Volume 11 Week 52
Extraordinary
Mary, Joseph and Shepherds!
Christmas Is God at Work Blessing, Calling and Sending His People!
God takes the lead. He is always at work and always acts first. We only respond.
The story of Christmas is the account of God’s unexpected, unselfish, unimaginable act of love toward you, when the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, Creator of the world, humbled himself and was born of a woman. He did not wait until we sent a sign that we deserved this act of kindness. In fact quite the opposite: Christ came to die for us while we were still sinners, completely undeserving.
But as we know, this saving love of Christ works a transformation in people like you and me, people who are not expecting such an enormous sacrifice on God’s behalf for our sake. And the Christmas record of the actions of the people who heard the message is a lesson in that transformation.
An extra-ordinary servant is one who breaks free from the ordinary and expected, and because of the love that God has given, does the unexpected. God acts in love. His faithful people respond in faith and obedience. There’s nothing more to it than that, really. Shall we take a look at those who’ve set the example for us?
Joseph!
It
could be that Joseph was the kind of guy who could talk your ear off, but we
have no record of that. In the Bible
accounts of Joseph, there are no recorded words of Mary’s husband. When the angel came to him in a dream and
told him not to divorce Mary, but to take her as his wife, the best we know, he
didn’t say a thing. Matthew tells us
simply, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded
him” (
That’s the unexpected. That’s extra-ordinary! The natural response would be either to cause a spectacle about Mary’s pregnancy, or at the least to divorce her. God’s message of love to Joseph initiated a transformed response. He did not think of his own wants and needs and desires. He “died to self,” that is, the “Joseph” in him stepped aside so that the Spirit of God in him could direct his actions into the way of servanthood for the sake of others. He got up and got going.
Not
everyone is called to respond to God’s love with public testimonies and
speeches and proclamations. Joseph was
an action guy. He provided a home. He led the journey to
Mary!
Mary
seems more verbal. The angel spoke; Mary
asked a question. The angel explained;
Mary said, in some of the most extra-ordinary words that a servant of the Lord
has ever uttered, “I am the Lord’s servant.
May it be to me as you have said” (Luke
She’s the epitome of what happens when we resist the temptation to reject the message of God’s love, and simply respond to the Lord’s gift of faith. By faith, Mary accepted the reality of the most basic law of the universe: God is God, and He is at work.
That’s the un-expected. That’s extra-ordinary! When the Lord presented Mary with the unimaginable, that which had never been done before, Mary let God be God, and simply joined in His plan wherever there was a way she could help.
First she sang and worshipped God. When you learn by faith that God is God, that’s the right thing to do. And then she served. She tenderly cared for the baby, Jesus. She fed and cleansed and nurtured him, as any mother would, but always with a pondering heart, watching and seeing what God was doing.
Then when the time came, with a heart that was pierced through with sorrow, she quietly submitted to the will of God, as Jesus himself had prayed in the garden, “Thy will be done,” and watched as the life of her beloved Son was taken away, so that the whole world would have life.
But the angel’s words were true. Mary is still today “highly favored” for the honor she bears as the extraordinary servant we recognize her to be. No one will ever be asked to do the things Mary did, but everyone who hears the call of faith will be given an opportunity to respond in some way.
Christmas is hearing the glad tidings of great joy that a Savior has been given for you, and to believe that God is at work in your life, just as surely as He was at work in Mary’s. Christmas is believing that Christ Jesus has come to you, in you, and like Mary, singing songs and carols of praise from the deepest place of your heart, and following where he leads.
And Christmas means sometimes following even at great cost, but knowing that the call to live life as a follower of Jesus Christ makes you the most highly favored of all people. God has extraordinary things in store for you to do. Your response is your thank you to Him.
Shepherds!
The shepherds had a great advantage over us. The Lord made sure that they paid attention to the message. They could hardly miss it. You don’t see an angel, followed by a chorus of his friends every day!
But
we’ve all heard the same message that the angel came to share, the message of
the saving love of Christ. “”I bring you
good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of
Those are more than just words. That is a message from the heart of God to everyone who will hear, a message of his saving love, a love that transforms and calls to action. What did the shepherds do? They went, they saw, they worshipped, they spread the news.
Extraordinary!
Drummer Boy!
I’m still looking for the drummer boy in the biblical account. I will concede this from Psalm 150: “Praise him with tambourine and dancing… Praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.” But not while the baby is sleeping!
Maybe God is calling you to bang on your drum (Kevin?) and maybe he isn’t. But he is calling. The saving love of Christ always creates a response. The angels spoke; Mary, Joseph and shepherds followed.
May
your journey to