I will let Jesus define who I am. (Third Sunday of Advent)

The Gospel: Unscripted

Christian and Alan read and comment on the readings for Sunday, December 17, 2023. We go through the readings in reverse order:

• Gospel reading - John 1:6-8, 19-28
• 2nd reading - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
• 1st reading - Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11
• All readings - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121723.cfm

Show notes:

• 0:51 - Opening Prayer
• 3:11 - Gospel reading
• 6:19 - Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dads and Daughters (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/777562)
• 9:08 - "And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?' He said, 'I am not.'" (John 1:21 ESV)
• 9:34 - "He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.'" (John 1:20 ESV)
• 9:55 - "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." (Matthew 11:11 NIV)
• 16:00 - 2nd reading
• 17:43 - "But test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21 NLT)
• 19:09 - The idea that "Christians are called to just blindly believe in God" is a misconception
• 19:35 - @askcliffe: "I have to be a skeptic if I'm going to seriously follow Christ... I refuse to be a cynic" (http://tinyurl.com/skeptical-cynical)
• 20:15 - (SPOILER ALERT) Sully: Investigation Scene (https://youtu.be/Yo2PbaiN1tU)
• 28:13 - "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing," (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 ESV)
• 28:19 - "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely," (1 Thessalonians 5:23a ESV)
• 28:59 - 1st reading
• 30:13 - (SPOILER ALERT) Old School: Debate Scene (https://youtu.be/_yYDzLUH1NE)
• 30:45 - The 5 Points of the Gospel (https://tinyurl.com/5ptgospel)
• 31:40 - "The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is on me, because he has chosen me to serve him. He has sent me to tell good news to poor people." (Isaiah 61:1a EASY)
• 32:00 - "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God." (Isaiah 61:10a NIV)
• 33:27 - Christian: "God's character is goodness, and he's a personal God who cares for us."
• 34:40 - (EXPLICIT) Pulp Fiction: You sending The Wolf? (https://youtu.be/ojTKkfgvwvU)
• 35:45 - Alan: "And that's what God is in our lives. It's not going to be easy. It's going to take some work for us. But at least He's there to oversee it for us."
• 37:55 - Christian "[When] I forget to turn back to God, Satan's got me where he wants me"
• 48:27 - Closing Prayer