God continues to reveal His Kingdom, this time through His choice in announcing the birth of the world’s Savior. We have it all wrong. In His Kingdom it’s not about “lording” it over the weak and insignificant. To begin with, God doesn’t categorize His image-bearers in this way, we do.
And so, He chooses a group of shepherds (“lowly” people in the world’s eyes) and proclaims the greatest news for all of mankind!
An angel is sent to these shepherds to share news the entire world so desperately needs. The glory of the Lord is revealed “to the least of these” (“the last will be first, the first will be last” comes to mind). The sign given to them comes from Luke’s earlier description of Christ’s birth, as he simply & plainly (without embellishment or hype) states the facts: “she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a feeding trough because there was no room for them in the inn” (2:1). No glitz, no glamor, just an extremely humble (less than ordinary) birth and THIS is the sign given to shepherds who become one of the first people to see the world’s savior with their own eyes! Becoming eyewitnesses of the way of God’s Kingdom. God continues to reveal His glory to these “lowly” shepherds, as a great company of the heavenly host appears before them, praising God for sending his glory to earth to give peace to all who would believe!
They saw the Christ child with their own eyes and spread the word…
"God’s kingdom has come, God’s will will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"…and the message of God’s coming kingdom begins to spread!
“Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart”
The shepherds’ outlook was changed forever! They respond in glory & praise to God for all they heard and seen!
Hope has arrived. Rescue has come. Salvation for the world was at hand.
Praying we are open to the extraordinariness of God breaking into our ordinary lives! Also praying we become more like Mary…treasuring up all these things and pondering them in our hearts! As we do, God will begin to change our understanding (our view) of life and as our perspective changes so will the way we live. Knowing (pondering, storing up with "readiness"…) the “why” (God's great rescue plan in Jesus) changes both the “how" and the "who" (how we live and who we become)...God will then begin to transform us, as He always intended, into the very image of Himself, and, by His grace, we will begin to look more & more (in word and deed and character) like His Son, Jesus.
Merry Christmas Season! ☺
And so, He chooses a group of shepherds (“lowly” people in the world’s eyes) and proclaims the greatest news for all of mankind!
An angel is sent to these shepherds to share news the entire world so desperately needs. The glory of the Lord is revealed “to the least of these” (“the last will be first, the first will be last” comes to mind). The sign given to them comes from Luke’s earlier description of Christ’s birth, as he simply & plainly (without embellishment or hype) states the facts: “she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a feeding trough because there was no room for them in the inn” (2:1). No glitz, no glamor, just an extremely humble (less than ordinary) birth and THIS is the sign given to shepherds who become one of the first people to see the world’s savior with their own eyes! Becoming eyewitnesses of the way of God’s Kingdom. God continues to reveal His glory to these “lowly” shepherds, as a great company of the heavenly host appears before them, praising God for sending his glory to earth to give peace to all who would believe!
They saw the Christ child with their own eyes and spread the word…
"God’s kingdom has come, God’s will will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"…and the message of God’s coming kingdom begins to spread!
“Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart”
The shepherds’ outlook was changed forever! They respond in glory & praise to God for all they heard and seen!
Hope has arrived. Rescue has come. Salvation for the world was at hand.
Praying we are open to the extraordinariness of God breaking into our ordinary lives! Also praying we become more like Mary…treasuring up all these things and pondering them in our hearts! As we do, God will begin to change our understanding (our view) of life and as our perspective changes so will the way we live. Knowing (pondering, storing up with "readiness"…) the “why” (God's great rescue plan in Jesus) changes both the “how" and the "who" (how we live and who we become)...God will then begin to transform us, as He always intended, into the very image of Himself, and, by His grace, we will begin to look more & more (in word and deed and character) like His Son, Jesus.
Merry Christmas Season! ☺
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