“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:16-20) NIV
Random Thoughts:
For those of us who don’t speak Latin (a show of hands would include me), “veni, vidi, vici” are the still-famous words penned by Julius Caesar boasting of a swift military victory meaning “I came, I saw, I conquered”. And while God’s shepherd-messengers were certainly not involved in military maneuvers, I think their swift response to go, to see the messiah-child and then to report the good news, essentially “conquering” the hearts and igniting the hopes of the people around them, might have been a victory of a greater kind. A victory that begins with simple obedience to God’s word.
Hearing the good news of the messiah’s birth, the shepherds’ response to God’s word was so immediate! When others were previously told of the messiah’s coming, there was at least some debate--some questions--but we are not given any indication that these men scratched their heads or paused to ruminate the whys and hows. Elated by what they have been told, they hurry to find the child, they see the truth for themselves and then they spread the word, their good news amazing all who hear it.
Question:
Is God revealing truths to you that require your immediate response? What keeps you from acting promptly when God nudges you?
Journal Response:
I wish I could be like the shepherds. If there is one thing I am not, it is swift when it comes to obedience. Of course God knows our natures and seems to wait patiently while those of us with “issues” explain why we can’t do this or delay our response wanting to know why. My kids are like that too. Serves me right. But God's patience doesn't last forever; there comes a point where we have to do a Nike and "just do it".
Today Pastor Brian’s sermon challenged me to think about areas where I am weak and to do something about it. To just do it. Am I in a group where I can be supported in prayer, share who I really am and not be boo-ed out of existence? Check. Am I in communication with God each day through reading scripture and spending some time talking with him in prayer? Mostly. Yup. How about influence? How is the shepherd-response in my life going? Do I take what God is telling me and pass it on?
I want to check that off my To Do list but I hesitate. Yes, I am writing this blog. But I am a total wimp when it comes to talking about God in my life with real flesh and blood, breathing, human beings. Why? The same weakness shows in the area of service--actual hands-on acts of love that demonstrate in a tangible way that somebody cares because God does. Why?
What is it about tangible, human connection that makes me pause? I’d like to blame my genetic code. Could be pretty convincing. Or how about my fear of failure? That always stops me cold. Or maybe the "why" just doesn’t matter. Even if I know the answer, will it change the response? The point is, what am I going to do about it?
One of my neighbors died this week. John was a quiet old man living alone on our street until the last few years he was in a nursing home. Hard of hearing, unable to drive, he nevertheless made a unique contribution to our neighborhood. Every week, no matter the weather, he dutifully rose before most of us, dragged out our garbage cans to the curbs and then put them back again when the sanitation trucks had done their part. Every week, like clockwork. Whether we saw him or not, we knew John was there, still making his contribution to our little corner of the world.
This Tuesday, I thought of John as I dragged my empty cans back to my garage, shivering in the single-digit cold. And then just yesterday, I learned that he died this week at age 94. There will be no funeral. No memorial. And I wondered about his soul. Where is he now?
God prompted me a few years ago to spend time with John. To take him brownies (he loved chocolate), to let him talk about his wife and to invite him to come to church with us if he ever wanted a ride. He never took up our invitation but I left him with information, cable channel schedules to watch our church services if ever he felt so inclined.
I don’t know where John is today. I know God never gives up and perhaps John continued to receive God’s message through others he met at the home where he moved. But hearing about John's passing was a reminder to me to not let my fear of failure or my DNA--or whatever it is that gives me pause--keep me from connecting with real, live people. So God's message to me? I think it's time to make more brownies.
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