The Great Sending, Chapter 21
STUDY 21: A Prophesy Fulfilled through Ordinary People,
pp. 125-127
Scripture references: Luke 1:46-56; 67-79; 2:8-14, 28-32; 38
Luke 2:11
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!
Luke 2:29-30
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace… For my eyes have seen Your salvation.
by Reverand Dr. Jerry Kieschnick
Isn’t it amazing that in his eternal wisdom God chose to send Jesus into the world, fulfilling an Old Testament promise with (except for the Holy Spirit) the assistance of ordinary people?
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a young teenager at the time the angel appeared to her with the announcement that she would have a child. Matthew’s Gospel simply says that before she was married, she “was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18)
Luke describes the appearance of the angel Gabriel “to a virgin [Mary] betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph.” The angel said that Mary would conceive and bear a son who would be called Jesus. When she questioned how that could be, Gabriel said: ““The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…”
Six months before Jesus was born, his cousin, John, was born. John was the son of Zechariah, a priest, and Elizabeth, an elderly couple who had been childless until John came along.
The Bible records both Mary’s Magnificat (Song of Praise) and Zechariah’s Prophecy. Fascinating words that must have been Holy-Spirit inspired!
The first folks who heard of the arrival of Jesus were ordinary shepherds, watching their sheep the night Jesus was born, frightened by an angel and “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God…” You and I would probably do the same thing the shepherds did – check it out! They went to Bethlehem, found the new baby, and told everyone they could find!
Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice in the temple. There an elderly man named Simeon took baby Jesus in his arms and spoke what we call the Nunc Dimittis.
Finally, we meet an 84-year-old widow, a prophetess named Anna, who “… worshiped with fasting and prayer night and day.” She gave thanks to God for the birth of Jesus.
All of these folks had one thing in common: they were ordinary people called by God to participate in the birth of the Savior. God still uses common, ordinary people to accomplish the mission begun with the sending of Jesus. He uses you. He uses me. He sends you. He sends me. He blesses you. He blesses me.
Questions to ponder with yourself and others
- What do you believe that you, as an ordinary-but-God-gifted person, can do to fulfill what God has sent you to accomplish?
- Both John’s birth and Jesus’s birth were miraculous events. What miracle has God performed in your life that convinces you of his love and that gives you the courage to be his representative?
- This story focuses on the very young (Mary and two babies) and the very old (Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna). What role does your age play in fulfilling God’s calling in your life?
Prayer
Dear Father, You sent Jesus from heaven to earth. His life was surrounded by ordinary people. His love saves ordinary people. Help us as ordinary people to share the extra-ordinary message of Your intention and desire that all be saved, through faith in Christ our Lord, Jesus himself. Amen.
Today, Hope's leaders are gathering to consider and prayer over the current and future ministry of our chuch under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Pray for them.