Discovery is a part of life. To discover
is to be open to the activity of God in what would seem at first glance . . .
ordinary. Throughout the ordinary of life . . . God has something more
for us to experience and share . . . something that shifts our personal
universe.
Christmas is like that . . . we tend to gear
up for the day . . . and begin to decompress immediately after as we get ready
to go back to the routine of ordinary living. . .not thinking that there is
something more to discover through the experience of Christmas . . . nor
believing that God will shift the details of our universe to bring something
more into it because of Christmas.
Look at the Shepherds. They were doing their
ordinary, everyday, job. And, then one night, when they most likely presumed it would be an ordinary night, the Shepherds were surprised.
. . . and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And
there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their
flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the
Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. (Luke 2:7-9)
Can you imagine being in the dark . . . no
city lights from the horizon . . . only the light of fire broke through darkness . . . even so . . . there was something more to be seen . . . the
Light of God? Imagine the explosion of light . . . the brilliance that shone in the night skies . . . and the over-the-top-out-of-control response of the men standing watch over the flocks. They heard the angels of heaven sing . . . those ordinary men doing an ordinary job on an ordinary night.
"Glory to God in the highest
heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone
into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and
see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and
Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. (Luke 2:14-16)
The Shepherds discovered more.
They discovered the baby in the manger. Emmanuel. God with us. And, they discovered the power of the presence of God. So. They told about it.
They discovered the baby in the manger. Emmanuel. God with us. And, they discovered the power of the presence of God. So. They told about it.
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. (Luke 2:17-19)
The
Shepherds returned. But they did not return the same. They changed.
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 2:20)
Ordinary would never be ordinary. They
were transformed being in the presence of Christ, God with us.
That is exactly what God wants for us. Ordinary does not exist in the
presence of God; everything and everyone is transformed in the presence of
God. There is so much more to discover.
Learning with you to
KICK START the day . . . discovering what more God has in even the most
ordinary of times,
Pastor Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Palmer © 2009 All Rights Reserved)
kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnv,lle, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~ interAct
Kick Start Your Day~Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/
interAct: Bible Study & Expectation . . . Advent 2009