December 21, 2008
Get Excited: The Story of The Shepherds
Luke 2
THE SHEPHERDS AND ANGELS
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified,10 but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.18 All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished,19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
A small boy was told he was too young to wear a watch. But he continued to plead for one, until the whole family grew weary of his begging. Finally, his father, after explaining that he could have a watch when he was older, forbade him to mention the subject again.
The next Sunday, the children in the family – as was their custom – repeated Bible verses at the Sunday breakfast table. When it was the boy’s turn, he astonished them with a rendering of Mark 13:37: “What I say unto you, I say unto all: watch!” (Brian Bauknight, Devotions to Leave You Smiling, p. 20.)
The shepherds were keeping watch in the fields near Bethlehem. What was about to happen couldn’t have been imagined in their wildest dreams. Heaven interrupted their same-old-same-old. An angel burst onto the scene! The whole field lit up – bathed in the glory of God.
The shepherds were beside themselves – sheer panic set in. Then the angle spoke, “Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news.” What a way to bring good news. I love God’s way of delivering good news. He got the shepherds attention!
The good news first came to social outcasts - #1 on our outline. The occupation of shepherd was looked down on in Jesus’ day. It was on the low end of the Totem Pole. The work of a shepherd made the shepherd ceremonially unclean. In addition, shepherds were considered by many to be untrustworthy. And yet God interrupted earth’s busy schedule by appearing first to the shepherds – the least among humanity. What would lead God to do that? God was blowing away our preconceived notions about status and privilege. The good news came first to the undeserving and the under-privileged. God turned our elitist views on their ears. The savior who was coming was for all people – even the least of those among us!
The angels gave the shepherds a clue – a sign; when they find a baby lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes – little wraps of cloth – they will have found God’s chosen. Just then, a great army of angels joined the one angel, composing a tremendous heavenly choir. They began to praise God.
The shepherds watched the angels return to heaven. What a sight that must have been. When the light dimmed, the shepherds spared no time racing into Bethlehem to see the very thing that the angels had announced. They found Christ just as the angels had said. The shepherds were on the go again – not back to the fields – but to the homes and along the byways of Bethlehem.
This leads us to #2 on our outline: The good news is meant to be shared. The shepherds instinctively knew that they must tell someone. As a matter of a fact, the shepherds told everyone that they had come across about what had happened in the field and the special reason that the child had come. The shepherds must have been bursting at the seams to share this good news. Nothing had ever happened like it before. They were full of joy. It oozed right out of them. No doubt the look on their face alone must have given away the notion that something incredible had happened. These shepherds were the first evangelists – the first heralds of the good news.
In both the Old and New Testaments, shepherds symbolize those who take care of God’s people. This news – no ordinary news – would make a huge impact upon the outlook of all the residents of the Holy Land. The Jewish people were an occupied people. A foreign army was in charge. Life was at times very brutal. Hope was coming. It would make their day!
The shepherds of Luke 2 just might symbolize all the ordinary, everyday people who joyfully receive the good news and, as a result, become lay-pastors. They gained an appetite to take care of the spiritual needs of God’s people! And it worked! Let’s take a look at #3 of our outline: The good news produces results.
All who heard the shepherd’s story were astonished. Just as the shepherds were taken by surprise by the angels, the townspeople were taken by surprise by the shepherds. Wonder and amazement filled the village. People who were sleeping were woken up. Those at work left their post. The sick and the hurting found something to look forward to beside their painful circumstances. The whole town was a buzz!
Not only did the sharing of the good news astonish those who heard, it also did something for the shepherds who shared. The shepherds finally told everyone that they could and then went back to their flocks. But they were different. The sharing of the good news changed them. They went back to the fields glorifying and praising God. Even their lowly work would never feel the same again. The sharing of the news elevated them to a new spiritual level.
The reason for existence is to make a difference. When you see the effect, it creates praise and glory. Excitement is stirred. The beauty of such behavior gives wings to the work of ministry.
“How can I ever repay you?” asked a friend of a friend who had done him a great favor. “I shall forever be indebted to you for your kindness.” “Not necessarily,” answered the friend. “If you really want to repay me, keep your eye open for somebody who needs help as badly as you did, help him, and tell him what I told you: ‘I did it on behalf of Christ my Savior.’ If you are willing to do this, I shall be fully repaid for I shall enjoy the warm feeling that someday – through you – I shall have helped a fellow I didn’t even know.” (adapted from James Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p. 178)
What do we, who are so far removed from this original story, do to get excited? Is it possible? Yes. We must hear the stories of how the good news is making a difference. And we must pray for the ability to share the good news, too. It is in the hearing and in the sharing that excitement builds.
Secondly, what do we do to maintain the excitement? A quick suggestion: we must sow, grow and go! We must be placed in fertile soil. We must sow deep into the word of God where we learn all about the good news – like Elijah who prayed down fire to burn up wood doused in water, like Joshua who marched Israel around Jericho and brought the walls down, like Mary Magdalene who found forgiveness at Jesus’ feet, like Peter whose shadow healed a sick man – all episodes recorded in the Bible. Then we must grow spiritually by making sure that we are Christ’s and that we nurture that relationship by having a regular conversation with him through prayer and worship. Finally, we must go – asking God to open the door in sharing the good news of what Christ has done and is doing. We have something that the shepherds did not have – the very presence of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. The saved are plugged in to the power of heaven!
Lost on a back road in Alabama, a motorist asked the way to Montgomery. An old farmer sitting on the fence looked down the road, scratched his head, and gave explicit instructions. Half an hour later, after carefully following the farmer’s directions, the motorist found himself back at the starting point. The farmer was still sitting on the fence in placid contemplation of the landscape.
“Hey, what’s the idea?” the motorist demanded. “I did just what you told me, and look where I a wound up!” “Well, young feller,” the farmer explained, “I didn’t aim to waste my time telling you how to get to Montgomery until I found out if you could follow simple directions.” (Brian Bauknight, Devotions to Leave You Smiling, p. 15.)
It just may be that God won’t disclose more until we learn to follow His simple directions. When we show Him we are capable of carrying out the little things, He will give us so much more!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
December 14, 2008 Advent
Doing the Right Thing
Matthew 1
THE BIRTH OF JESUS THE MESSIAH
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement* quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,* for he will save his people from their sins."
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet:
23 "Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,*
which means 'God is with us.'"
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus
There is a beautiful chorus from a song by Christ Tomlin called Jesus Messiah:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all
Take a look at number one on our outline:
1. Jesus is Messiah; Messiah means: anointed or chosen
Jesus is Messiah. He was anointed or chosen. To do what? To save us!
Let me tell you a story. In a remote village stood a beautiful church. It was so beautiful, in fact, that it was known as the Mountain Valley Cathedral. The church was not only beautiful to look at – with its high pillars and magnificent stained glass windows – but it had the most beautiful pipe organ in the whole area. People would come from miles away – even from far off lands – to hear the lovely tones of this organ.
But there was a problem. The columns were still there – the windows still dazzled with the sunlight – but there was an eerie silence. The valley no longer echoed the glorious, fine-tuned music of the pipe organ.
Something had gone wrong with the pipe organ. Musicians and experts from around the world had tried to repair it. Every time a new person would try to fix it the villagers were subjected to sounds of disharmony – awful, penetrating noises which polluted the air.
One day an old man appeared at the church door. He spoke with the pastor and after a time the pastor reluctantly agreed to let the old man try his hand at repairing the organ. For two days the old man worked in almost total silence. The pastor was, in fact, getting a bit nervous. Then on the third day – at high noon – the valley was once again filled with glorious music. Farmers dropped their plows, merchants closed their stores – everyone in town stopped what they were doing and headed for the church. Even the bushes and trees of the mountaintops seemed to respond as the glorious music echoed from ridge to ridge.
After the old man finished his playing, a brave soul asked him how he could have fixed the organ, how could he restore this magnificent instrument when even the world’s experts could not. The old man merely said it was an inside job. “It was I who built the organ 50 years ago,” he said, “I created it – and now I have restored it.”
That is what God is like. It is He who created the universe, and it is He who can, and will, and is in the process of restoring it. God’s perfect plan was an inside job. He came and lived inside a man named Jesus Christ – God’s son. It was God’s perfect plan to live with us and to die for us. So, even though the world is not so perfect, and even though we aren’t so perfect, God is still perfect in doing His work of salvation. If we believe in Jesus and follow his teachings in the Bible, we will be saved. And someday, he will give us a new heaven, a new earth, and a new body – all will be perfect again.
Let’s take a look at the second point on our outline.
2. Joseph was a good man because:
a. He was willing to put his own interests last
Let’s put this in perspective. It was a terrible disgrace in this day to be pregnant out of marital union. Remember, the Jewish folk of this time were given to one another but not officially married until the wedding ceremony, which lasted a week. Mary and Joseph did not yet have their ceremony. A pregnant Mary would have been a very big problem. Either Mary committed a type of adultery or he and Mary had sexual relations before they were supposed to. Either situation was disgraceful and by the letter of the law was punishable by death.
A lot of people don’t mind making others look bad in order to save their own reputations. In that day, it is probable that most men would have implicated their fiancé and very publicly broken off the engagement. But Joseph was not willing to protect his own interests at the expense of Mary. He wanted to quietly break it off – no public announcement denouncing her.
In his dream, he discovered the will of God – he was to keep Mary as his wife. Such a move was actually an implication that he was the father. If folks noticed the pregnancy, everyone would have assumed that he could not control himself. The risk was now much larger. But Joseph, a godly man, was willing to take the risk rather than disobey God. So Joseph put his very reputation on the line. He put himself last at a great cost to his own status.
Richard Baxter was a minister in the Church of England in the 18th century. He wrote these words:
Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.
If life be long I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short--yet why should I be sad
To soar to endless day?
Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than he went through before;
He that to God's Kingdom comes,
Must enter by this door. Richard Baxter
Richard himself faced much persecution, but he was willing to do so for the Mater’s sake. So was Joseph. This passage does not record any words spoken by Joseph. But this passage shows that Joseph did the right thing.
Andrew Murray was a pastor in South Africa during the 19th century. He wrote these telling words about humility:
Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around is trouble. It is the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ's redemptive work on Calvary's cross, manifested in those of His own who are definitely subject to the Holy Spirit. Andrew Murray
Joseph was also a good man because
b. He took his time with big decisions.
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. David Russell.
Joseph had a great idea. He slept on it. This is good advice to all of us! When we are facing big decisions, don’t be too rash. Sleep on it. This slowing down made time for the Holy Spirit to penetrate Joseph’s heart. The Holy Spirit spoke to Joseph. When you know God is calling you to do something, you can go forward, for all the power of heaven is behind you. Take your time, but don’t take too much time.
Former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, "Do you want square toes or round toes?" Unable to decide, Reagan didn't answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days. Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn't decide, so the shoemaker replied, "Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready." When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! "This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you," the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. "I learned right then and there," Reagan said later, "if you don't make your own decisions, someone else will." Today in the Word, MBI, August, 1991, p. 16.
Prayerfully consider what God wants you to do! Take some time – not forever – some time. Read scripture. Talk to others (God speaks through other people, too). Pray some more, and then do what you feel God is leading you to do.
Last, on our outline, Joseph was a good man because:
c. He obeyed the will of God.
Peter T. Forsythe was right when he said, "The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master". Warren W. Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, p. 22
Roger Staubach who led the Dallas Cowboys to the World Championship in '71 admitted that his position as a quarterback who didn't call his own signals was a source of trial for him. Coach Landry sent in every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!). Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a "genius mind" when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team.
Roger later said, "I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory." Source Unknown.
Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, "Look, I'm going to leave. And while I'm gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I'm away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip." Everyone agrees.
He leaves and stays gone for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, communicating his desires and concerns. Finally he returns. He walks up to the front door of the company and immediately discovers everything is in a mess--weeds flourishing in the flower beds, windows broken across the front of the building, the gal at the front desk dozing, loud music roaring from several offices, two or three people engaged in horseplay in the back room. Instead of making a profit, the business has suffered a great loss. Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with a frown asks, "What happened? Didn't you get my letters?"
You say, "Oh, yeah, sure. We got all your letters. We've even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have 'letter study' every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters." I think the president would then ask, "But what did you do about my instructions?" And, no doubt the employees would respond, "Do? Well, nothing. But we read every one!" Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p. 242.
One step forward in obedience is worth years of study about it. Chambers, Our Daily Bread, March 4, 1993.
Doing the Right Thing
Matthew 1
THE BIRTH OF JESUS THE MESSIAH
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement* quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,* for he will save his people from their sins."
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet:
23 "Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,*
which means 'God is with us.'"
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus
There is a beautiful chorus from a song by Christ Tomlin called Jesus Messiah:
Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all
Take a look at number one on our outline:
1. Jesus is Messiah; Messiah means: anointed or chosen
Jesus is Messiah. He was anointed or chosen. To do what? To save us!
Let me tell you a story. In a remote village stood a beautiful church. It was so beautiful, in fact, that it was known as the Mountain Valley Cathedral. The church was not only beautiful to look at – with its high pillars and magnificent stained glass windows – but it had the most beautiful pipe organ in the whole area. People would come from miles away – even from far off lands – to hear the lovely tones of this organ.
But there was a problem. The columns were still there – the windows still dazzled with the sunlight – but there was an eerie silence. The valley no longer echoed the glorious, fine-tuned music of the pipe organ.
Something had gone wrong with the pipe organ. Musicians and experts from around the world had tried to repair it. Every time a new person would try to fix it the villagers were subjected to sounds of disharmony – awful, penetrating noises which polluted the air.
One day an old man appeared at the church door. He spoke with the pastor and after a time the pastor reluctantly agreed to let the old man try his hand at repairing the organ. For two days the old man worked in almost total silence. The pastor was, in fact, getting a bit nervous. Then on the third day – at high noon – the valley was once again filled with glorious music. Farmers dropped their plows, merchants closed their stores – everyone in town stopped what they were doing and headed for the church. Even the bushes and trees of the mountaintops seemed to respond as the glorious music echoed from ridge to ridge.
After the old man finished his playing, a brave soul asked him how he could have fixed the organ, how could he restore this magnificent instrument when even the world’s experts could not. The old man merely said it was an inside job. “It was I who built the organ 50 years ago,” he said, “I created it – and now I have restored it.”
That is what God is like. It is He who created the universe, and it is He who can, and will, and is in the process of restoring it. God’s perfect plan was an inside job. He came and lived inside a man named Jesus Christ – God’s son. It was God’s perfect plan to live with us and to die for us. So, even though the world is not so perfect, and even though we aren’t so perfect, God is still perfect in doing His work of salvation. If we believe in Jesus and follow his teachings in the Bible, we will be saved. And someday, he will give us a new heaven, a new earth, and a new body – all will be perfect again.
Let’s take a look at the second point on our outline.
2. Joseph was a good man because:
a. He was willing to put his own interests last
Let’s put this in perspective. It was a terrible disgrace in this day to be pregnant out of marital union. Remember, the Jewish folk of this time were given to one another but not officially married until the wedding ceremony, which lasted a week. Mary and Joseph did not yet have their ceremony. A pregnant Mary would have been a very big problem. Either Mary committed a type of adultery or he and Mary had sexual relations before they were supposed to. Either situation was disgraceful and by the letter of the law was punishable by death.
A lot of people don’t mind making others look bad in order to save their own reputations. In that day, it is probable that most men would have implicated their fiancé and very publicly broken off the engagement. But Joseph was not willing to protect his own interests at the expense of Mary. He wanted to quietly break it off – no public announcement denouncing her.
In his dream, he discovered the will of God – he was to keep Mary as his wife. Such a move was actually an implication that he was the father. If folks noticed the pregnancy, everyone would have assumed that he could not control himself. The risk was now much larger. But Joseph, a godly man, was willing to take the risk rather than disobey God. So Joseph put his very reputation on the line. He put himself last at a great cost to his own status.
Richard Baxter was a minister in the Church of England in the 18th century. He wrote these words:
Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.
If life be long I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short--yet why should I be sad
To soar to endless day?
Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than he went through before;
He that to God's Kingdom comes,
Must enter by this door. Richard Baxter
Richard himself faced much persecution, but he was willing to do so for the Mater’s sake. So was Joseph. This passage does not record any words spoken by Joseph. But this passage shows that Joseph did the right thing.
Andrew Murray was a pastor in South Africa during the 19th century. He wrote these telling words about humility:
Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around is trouble. It is the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ's redemptive work on Calvary's cross, manifested in those of His own who are definitely subject to the Holy Spirit. Andrew Murray
Joseph was also a good man because
b. He took his time with big decisions.
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. David Russell.
Joseph had a great idea. He slept on it. This is good advice to all of us! When we are facing big decisions, don’t be too rash. Sleep on it. This slowing down made time for the Holy Spirit to penetrate Joseph’s heart. The Holy Spirit spoke to Joseph. When you know God is calling you to do something, you can go forward, for all the power of heaven is behind you. Take your time, but don’t take too much time.
Former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, "Do you want square toes or round toes?" Unable to decide, Reagan didn't answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days. Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn't decide, so the shoemaker replied, "Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready." When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! "This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you," the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. "I learned right then and there," Reagan said later, "if you don't make your own decisions, someone else will." Today in the Word, MBI, August, 1991, p. 16.
Prayerfully consider what God wants you to do! Take some time – not forever – some time. Read scripture. Talk to others (God speaks through other people, too). Pray some more, and then do what you feel God is leading you to do.
Last, on our outline, Joseph was a good man because:
c. He obeyed the will of God.
Peter T. Forsythe was right when he said, "The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master". Warren W. Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, p. 22
Roger Staubach who led the Dallas Cowboys to the World Championship in '71 admitted that his position as a quarterback who didn't call his own signals was a source of trial for him. Coach Landry sent in every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!). Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a "genius mind" when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team.
Roger later said, "I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory." Source Unknown.
Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, "Look, I'm going to leave. And while I'm gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I'm away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip." Everyone agrees.
He leaves and stays gone for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, communicating his desires and concerns. Finally he returns. He walks up to the front door of the company and immediately discovers everything is in a mess--weeds flourishing in the flower beds, windows broken across the front of the building, the gal at the front desk dozing, loud music roaring from several offices, two or three people engaged in horseplay in the back room. Instead of making a profit, the business has suffered a great loss. Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with a frown asks, "What happened? Didn't you get my letters?"
You say, "Oh, yeah, sure. We got all your letters. We've even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have 'letter study' every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters." I think the president would then ask, "But what did you do about my instructions?" And, no doubt the employees would respond, "Do? Well, nothing. But we read every one!" Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p. 242.
One step forward in obedience is worth years of study about it. Chambers, Our Daily Bread, March 4, 1993.
December 7, 2008 -- Advent
PAYING ATTENTION
Little Ole was sitting at the kitchen table doing his school homework. He had a puzzled look on his face as he considered the assignment that was due--writing an essay about his origin. He turned to question his mother. "Mama, where did Grandma come from?" he asked.
"The stork brought her," answered mama Lena.
"And where did you come from?" asked Little Ole.
"The stork brought me," his mother answered.
"And where did I come from?" Little Ole inquired. "Well, son, the stork brought you, too," mama Lena replied.
With a scowl on his face, Little Ole picked up his pencil, turned to his school tablet, and began writing his essay: "There have been no natural births in our family for three generations."
Speaking of unnatural births, we are going to take a close look at the most unnatural, most amazing birth of all time. The announcement was made by an angel:
Luke 1:26-56
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!*"
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.30 "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God!31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.33 And he will reign over Israel* forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
34 Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin."
35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.36 What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.37 For nothing is impossible with God.*"
38 Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." And then the angel left her.
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.41 At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said."
46 Mary responded,
"Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever."
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
This passage of scripture leads me to ask 3 questions. I’ll call them the questions of Christmas.
1. Are there really angels? If so, what is their role?
The Bible is full of angels. Angel or angels are mentioned 304 times!
We don't know whether every angel carries out the same tasks, or whether some of them specialize in certain areas. The Bible does speak about classes of angelic beings like cherubim (Ezekiel 1) and seraphim (Isaiah 6). We also know the names of two notable angels: Michael (Daniel 10:13; Jude 9) and Gabriel (Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19,26).
The unnamed angels who appear most often in Scripture carry out a variety of tasks—all designed to serve God…
Worship and praise - This is the main activity portrayed in heaven (Isaiah 6:1-3; Revelation 4-5).
Revealing - They serve as messengers to communicate God's will to men. They helped reveal the law to Moses (Acts 7:52-53), and served as the carriers of much of the material in Daniel, and Revelation.
Guiding - Angels gave instructions to Joseph about the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1-2), to the women at the tomb, to Philip (Acts 8:26), and to Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8).
Providing - God has used angels to provide physical needs such as food for Hagar (Genesis 21:17-20), Elijah (1 Kings 19:6), and Christ after His temptation (Matthew 4:11).
Protecting - Keeping God's people out of physical danger, as in the cases of Daniel and the lions, and his three friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3 and 6).
Delivering - Getting God's people out of danger once they're in it. Angels released the apostles from prison in Acts 5, and repeated the process for Peter in Acts 12.
Strengthening and encouraging - Angels strengthened Jesus after His temptation (Matt 4:11), encouraged the apostles to keep preaching after releasing them from prison (Acts 5:19-20), and told Paul that everyone on his ship would survive the impending shipwreck (Acts 27:23-25).
Answering prayer - God often uses angels as His means of answering the prayers of His people (Daniel 9:20-24; 10:10-12; Acts 12:1-17).
Caring for believers at the moment of death - In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we read that angels carried the spirit of Lazarus to “Abraham's bosom” when he died (Luke 16:22). Author: Dr. John Bechtle.
The book of Hebrews mentions that angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). They are not meant to be prayed to or worshiped. Any time that worship is even remotely attempted, angels are the first to dispel such notions. They draw glory to God – never to self.
Angelic activity is not reserved just for Bible times. There is story after story - throughout history - right up to the present of people experiencing angelic visitations – here in the US and around the world. Like the doctor in Philadelphia who was awakened by a persistent knock at the door in the middle of the night to help a lady in desperate need. The child that came to get him was most convincing. He dressed, followed her, and found the lady in her home desperately sick with pneumonia. The Dr. assumed that the child was the sick lady’s daughter and complimented her on her daughter’s courage. The problem was, the sick lady did not have a daughter! The girl was not ever seen again (Hewett).
Then there was John Paton, a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew no men were present--but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station. Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 18.
How about the pastor who was in Mexico on a preaching mission? While he was returning, his van developed mechanical problems. After jacking up the van, the pastor crawled underneath to check out the problem. The jack collapsed, and suddenly the pastor was struggling for his life. His traveling companions quickly grabbed the bumper to lift the van. They couldn’t even budge it. The pastor cried out, “Jesus, Jesus.” Within a few seconds, a young looking Mexican came running toward them. He was thin and small in stature. He was smiling. When he reached the van, he grabbed the van and lifted it. The others joined in, and the van lifted like a feather. The pastor was freed. The visitor lowered the van, waved to them and ran off in the direction from which he had come. Know one knew who eh was or where he had come from (Hewett).
I am certain that some of you may have had such a visitation – maybe so amazing that you have not told a soul. The only way that your story makes since is from the perspective of an angelic presence.
This leads me to ask a second question; it comes right out of this passage.
2. Does God play favorites?
Look at what the Gabriel said to Mary: “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” It would seem that Mary was shown favoritism.
A similar construction of words is used in Ephesians 1:6 – the only other place in the New Testament where the same verb is used. The grace in view here is clearly bestowed upon all believers without any merit of their own. So, God has shown His favor upon Mary and all who call upon God as their savior.
What about those who are sick and no one comes to their rescue? What about those who are threatened and not protected? What about those who are stuck and not freed? Is this fare? Let’s take this apart for a moment. First, there are many, many times that we have been rescued, protected and freed – we just were not aware of it at the time. One of the great events in heaven will be the many angelic conversations that point out the activity of an angel totally unaware to us at the time. God has interceded again and again and again.
Also, there are many, many times, that some of the great Christians arrived at the end of their earthly lives too early – people like songwriter and singer Keith Green who died in a plane crash at age 29 or missionary Jim Elliott who died at the hands of the Waodani tribesmen he was trying to reach for Christ – he was 28,
At the same time, God directs many lives to a different path – sometimes full of suffering – yet always to achieve a greater purpose – folks like Joni Erickson Tada - who at the age of 18 dived into a swimming pool and broke he neck – making her a quadriplegic. That was 41 years ago. Since then, she has authored over 30 books, traveled to 41 countries, recorded several music projects including 2 critically acclaimed albums and ministers to the disabled through her daily radio show “Joni and Friends.” Oh, did I mention that she is an accomplished painter? She paints while holding her paintbrush with her teeth.
Each of these examples mirrors the example of Mary, who said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be as you have said.”
This leads me to the last question of Christmas:
3. How did Mary respond in such a manner to Gabriel?
Mary in essence said, “Not my will by Thy will be done.” Sound familiar? Her Holy Spirit offspring would use the same words in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mary could have been more wrapped up in her plight. She could have said, “No – not me. I don’t want the shame of being an unwed mother. Besides, I’ll lose my Joseph.”
Instead, she faced certain shame and submitted to her God. We only need to look at the song that she wrote, called the Magnificat, to see where this character was formed. In her song of praise she cited 12 different Old Testament passages. This is evidence of her deep religious roots. She knew her Bible. It was her source of strength. She met her God there. That strength would surface at just the right time! Her song of praise also shows that she understood her role in the birth of God’s son. Her faith caused her to look ahead to the great plan of God. This plan took precedence over her own plan.
One more question: there is a song that asks, “How can we further His kingdom when we are so wrapped up in ours?” This is a question for each and every one of us to answer. When things don’t go our way – when we are taken advantage of – when we are made to suffer – when we are angry and impatient – we take away from furthering the kingdom of God. One only needs to look at society to see what we have become. How sad that someone would be trampled during the Christmas season just to get into the store before others. If that is not a sign of our self-centeredness, I’m not sure what is.
But there is good news: 30 "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God!31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.33 And he will reign over Israel* forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
The Son of God to be born from Mary was the perfect antidote to a world in chaos. Jesus’ surrogate father, Joseph, was from the line of King David. Jesus’ earthly mother was also from the line of Joseph but also connected to the line of Levi, from whom the priests are chosen. He would be a Priest King. This is just what we needed – one who can minister to us as priest and lead us as our King. God is so amazing!
This passage of scripture has one central theme: God’s salvation! The name Jesus means “Saves.” This salvation was achieved by the Holy Spirit. If God is God, a virgin birth is not only possible but absolutely necessary. The Creator can create life any way He chooses. It was the only way that God could walk among us – born of a woman yet God - experiencing life as we do yet without sin! That makes him the perfect sacrifice for sin. God is so incredible. Pay attention to this great love that Gabriel announced. It has changed countless lives. Has it changed yours?
Ken Ramsey shared this story from his childhood with his pastor’s recently: I shouldn’t have been playing ball in the house, but I was. One wrong bounce and it crashed into a decorative statue that my mom had received as a gift. She loved that little figurine. It occupied a prominent place on her dresser and now it occupied a prominent place on the floor - broken. Mom was due home shortly and it was decision time for her kid. I tried some super glue, but it just looked worse. I felt sick. I knew how much she prized that little statue. She would be really upset. The moment of truth arrived as she returned home. By this time I had worked up a really good knot in my stomach. I led her into the room and showed her the damage. When I saw the look on her face, I broke into tears. I couldn’t even verbalize an apology. The next thing I know, she is holding me. The comfort of her hug enfolded me. I dried the tears and said, “I’m so sorry mom, I know how much you loved it. It can’t be fixed. I tried.” “Yes” she said, “I love it a lot, but remember, son, I love you a whole lot more.” She could have pointed out my failure, my brokenness or my stupidity. She could have elaborated on how much I had messed up. But she didn’t. She chose to love. On that day (and many others I might add) my mom was wearing God goggles. She saw me through the eyes of love. Love can make all the difference in the world, if we choose it. I don’t know what happened to that broken statue. But I do know what happened to that broken boy. He was healed by love.
Love is the difference. Mary proved it. Jesus proved it. God proved it! Has such a love made a difference in you?
PAYING ATTENTION
Little Ole was sitting at the kitchen table doing his school homework. He had a puzzled look on his face as he considered the assignment that was due--writing an essay about his origin. He turned to question his mother. "Mama, where did Grandma come from?" he asked.
"The stork brought her," answered mama Lena.
"And where did you come from?" asked Little Ole.
"The stork brought me," his mother answered.
"And where did I come from?" Little Ole inquired. "Well, son, the stork brought you, too," mama Lena replied.
With a scowl on his face, Little Ole picked up his pencil, turned to his school tablet, and began writing his essay: "There have been no natural births in our family for three generations."
Speaking of unnatural births, we are going to take a close look at the most unnatural, most amazing birth of all time. The announcement was made by an angel:
Luke 1:26-56
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!*"
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.30 "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God!31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.33 And he will reign over Israel* forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
34 Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin."
35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.36 What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.37 For nothing is impossible with God.*"
38 Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." And then the angel left her.
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.41 At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said."
46 Mary responded,
"Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever."
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
This passage of scripture leads me to ask 3 questions. I’ll call them the questions of Christmas.
1. Are there really angels? If so, what is their role?
The Bible is full of angels. Angel or angels are mentioned 304 times!
We don't know whether every angel carries out the same tasks, or whether some of them specialize in certain areas. The Bible does speak about classes of angelic beings like cherubim (Ezekiel 1) and seraphim (Isaiah 6). We also know the names of two notable angels: Michael (Daniel 10:13; Jude 9) and Gabriel (Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19,26).
The unnamed angels who appear most often in Scripture carry out a variety of tasks—all designed to serve God…
Worship and praise - This is the main activity portrayed in heaven (Isaiah 6:1-3; Revelation 4-5).
Revealing - They serve as messengers to communicate God's will to men. They helped reveal the law to Moses (Acts 7:52-53), and served as the carriers of much of the material in Daniel, and Revelation.
Guiding - Angels gave instructions to Joseph about the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1-2), to the women at the tomb, to Philip (Acts 8:26), and to Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8).
Providing - God has used angels to provide physical needs such as food for Hagar (Genesis 21:17-20), Elijah (1 Kings 19:6), and Christ after His temptation (Matthew 4:11).
Protecting - Keeping God's people out of physical danger, as in the cases of Daniel and the lions, and his three friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3 and 6).
Delivering - Getting God's people out of danger once they're in it. Angels released the apostles from prison in Acts 5, and repeated the process for Peter in Acts 12.
Strengthening and encouraging - Angels strengthened Jesus after His temptation (Matt 4:11), encouraged the apostles to keep preaching after releasing them from prison (Acts 5:19-20), and told Paul that everyone on his ship would survive the impending shipwreck (Acts 27:23-25).
Answering prayer - God often uses angels as His means of answering the prayers of His people (Daniel 9:20-24; 10:10-12; Acts 12:1-17).
Caring for believers at the moment of death - In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we read that angels carried the spirit of Lazarus to “Abraham's bosom” when he died (Luke 16:22). Author: Dr. John Bechtle.
The book of Hebrews mentions that angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). They are not meant to be prayed to or worshiped. Any time that worship is even remotely attempted, angels are the first to dispel such notions. They draw glory to God – never to self.
Angelic activity is not reserved just for Bible times. There is story after story - throughout history - right up to the present of people experiencing angelic visitations – here in the US and around the world. Like the doctor in Philadelphia who was awakened by a persistent knock at the door in the middle of the night to help a lady in desperate need. The child that came to get him was most convincing. He dressed, followed her, and found the lady in her home desperately sick with pneumonia. The Dr. assumed that the child was the sick lady’s daughter and complimented her on her daughter’s courage. The problem was, the sick lady did not have a daughter! The girl was not ever seen again (Hewett).
Then there was John Paton, a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew no men were present--but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station. Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 18.
How about the pastor who was in Mexico on a preaching mission? While he was returning, his van developed mechanical problems. After jacking up the van, the pastor crawled underneath to check out the problem. The jack collapsed, and suddenly the pastor was struggling for his life. His traveling companions quickly grabbed the bumper to lift the van. They couldn’t even budge it. The pastor cried out, “Jesus, Jesus.” Within a few seconds, a young looking Mexican came running toward them. He was thin and small in stature. He was smiling. When he reached the van, he grabbed the van and lifted it. The others joined in, and the van lifted like a feather. The pastor was freed. The visitor lowered the van, waved to them and ran off in the direction from which he had come. Know one knew who eh was or where he had come from (Hewett).
I am certain that some of you may have had such a visitation – maybe so amazing that you have not told a soul. The only way that your story makes since is from the perspective of an angelic presence.
This leads me to ask a second question; it comes right out of this passage.
2. Does God play favorites?
Look at what the Gabriel said to Mary: “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” It would seem that Mary was shown favoritism.
A similar construction of words is used in Ephesians 1:6 – the only other place in the New Testament where the same verb is used. The grace in view here is clearly bestowed upon all believers without any merit of their own. So, God has shown His favor upon Mary and all who call upon God as their savior.
What about those who are sick and no one comes to their rescue? What about those who are threatened and not protected? What about those who are stuck and not freed? Is this fare? Let’s take this apart for a moment. First, there are many, many times that we have been rescued, protected and freed – we just were not aware of it at the time. One of the great events in heaven will be the many angelic conversations that point out the activity of an angel totally unaware to us at the time. God has interceded again and again and again.
Also, there are many, many times, that some of the great Christians arrived at the end of their earthly lives too early – people like songwriter and singer Keith Green who died in a plane crash at age 29 or missionary Jim Elliott who died at the hands of the Waodani tribesmen he was trying to reach for Christ – he was 28,
At the same time, God directs many lives to a different path – sometimes full of suffering – yet always to achieve a greater purpose – folks like Joni Erickson Tada - who at the age of 18 dived into a swimming pool and broke he neck – making her a quadriplegic. That was 41 years ago. Since then, she has authored over 30 books, traveled to 41 countries, recorded several music projects including 2 critically acclaimed albums and ministers to the disabled through her daily radio show “Joni and Friends.” Oh, did I mention that she is an accomplished painter? She paints while holding her paintbrush with her teeth.
Each of these examples mirrors the example of Mary, who said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be as you have said.”
This leads me to the last question of Christmas:
3. How did Mary respond in such a manner to Gabriel?
Mary in essence said, “Not my will by Thy will be done.” Sound familiar? Her Holy Spirit offspring would use the same words in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mary could have been more wrapped up in her plight. She could have said, “No – not me. I don’t want the shame of being an unwed mother. Besides, I’ll lose my Joseph.”
Instead, she faced certain shame and submitted to her God. We only need to look at the song that she wrote, called the Magnificat, to see where this character was formed. In her song of praise she cited 12 different Old Testament passages. This is evidence of her deep religious roots. She knew her Bible. It was her source of strength. She met her God there. That strength would surface at just the right time! Her song of praise also shows that she understood her role in the birth of God’s son. Her faith caused her to look ahead to the great plan of God. This plan took precedence over her own plan.
One more question: there is a song that asks, “How can we further His kingdom when we are so wrapped up in ours?” This is a question for each and every one of us to answer. When things don’t go our way – when we are taken advantage of – when we are made to suffer – when we are angry and impatient – we take away from furthering the kingdom of God. One only needs to look at society to see what we have become. How sad that someone would be trampled during the Christmas season just to get into the store before others. If that is not a sign of our self-centeredness, I’m not sure what is.
But there is good news: 30 "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God!31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.33 And he will reign over Israel* forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
The Son of God to be born from Mary was the perfect antidote to a world in chaos. Jesus’ surrogate father, Joseph, was from the line of King David. Jesus’ earthly mother was also from the line of Joseph but also connected to the line of Levi, from whom the priests are chosen. He would be a Priest King. This is just what we needed – one who can minister to us as priest and lead us as our King. God is so amazing!
This passage of scripture has one central theme: God’s salvation! The name Jesus means “Saves.” This salvation was achieved by the Holy Spirit. If God is God, a virgin birth is not only possible but absolutely necessary. The Creator can create life any way He chooses. It was the only way that God could walk among us – born of a woman yet God - experiencing life as we do yet without sin! That makes him the perfect sacrifice for sin. God is so incredible. Pay attention to this great love that Gabriel announced. It has changed countless lives. Has it changed yours?
Ken Ramsey shared this story from his childhood with his pastor’s recently: I shouldn’t have been playing ball in the house, but I was. One wrong bounce and it crashed into a decorative statue that my mom had received as a gift. She loved that little figurine. It occupied a prominent place on her dresser and now it occupied a prominent place on the floor - broken. Mom was due home shortly and it was decision time for her kid. I tried some super glue, but it just looked worse. I felt sick. I knew how much she prized that little statue. She would be really upset. The moment of truth arrived as she returned home. By this time I had worked up a really good knot in my stomach. I led her into the room and showed her the damage. When I saw the look on her face, I broke into tears. I couldn’t even verbalize an apology. The next thing I know, she is holding me. The comfort of her hug enfolded me. I dried the tears and said, “I’m so sorry mom, I know how much you loved it. It can’t be fixed. I tried.” “Yes” she said, “I love it a lot, but remember, son, I love you a whole lot more.” She could have pointed out my failure, my brokenness or my stupidity. She could have elaborated on how much I had messed up. But she didn’t. She chose to love. On that day (and many others I might add) my mom was wearing God goggles. She saw me through the eyes of love. Love can make all the difference in the world, if we choose it. I don’t know what happened to that broken statue. But I do know what happened to that broken boy. He was healed by love.
Love is the difference. Mary proved it. Jesus proved it. God proved it! Has such a love made a difference in you?
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