Christmas Visitors

Shepherds. Shepherds get to hear about and be the first people, aside from Jesus’ earthly parents, to meet the Savior of the world. Not kings, not powerful leaders, not high priests, but shepherds. They were humble, lowly people, who would not have been highly regarded by people in power, yet God chose to let them know first.

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When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2: 15 - 20

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I’m sure over the years I’ve heard pastors teach about the shepherds. I’m certain that I’ve heard the interpretation that God chose to appear to them first because they were ordinary people, lowly people. That by appearing to them first it was a way to show how Jesus was for everyone, and not your typical king. I’ve heard it taught that he chose them because they would be obedient messangers to spread the word of Jesus’ arrival. However, when I was reading over this section of scripture a different thought came to mind.

If you knew me personally, you’d know I’m a big reader. I’ve almost always got a book that I’m currently in the middle of and I’m earner to offer book recommendations to people in need. I give you that as context for how my brain connected what I’m about to share. I have no biblical commentary to back it up, just how my reader brain thought today.

As I was siting there thinking over this scripture and how the shepherds might have felt, the verse below came to mind.

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

John 10:11

And I thought; “What if the angels telling the Shepherds first about Jesus’ birth was a subtle nod/foreshadowing to when Jesus called himself the good shepherd!?!” I mean I had never thought about that before, or connected the two in any way. Today the connection I saw between the two filled me with all kinds of questions and a little wonder too.

I’ve got that list of questions tucked away for now (I’ve got some research to do). So, let’s focus on the big important picture - Jesus really is our good shepherd and he cares for us more than we can grasp. He loves us deeply and he longs for us to be in his fold.

Friends as we head into the weekend may we go hurriedly toward Jesus, just as the shepherds did.

And may we also choose to spread the word about Jesus with all we encounter.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann

Christmas Question

When I thought about taking a fresh look at the Christmas story I wanted to look at more than Luke chapter two. The verses we always hear on Christmas Eve. I wanted to see how Mary and Joseph found out they were going to be the parents of the Son of God. So that’s where we start today as we try to get our wonder back and friends as you read the scripture below, it’s chalked full of wonder, promise.

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In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.  For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Luke 1: 26 - 38

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I’m hoping that we all can agree that whether the angel appeared as describe in scripture or as depicted in Renaissance paintings, it would be an unsettling encounter. I mean imagine, you’re just going about your normal everyday actives and then BAM! - there’s and angel talking to you.

And the conversation isn’t just a simple one either, but one explaining how you are going to give birth to God’s son! I mean come on!!!

We get to know very little about Mary’s reaction to all of this. We know she must have appeared scared since Gaberial told her to “Fear Not”, but as for what she was feeling as Gaberial was telling her what was to happened we have no idea.

I don’t know about you, but if it were me I would have so many questions about all of this. I mean Mary asked a good starter question. You always want to the logistics - but what about everything else. Some great follow up questions might have been: “How do I tell Joseph or my parents?”, “What do I do about the townspeople judgement?”, “How do you raise the Son of God?”, “Why me?”.

But Mary doesn’t ask any of those things. She listens to Gaberial explaining how it is going to happen and then says, so seemly simply, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your words to me be fulfilled.”

Wow!

Mary’s faith must have been so strong. Strong enough not to worry about all the trials she would face with raising God’s son. Strong enough to care more about being a servant to God than to herself. Mary’s response gives us all something to think about. It certainly makes we think about my responses to God’s requests in my life. I hope one day I might emulate Mary’s faith. That when God asks me to do something for him I would respond the way Mary did, “I am the Lor'd’s servant. May your words to me be fulfilled.”

In twelve verses Mary’s life was forever changed. And God was able to use her obedience to change ours. She had no idea the lasting impact her obedience would have and in all honesty neither do we. We don’t know how our obedience to God’s plan will impact the future, but I suppose that’s were faith comes in and a wee bit wonder.

To Everything There Is A Season…

Kiley Ann