{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepikos-sermon-podcast.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Fthe-hope-foretold-GOT97FYN","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"The Hope Foretold","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/812f09db-5074-47cd-8b8f-7f698b01b3b5/9f0efbb9-d384-4682-a548-626e0091a4a6/epikosicon.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/84aa69a1-8c20-4d5b-9deb-eeb947959638\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"The Hope Foretold\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"In this special Christmas Eve service, Pastor Mark Deering challenges common misconceptions about Jesus's birth, explaining that rather than being turned away from an inn, Jesus was likely born in a family home in Bethlehem that was overcrowded due to Caesar's census. Pastor Mark emphasizes how Mary and Joseph were surrounded by family, with Jesus being placed in a manger in the home's animal area due to a lack of space in the guest room. He concludes by connecting the humble circumstances of Christ's birth to God's tendency to work in unexpected ways."}