Sounds of the Season | Part 2 | Elizabeth’s Song

“O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.”

“O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.”

“Grandma got run over by a reindeer,
Walking home from our house Christmas Eve.
You can say there’s no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.”

Luke 1:39-45 (NIV) At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’

The Right People

• The right people recognize in your life.

Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

• The right people .

Proverbs 12:25 (NIV) Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

• The right people provide an .

Galatians 6:2 (NIV) Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

3 Signs You’re Around the Wrong People

1. They focus more on your than your .
2. They affirm you for , not .
3. They celebrate your but criticize your .

3 Signs You’re Around the Right People

1. They challenge you to to God, even when it’s .

         2. They celebrate in your life with .

         3. They lovingly tell you , even when it’s .

Building a Community that Honors God

1. Seek relationships that .

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV) Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’

2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV) Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2. Be the kind of person who in others.

Romans 12:10 (NIV) Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up.

3. Get in an environment where .

Matthew 18:20 (NIV) For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

Psalm 133:1 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!