Three thousand years ago, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah prophesied: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (the Lord with us)." 750 years later, a Jewish carpenter and his young bride traveled nearly a hundred miles on a donkey. It's all a part of the greatest story ever told.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Day 8: A birth announcement
Today’s scripture: Luke 2:8-20 (NIV) And there were shepherds out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 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 found him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them and 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.
If Jesus were born today, we would have heard about it through a Tweet, Facebook, blogs, Internet, every newspaper in the world, radio, and every TV network. The bright-shining star over Bethlehem would be a helicopter spot light. Billions of people around the world would know within hours of the birth of the Messiah. Two thousand years ago, the only media was word of mouth. God used a bright-shining star to guide, first, shepherds, and later, the Magi, to see the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. That was it. Oh, and trumpets blared and angels sang.
Shepherds were the low lifes of Jewish society. Their testimony was not admitted in a court of law because they weren’t considered trustworthy. Still, some of the great Old Testament characters were shepherds (Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David). Yet God chose shepherds to spread the word that a savior was born on this day. Imagine how they must have felt. One minute, they’re counting stars in the sky on the quiet outskirts of town, the next they are gazing at an infant child, just as the angel had described.
The stable would have smelled of urine and dung and dirty sheep that hadn’t been washed in months because of the winter cold. Mom and dad were a simple peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter from Nazareth. Did the people of Bethlehem notice anything different on that first morning? Undoubtedly, there were other travelers who would not have fit into the inns. Would anyone have noticed? Would the townspeople have seen the large star over their city? Was the hustle and bustle of everyday life of these shopkeepers any different on this day?
The good news is that this Messiah was an every man’s savior and not just for Jews. In his lineage was Ruth, a Moabite who married Boaz, a Jew related to her mother-in-law, Naomi, so Jesus had a trace of Gentile blood in his veins. He also had a prostitute in his lineage – Rahab. Jesus came for the shepherds of our culture. He didn’t come for the wealthy and the successful. Jesus accepts us for who we are, wherever we are at. Thirty years later, he would preach about purity, yet not condemn a harlot. On this day, it was a simple beginning with stinky animals and humble shepherds. God chooses the ordinary to spread his message because everyone needs to hear it.
The question is, are your eyes open to see the message? Are your ears open to hearing the message? Or are you looking for the wrong thing? Are you looking for a silk robe when it is swaddling clothes you should be looking for? Does the dung around your life keep you from smelling the rose bush outside your window? The shepherds knew what was happening when they heard and saw it, and they spread the word quickly. They believed because their eyes and ears were open. God had become man. Merry Christmas all.
Did you know: The song says, "On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 8 Maids A-milking ..." which signifies the eight beatitudes.
Four years ago, I started writing a daily devotional for single adults. The posts are meant to be a short read, never more than five paragraphs.
Then, in 2006, I came up with a 12-part series on the "12 Days of Christmas." Since then, I've shared the series online and with friends and family.
My hope is that each person that reads this will send the blog address to someone else, so that they, too, can learn more about the first Christmas more than 2,000 years ago.
The birth of Jesus Christ was the greatest gift ever given to the world. And it's free to anyone who chooses to receive it.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to comment. Your thoughts may help someone else better understand the meaning of Christmas.