Tag Archives: Birth of Jesus

Dec 19

The Most Unlikely People Pt. 2: The Shepherds Were Overlooked

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Pen, Diary and Glasses                                              Photo Credit: Generationbass.com via Compfight cc

Yesterday, I asked the question, “Why would He pick them? Of all the people in the world, why would God pick some of the most unlikely to be a part of some of the most amazing news?” If you did not have an opportunity to read that article, click here.

One of the reasons I believe God picked the shepherds was because they were overlooked. I know this may sound like an oxymoron, but consider this with me for a moment. The shepherds were overlooked because of who they were…shepherds. I know there have been many respectable shepherds throughout Jewish history, but at the time of the birth of Jesus, shepherds were anything but respectable. They were looked down upon because of their occupation. Shepherds were considered simple, uneducated and most often poor. They were definitely not the kind of people one would expect God to use to reveal such amazing news.

Not only were they overlooked because of who they were, the shepherd were overlooked because of what they did not have. Remember, a lot of shepherds were poor. Think about a lot of the nativity scenes you see this time of year. Most of them do not even have the shepherds present at the manger. Instead, most nativity scenes have the wise men present with their gifts. The problem with this is the wise men never went to the manger. They went to see Jesus in a house at a later time (Matt. 2:11). If this is the case, then why would a lot of nativity scenes have the wise men at the manger instead of the shepherds? Perhaps the reason is because unlike the wise men, the shepherds had nothing to offer. Jesus was the King of Kings, the expected one who was to come. He deserved the very best people had to offer. Sadly, for those shepherds, they probably had nothing to offer to the great King of Kings.

You see, the shepherds were overlooked because of who they were and what they did not have. And yet, God chose them anyway. Why? Why not choose people of greater importance?

By picking the shepherds God was demonstrating the importance of such people in his plan.

Remember what the angel told the shepherds? “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

God chose the shepherds to teach us a valuable lesson. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35). We are all the work of His hands (Job. 34:19).

Like the shepherds, there is nothing special about most of us. We are just common, ordinary people who have nothing to offer the King of Kings. And still, we have a place in God’s story. No matter who we are, what we do, or what we have or do not have, we all have a place in the story of the savior. The savior came to bring good news of great joy for ALL people, including people like you and me.

Praise be to God for His decision to choose such unlikely people!

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

 

Dec 18

Why God? Why Such Unlikely People?

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Green fields revisited
Photo Credit: EssjayNZ via Compfight cc

Really? Why would He pick them? Of all the people in the world, why would God pick some of the most unlikely to be a part of some of the most amazing news?

“8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)

In the age of social media, anyone can break important news. It is no longer famous newscasters bringing breaking news into our homes, it is anyone who has access to social media. This can be both good and bad. It is good from the standpoint we receive news quicker than ever before, almost immediately right after it happens. However, the bad side of this is that sometimes the breaking news is not really true. Just think back to last week and all the “breaking reports” about Nick Saban accepting the head coaching position at the University of Texas. Someone broke the news and sent the state of Alabama in a panic. Fortunately, for all the Alabama fans in the world, it was not true.

When news breaks it is important to have a credible and reliable source. Thus, since this is the case, why would God choose to reveal some of the greatest news in the history of the world to some of the most unlikely people? Why didn’t He reveal it to the religious leaders in Jerusalem? Why didn’t He choose to tell someone of more social importance? Why reveal it to and through shepherds.

Over the course of the next few days I will write about why I believe God chose such unlikely men like the shepherds to reveal some of the most amazing news the world has ever known. See you tomorrow!

Now that’s Something to Think About!

QUESTION: Why do you think God chose such unlikely people to break such an amazing story to the world? Leave your answers in the comments section below.

Jan 11

The CHALLENGE: Day 1 Reflections

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Yesterday, the Student Ministry at Karns began our challenge of reading through the New Testament in only 90 days. The nice thing about beginning yesterday is that last night we had our Thursday night Bible study and 15 kids and 4 adults were able to discuss the reading for the day.

In this post I want to share with you a few things that we talked about last night.

  1.  The genealogy of Jesus mentioned in the book of Matthew is from Joseph’s family history (Matt. 1). One of the students found this interesting because Mary was the one chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah. However, Matthew writing to the Jewish people included Jesus’ family’s kingly history. Read Luke’s account for the genealogy through Mary’s family.
  2. A lot of the people mentioned in Matthew’s account of the genealogy of Jesus aren’t the kind of people you would expect to find in the family history of the Messiah (Matt. 1). We concluded this is important because it shows two things. 1) It shows Jesus’ family tree is a lot like ours today and 2) It shows failures and sinners were the whole point of the birth of Jesus even among His own earthly family.
  3. We discussed the righteousness of Joseph; particularly the fact that he wanted to put Mary away privately and not make a big deal about what had happened (Matt. 1:19). This is interesting when you consider how most people would have responded if this were to have happened today. By God choosing Mary to be the mother of Jesus, He was in turn picking Joseph and his righteous character to be the earthly father of Jesus. Amazing!
  4. When considering the temptations of Jesus (Matt. 4:1-11), it’s worth noting that 1) This wasn’t the only time Satan tempted Jesus (read Luke’s account) and 2) Jesus demonstrated the best means of dealing with temptation is by keeping the Word of God in the forefront of one’s mind. What a great reminder for us all.
  5. The first apostles called by Jesus left everything “immediately” (Matt. 4:18-22). They walked away from their livelihood and followed Jesus not really knowing what was going to happen. How many of us are willing to walk away from almost everything else in order to follow after Jesus? This takes an extraordinary amount of faith.

Last night was incredible. Singing, praying and discussing the Word of God with the teens was both encouraging and uplifting for me personally. I am looking forward to continuing in our challenge together to become the image of Jesus. What a great year this is going to be!

What has stuck out to you during your daily Bible reading over the last few days? Leave your comments below.