Skip to main content

First Christmas Messaging

If you had an important message to share, who would you share it with to insure that the message gets out?  

The political leaders?

The religious leaders?

The rich?

The powerful?

To those with the greatest influence?

The people who have access to modes of communication?

Just my impressions, but it seems to me that:

If you sent it to the political leaders, they might use it for political gain.

If you sent it to the religious leaders, they might filter it to reflect their views.

If you sent it to the rich, they might leverage it for financial gain.

If you sent it the powerful, they might use it to further consolidate their power.

If you sent it to those with the greatest influence, they might use it advance their agenda.

If you sent it to those who have access to modes of communication, they might shape it fit their optics.

The message was this:  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”  (Luke 2:10)

The “them” was a bunch of shepherds.  At that time, shepherds were on the low end of the social economic ladder.  They spent most of their time with animals and probably didn’t have much of a voice in society.  Yet, these are the very ones to whom the message of the arrival of a Savior was first shared.  

And look at the shepherds handled the message:  “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”  (Luke 2:20)

While the other people described above might have been an obvious first choice, the message might not have gone forth in its intended form.  But the shepherds received it, believed it and acknowledged it as it had been told to them.  Proof once again that God’s messaging is always best.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Not Just Idle Words

I own a 25 year old car.  The body might be falling apart but the engine runs great and it idles smoothly.  Such idling is good. Idling can also have to do with spending too much time doing nothing or being without purpose or being engaged in that which is pointless.  Such idling is not good. What if I were to tell you that I know of something that is the about as far as being without purpose as you can get?  Would you want it? Here is that something:  “They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”  ( Deut 32:47) Other versions of the Bible use some different words for that first phrase in the verse and such can be helpful in assessing how important the words really are: “Not meaningless words…”   “These are not just useless words…”   “No empty word for you…”   “Not unimportant words…”   “Not useless words…”   ...

Strengthen Your Core

Supposedly, it’s all about your core! That is, in today’s world of physical fitness, it’s all about strengthening your core.  Your core refers to the group of muscles that support your spine and pelvis, providing stability and enabling movement. It's not just your abs; it includes your back muscles, pelvic floor, and even your diaphragm. When your core is strong, it helps you maintain balance and stability. It can help prevent back injuries and help you maintain better posture. It can also help with athletic performance by allowing for more efficient movement and power transfer. And there are, of course, appropriate exercises to strengthen your core. But there is another kind of core, one that is known as the inner self. The inner self, as described in the Bible, refers to the spiritual and moral part of a person, distinct from the physical body or outer man. And while our physical bodies are important and we certainly feel every ache and pain resulting from injury or even aging, o...

Don't Go Knocking or Crossing

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “knock on wood.”  You’ve probably also heard “keep your fingers crossed.”  “Knock on wood” is a common superstition or good luck charm for people to say in the hope of bringing good fortune or to ward off back luck.  Some will actually knock their knuckles on a piece of wood. “Keep your fingers crossed” is also a common superstition or good luck charm people say in the hope that something good will happen.  Some will physically cross their fingers and maybe even encourage you to do the same with them.   There’s sort of an equivalent in the Bible that predates both expressions: Jeremiah 7:4 says:  Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord , the temple of the Lord , the temple of the Lord !”  (Jer 7:4) At that time, people had evidently developed a false sense of security in the invincibility of Jerusalem because God dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem .  They used the expre...