through those answers and dozens more, I couldn't help but celebrate the goodness of our God. But hear me today. His goodness is not just for others. It is for you. God is ready to step into your story, your struggle, your situation, and bring the healing, hope and rescue you are longing for. So how do we experience our Savior this Christmas? Jeremiah 29:13 says, you will seek Me and you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart. The truth is, God doesn't force himself into our lives. Scripture says he stands at the door and knocks. He comes where he is welcomed. He moves in where he is invited. He fills the life that makes room for Him. We will find him when we seek Him. And that brings me to something we do every Christmas here at Highlands. If you've been around for any amount of time, you know that we reveal our focus for the coming year and during these services. For months I've been asking God to give me a word for 2026. And instead of just a word, he gave me a verse. A verse we will memorize and declare all year long. Matthew 6:33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Highlands here's our 2026 rally cry. We seek God first. First in our day, first in our relationships, first in our finances, first in our lives. Seeking God first isn't how we earn his blessing. It's how we position ourselves to receive everything he already has for us. When we put God first in our priorities, he will order our steps. When we put him first in our decisions, he will give us wisdom and clarity. When we put him first in our relationships, and he will bring healing and strength. When we put him first in our finances, he will provide. And when we Put him first in our days. He will fill our lives with peace. So come on in 2026, let's truly seek God first. If you're new here, I want to invite you to go all in with us and give us one year of your life. We actually call it the One Year Challenge. Attend church, join us for 21 days. Get in a small group, Discover your purpose. Serve others, make a difference. And if you do, 2026 will become the greatest year of your life spiritually, and you will never regret it. But as we prepare to celebrate our 25th anniversary as a church next year, I'm giving the same challenge to all of us, even those who've been a part of Highlands from the very beginning. I believe year 25 will mark a new season of blessing, calling, and purpose for our church. A chance for all of us to grow stronger and fall deeper in love with Jesus than ever before. Don't miss a second of it in 2026. God first. But here's the good news. We don't have to wait for the New Year. You know, earlier, we imagined this field as the one where the angels appeared to the shepherds. I mean, think about it. What an incredible moment that must have been. They were invited to experience Jesus, but the decision to actually go and seek him, that was still on them. It was their decision. And honestly, 2,000 years later, that's where we find ourselves this Christmas. Each of us, we're in our own field, our own moment of decision. God is calling us. Will we seek Him? So here's what we're going to do. Before we light candles together, our team is going to sing a song that will allow us to reflect on the message we just heard. God loves you. Jesus came to Earth on a rescue mission for you. And as we seek him in our lives, he will do what only he can do. Turn our darkness into light and the scarlet areas of our lives into wool. As the team leads us, let's all open our hearts to whatever decision God is calling us to make this Christmas.