Hope When You Feel Forgotten Series

The Thrill of Hope #2

Hope When You Feel Forgotten

Dr. Marty Baker / Luke 1 / December 14, 2025

Welcome to Stevens Creek Church. We are so glad that you are here today. I want to welcome all of those in our Grovetown Campus, our North Augusta Campus, our South Campus and those watching online and on demand.

I like to start with something funny.

Did you hear about the guy that was away on business the week before Christmas? He felt bad so he wanted to return home with an early Christmas gift for his wife. So he went to the mall to do a little shopping.

The first thing that he noticed when he walked into the store was the cosmetics counter.

The clerk said, "How about some perfume?" He said, “Yes, that sounds good.” She showed him a bottle costing $50.

"That's a bit much," so she returned with a smaller bottle for $30. "That is still quite a bit."

Growing disgusted, the clerk brought out a tiny $15 bottle. He grew agitated, "What I mean," he said, "is I'd like to see something really cheap." So the clerk handed him a mirror. Guys, be careful when you go shopping.

Today, we are continuing our Christmas series called The Thrill of Hope. It’s December 14 and I know that some of you walked in today with a lot on your mind. This time of year pulls us in a hundred different directions. The calendar is full, the to-do list is long, and your energy tank is running on empty.

And for many of us, underneath all the holiday movement, there’s another feeling we don’t always admit:

“I’m overwhelmed. I’m stretched thin. I’m doing the best I can.”

And it’s Christmas — the season that magnifies everything you feel. The joy feels brighter, but the loneliness feels heavier too.

Maybe you’re a teacher and you pour into students every day, you stay late, you spend your own money on supplies… and some days you wonder if anyone notices at all.

Maybe you go to work every day, work hard, provide for your family… and still feel invisible in your own house.

Christmas is God’s reminder that even when life feels heavy, hope is still on the way.

Well, today’s message is for you.

And here’s why. You are not the first person to feel that way. The Christmas story reminds us of something we don’t always feel… but we deeply need to know: Just because you feel overlooked doesn’t mean you are forgotten.

Big Idea:

When you feel forgotten, God is still working in ways you cannot see.

People may overlook you, but God never does. He sees you right where you are. He knows your name. He knows your load. And He hears every prayer, even the ones you do not pray anymore.

If you will lean in for a few minutes… if you will take a breath… I believe God is going to breathe hope into the places where you feel forgotten.

Because Christmas shows us this truth. God does some of His greatest work in the lives of people who feel forgotten. And the Christmas story shows us this truth through the life of one forgotten couple. Their names were Zechariah and Elizabeth. Their story shows us the first truth we need to hold onto.

The Christmas story doesn’t start with a celebration; it starts with people who felt forgotten, overlooked, and left behind by life.

1. When people overlook you, remember that God still sees you.

The Christmas story begins with two ordinary people—Zechariah and Elizabeth—who loved God deeply, yet felt like life had passed them by. Before we ever get to Bethlehem, Luke slows down and shines a light on an older couple who felt forgotten by everyone around them.

Luke 1:5-6

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.

So what we see here is that both Zechariah and Elizabeth grew up in families that were involved in ministry. So, when Zechariah married Elizabeth, it was like a preacher marrying a preacher’s daughter. They were remarkable people. Luke called them “righteous” and “blameless,” meaning they lived godly, scandal-free lives. But, everything did not go their way. They had some heartaches along the way.

Luke 1:7

7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

I am a little offended by the words very old because one commentator said that they were in their sixties… so since I am in my sixties, I guess I am very old. I still feel like I am 40.