"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will be great joy to all people. The Savior -- yes, the Messiah, the Lord -- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others -- the armies of heaven -- praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." (Luke 2:1-14)
I have been thinking about the "Called to Respond" post and I've come up with a couple ways in which God calls us to respond. I am sure that there are many more as well.
1. Joyfully: I think a lot of times I view responding to God's call as something I "have" to do, and see it as a negative thing. However, this is not the case. In the passage you shared (Luke 2: 15-20), it says the shepherds' response to the angels was joyous because they had faith that God would fulfill His promises, and He did. They believed Him and felt joy once they learned of the miracles that occurred. Following God and believing Him led to joy for these men.
Dear Friend,
This is an excellent observation! The shepherds rejoiced and praised God, and told everyone they could about it. As you correctly identified, their joy was linked to God: He had made and fulfilled promises!
In our society today, we have redefined joy (in my opinion) so that it is equated with happiness, and both terms are fulfilled in a personal manner: puppies, pay raises, romance, good food, etc.
Biblical joy is different: your immediate situation doesn't have to be good, you don't have to be personally fulfilled, and it isn't contingent on tangible/controllable things.
Joy is an outcome of
faith in and a relationship with God,
knowing that He is good,
that He fulfills His Word,
and that there is more to life than that which
we can see, hear, smell, taste or feel.
2. Immediately: Like the pastor discussed in church, God told Mary and Joseph to GO to Bethlehem for Mary to give birth there. They didn't waste time rationalizing it, but instead they WENT. It didn't make any sense at the time, but they followed God immediately.
"Immediately" is a beautiful word; is it not? Once, several years ago, I started marking every time someone did something "immediately," "at once," or "early the next morning" in the Bible, beginning in Genesis. Immediate obedience is a demonstration of faith, of trust in a relationship, and of submission. It is also a supreme act of love.
In the story of the birth of Jesus, we have a lot of immediate obedience: Mary acquiesced to the announcement of her pregnancy, Joseph took Mary as his wife, the shepherds went to see the baby, the magi traveled to worship Him, Joseph took his family from Bethlehem to Egypt, Joseph brought His family back, and many more.
<Side note: Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem because of a decree by the government to participate in a census; however, the details were all in God's hands>
Your questions at the end of the posts often perplex me (a good thing). I find myself not knowing what to say or if I am in the right direction when answering. What do you think? It's tough when there isn't necessarily a "right" answer.
If I push you too hard, please let me know. But, I know that you like to think for yourself. Also, I believe that it is important that believers know the Word and read/study it for themselves.
Too many believers (in my opinion) have an "imported" faith--they receive things from others (pastors, teachers, devotionals), but it doesn't ever mean anything. It's like sitting in a class, memorizing material for a test, and then walking away having learned nothing. What is the point?
One of my biggest passions is for believers to read the Word and study it for themselves. I am not discounting teachers or pastors; God has given them to us to HELP us grow; however, they aren't supposed to do all the work for us.
Truthfully, there is always a right answer. God's Word gives us everything we need. But, often the "right' answers are based on a complete picture of the Bible, and not something that can be identified in a single verse or chapter. A lifetime of study will reveal more and more and more...
Also, what does "All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often" mean? I've had this question since like 5th grade when a girl in our school's Christmas Play had those lines. Reading it again just made me think of that.
Ooh, I love this question! This is a story of two responses, and I believe that they identify the two main responses of men and women to the Gospel message:
"All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished"
Don't you think that if you heard the shepherds' story you would beat a path to the Messiah's door? Alas, but no. No one did, at least no one is recorded in Scripture as going. They were astonished, but nothing changed. They heard an AMAZING ANNOUNCEMENT of the MIRACULOUS BIRTH of the PROMISED MESSIAH, yet they did nothing. Sigh.
All Israel (supposedly) was waiting and longing for the promised Messiah. Yet there is no sign of any major response.
Also look at the response of the people after the magi arrive,
"Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him.'
"King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone Jerusalem ("and everyone in Jerusalem"--this means that the Magi's arrival was of public notice). He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of the religious law and asked, 'Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?' 'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they said, 'for this is what the prophet wrote'..." (Matthew 2).
What? The religious and political leaders have an envoy of foreign visitors, who were searching the skies and waiting for the sign of the Messiah's birth, who left their homes to worship a Baby, who came and asked where He was to be born, and they are "DISTURBED"? Are you kidding?
What? They knew that the Messiah was supposed to be born in Bethlehem, they hear of miraculous occurrences, but they don't IMMEDIATELY (there's that word again) go to Bethlehem? The whole city, from the "least" to the "greatest" heard about it. Why wasn't Bethlehem flooded with visitors? Their sole response was to be "disturbed". Contrast that with the joyous response of the shepherds; at least there were some people who got it!
Some people respond to the Gospel by having an emotional "disturbance" but without response. It has a brief appearance and then is over.
"Mary kept all these things in her heart
and thought about them often"
Mary probably didn't understand any of what was happening. But unlike the people who were "disturbed," she held onto the memory. This phrase is used later again in Luke 2:41-52. The things that she experienced, heard, and saw, became a treasure chest of memories storied in her heart. She couldn't make sense of it all, but she knew that each event was an important piece of the puzzle that began the day she met an angel.
Mary gives us an example of faith: holding on to promises, even when we don't understand, and trusting God to fulfill His Word. She followed God JOYFULLY and obeyed Him IMMEDIATELY; her heart, mind and soul belonged to Him.
Some people respond to the Gospel by giving their lives to Him. Their relationship is founded on His Word, and is committed to a lifetime of JOYFUL AND IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE. Regardless of circumstances, they remember and treasure what God is doing, and they hold on.
Here are some other people who responded in the Bible; which type of response did they have?
King Herod (Matthew 2:13-18)
Anna (Luke 2:36-38)
Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
- What treasures do we store in our heart?
- What do our treasures show about us?
- Why is it easy to put things aside and not respond?
- How will you respond? How will I respond?
So many people never respond to Your Gospel, even though they see and hear of Your Son and His sacrificial love for us. Search our hearts, and help us to treasure what is most important, and to respond with immediate and joyful obedience to You.
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