When the nation of Israel lived in the land God gave them, they defiled it by their idol worship and bloodshed. So God judged Israel by removing them from His land and scattering them among the nations. (Assyrian and Babylonian captivities) When they were among the nations God’s name was profaned by the nations, as they said, ‘These are the people of the Lord; yet they have come out of His land.’ In essence the nations were saying this about them, they are the people of the Lord yet He can’t even protect them and keep them in their land. 

Ezekiel is told to prophesy the restoration of Israel. But first God wants Israel to understand that it is not about them, it is all about Him. This is what God wanted Israel to know “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for my holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.” Ezekiel 36:22-23 

Israel showed great disrespect for God by not being obedient to His commandments, laws and statutes. The result was that even the nations noticed. Israel had the opportunity to show the glory of God to those around them, however,their disobedience gave the nations a poor opinion of God.. But God, bigger than Israel’s disobedience, proved to the nations that He alone was God. That has been God’s heart all along, that everyone will know that He alone is Lord. 

How about you? Are you living in a way that you are making God known to those around you? In every aspect of your life, private and personal? Or are you profaning His name? Don’t answer too quickly, in fact why don’t you ask the Lord to show you the answer to that question today.

I got a phone call the other night ………

It was late, I was tired and really didn’t feel like talking to anyone – it was one of those nights. When I saw who it was I smiled and suddenly I was not quite as tired and the world became a little brighter. I answered it and I heard “Hi Honey! How ya doing?” It was my sweet Dorie, my adopted mother/mentor/friend.

God brought Dorie into my life many years ago but it wasn’t until we became neighbors that we developed a special relationship. It wasn’t unusual for the phone to ring and for me to hear “Hi honey, do you have any coffee?” David would go pick her up, usually in her pajamas, and bring her to the house. We would chat over coffee about family, current events, life and ministry.

I loved hearing the stories about her and Lloyd on the mission field. David had studied Lloyd in seminary and had been fascinated by his approach to missions – which was cutting edge and not accepted by many. We loved to hear about the Dani’s almost as much as Dorie loved to talk about them: their culture, their response to Lloyd and Dorie, their battles with their enemies etc. They reached an unreached people group who were stoneage cannibals in the days of short wave radios; no SKYPE, no email, no Facebook, no cell phones. They were flown in and dropped off. Sometimes supplies were dropped in by plane. Dorie and Lloyd were certainly heroes of the faith.

There was one thing we would never talk about, her age. I remember taking her to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. When the lady behind the counter asked her date of birth, Dorie sent me to the front of the store so I wouldn’t hear her give it to the pharmacist. A few times I would try to catch her off guard and ask her how old she was. Her response was always the same, “You monkey!” Once she was telling the story of how she and her sweetie Lloyd met, married and went to the mission field. I thought I was being smooth and asked for clarification of a few dates – but she wasn’t fooled. Not only was she not fooled, she elbowed me!
On this particular night our conversation was one I’ll cherish forever, for reasons I can’t share here. She started with her usual “Hi, honey. How ya doing?” but then she went on to talk about the thing we never talked about, that taboo subject, her age. Without spilling the beans about her actual age she did admit for the first time ever that she was getting up there in years.

It was at that point the conversation took an interesting twist. She said “Honey, we need to remember that when people get older that they are still valuable and have worth and we should treat them accordingly. At the same time we who are older should encourage those younger and share the wisdom we have gained about life and the things of the Lord. We need to keep reminding them how valuable they are and how important they are to the kingdom.

In the moments that followed she spoke into my life wisdom, understanding and encouragement. “Honey, stand firm on the truths you have seen in the Word. God has called you into ministry and He has gifted you and His hand is on you. Don’t try to please man, honey. God is the only one you need to please and He loves you. Don’t ever forget that! You are loved, you are valuable, you are important to God. I love you and David and pray for you every day”. There were other things she shared on a deeply personal level – things that only Dorie and I need to know.

I love when the phone rings and Dorie is on the other end because I know she loves me, understands what I am going through, has words of wisdom to share with me and will encourage me. She is a valuable part of my life and the life of others and has made an impact for the kingdom. She is an amazing example of the Titus 2 woman. She admits she doesn’t move as fast as she once did, and tires more quickly than before but she is still serving God and encouraging the younger women. She is still making an impact for the kingdom and is a living reminder that I need to do the same to those behind me. Knowing she prays for me daily is an amazing comfort and the sweetest gift anyone could give to another.

The next day she celebrated her birthday. Even though we talked about the forbidden topic, we didn’t talk specifics. However, I have reason to believe “It was a big one”!

I walked in the door of the church where David preached Sunday morning, he was preaching for our friend Tommy who was in the hospital earlier in the week. It’s a very sweet church and everyone is very friendly, so it isn’t unusual to walk in and have someone greet you with a smile and a handshake that you know they really mean. I was blessed as I watched a woman enter whose son had died tragically this past week and when the women in the vestibule saw her they surrounded her and “did life” with her. They wept with her, hugged her neck, encouraged and prayed for her right there. I overheard her say something like “I couldn’t not come and worship with my church family today”.

That interlude was enough to bless me and to tell you the truth I could have gone home right then. I was blessed to watch the body do what the body is supposed to do, Love God with all their heart, soul and mind and love their neighbor as themselves. As it got closer to time for Sunday School to start more people arrived and they were asking Carol how their pastor was doing, was there anything they could do to help out? etc. In the midst of their concern for Carol and Tommy they didn’t overlook me standing there, they greeted me and engaged in conversation with me. Tommy and Carol have done well teaching and training their church how to truly love God by loving people.

I was thinking about the circumstances which had brought us to this particular place on this Sunday morning and was thanking God for all Carol and Tommy had invested in us in both ministry and friendship when I was suddenly aware of someone speaking to me.  His voice is what drew me out of my fog, but it was his smile that drew me to his heart.

He stood before me with a smile the size of Texas and he said “Hi, I am Woodrow”. I replied “Hi Woodrow I am BJ” as I reached out my hand to shake his. Woodrow’s hand went right past mine as he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a huge bear hug, all the while he was smiling and his eyes were sparkling.  It wasn’t a lengthy encounter, in fact as soon as he gave me that great big hug he was off to greet someone else who had caught his eye. It wasn’t too long after Woodrow parted that I realized he was a thief, you see Woodrow in the twinkle of an eye had stolen my heart. I still can’t get him off of my mind.

What I didn’t tell you about Woodrow is that he is about 60, he only comes up to my shoulder, has large ears and the cutest face on which he keeps that huge smile. Woodrow has special needs; some may even say he is “simple”.  Except for that brief engagement I don’t know much about Woodrow personally, other than he lived with his parents until they passed away. At that time someone (I don’t know who) became his caretaker but they were unable to care for him anymore and he now lives in a home with others who have special needs. His caretaker takes him to their house every weekend and brings him to church on Sunday, Woodrow’s favorite day of the week.

Although small in stature in my eyes he is a spiritual giant who is living out God’s plan and purpose for his life with everything he’s got. In his simple, child like faith Woodrow is doing that which God wants from us more than anything, to Love Him with all our heart, and with all our soul and with all our mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is obvious that God lives in him. One day Woodrow will stand confidently before God’s throne perfected in love, sporting a grin the size of Texas, and perhaps while giving Him a bear hug, he will hear God say “Well done my good and faithful servant”.

What about you?1 John 4 tells us that loving others is what gives us confidence before God’s throne in the Day of Judgment – how are you doing with that? Will you stand confidently or will you bow in shame? Just askin’.

Woodrow thank you for invading my space and stealing my heart! I want to be just like you when I grow up. It is my prayer that I will never be able to get you off of my mind!

I remember answering God’s call into ministry. We were excited and couldn’t wait to serve the Lord in full time service. But would we have been as excited had we known then what we know now? Or, would we have been so anxious if God had told us up front how hard it would be? That is what happened to Ezekiel.

We saw in the beginning of this lesson the vision of God Ezekiel had. Ezekiel knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he had been in the very presence of the Lord. He “fell on his face”, perhaps he incurred a few cuts and bruises in doing so. (smile)  In my personal opinion I think God knew Ezekiel needed to have this personal encounter with God because of the mission God was calling him to. Let me share a little background with you so you can understand the circumstances around this calling.

God’s people had been warned repeatedly to return to Him and they continued to walk in disobedience. God told them they would go into captivity if they didn’t repent. They continued to do evil in the sight of the Lord and the Nebuchadnezzar captured them and took them back to Babylon. God’s people had hardened their hearts and were unresponsive to the things of the Lord. Unfortunately the sin of the people affected all of God’s people not just those who were guilty. Then, as today, there was a
remnant of faithful men and women and Ezekiel the young priest was among them.

God spoke to Ezekiel as he lay on his face and then told him to stand on his feet so He could talk to him. He was so awestruck that the Spirit had to set him on his feet so he could talk to God. This was God’s call to Ezekiel – “Reach the Rebels” (my interpretation). Let’s look at the actual call below.

Ezekiel 2:3–7

3      Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a

rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have

transgressed against Me to this very day.

4      “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and

you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’

5      “As for them, whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious house—

they will know that a prophet has been among them.

6      “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though

thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their

words nor be  dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.

7      “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they

are rebellious.

8      “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be

rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am

giving you.”

9      Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was

in it.

10     When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back,

and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe.

Read this passage and then answer the questions below.

What did God say about the sons of Israel?

Despite their actions God gave Ezekiel his mission, should he choose to accept it. What was it and how was he going to be received?

 According to verse 5 why does God tell Ezekiel to speak to them even if they weren’t going to listen?

 Besides giving Ezekiel his mission, what else does God tell him?

Does it surprise you to hear God talk about His people this way? What do you learn about God in this passage?

From what you saw in verses 8-10, what was he told to do?

Did he have a choice in the matter? Think about it.

What was written on the scroll? What kind of message was it?

If Ezekiel accepted his call, he was going to need that vision to keep him grounded in the days ahead of him. It would take something as unbelievable as God Himself speaking to him to keep him strong and courageous in carrying out God’s plans for his life.

Wow!!! What a mission for a young priest! My guess is that Ezekiel never imagined how hard his first ministry assignment would be. Ezekiel has a choice to make, to accept this mission or be rebellious like the rest of the nation. What will he choose?

What would you do if God called you to go to a rebellious people and tell them “Thus says the Lord”, would you go? Now before you go getting all spiritual on me, think about it. Don’t simply give the “Sunday School” answer. The days are short and it is time to get real. You don’t have to share with anyone at this time; you are alone at
your computer no one is here for you to impress.

The reality is we are called to declare God’s word.  Whether others respond to it is not our responsibility – to declare it is.

You too have been called, are you willing to do the hard thing? Are you going to put your fears aside and take courage to answer the call that has been given to you? Don’t answer too quickly, in fact mull it over for a bit and stay tuned to see what the message is that God wants delivered and how Ezekiel is to prepare to give it.

Today was the first week of our Ezekiel class. There is something about the first day of the fall semester that is unlike starting any other time of the year. That day brings the school girl/boy out in everyone. Seeing friends you haven’t seen all summer,
exchanging summer vacation stories, showing pictures of new family members
(son/daughter in-laws, babies, grandbabies and even some four footed additions). In many ways I know how you school teachers feel as you try to get the class into the routine once again. We all know not to talk when the teacher is talking, but for some reason the first day of class seems to be exempt from that rule.  Perhaps detention slips for talking in class should be issued.

After all the greetings are made, pictures are shown, stories told everyone finally settles down and class begins. I hope you will join us as we walk thru Ezekiel chapters 1-3 today and in the weeks to follow.

It’s the year 592 BC, the 5^th year of King Jehoiachin’s exile in Babylon. This is the second of three captivities and is six years before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. King Jehoichin at 18 years old was king of Judah in Jerusalem, but only reigned for 3 months. Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon took Jerusalem in 597BC and too most of Jerusalem captive.  Jehoichin and Ezekiel were part of that exile.

At  30 years old Ezekiel begins his ministry as a priest. According to Numbers 3:5-12 and 4:1-4; the Lord chose the tribe of Levi to be His, to serve in the tabernacle. From that tribe the family of Aaron served as priest to Him. They began their service at 30 years old. Ezekiel couldn’t begin his service in the Temple because he had been taken in captivity to Babylon, but God has a plan for the young priest’s life. Ezekiel’s ministry was going to be outside the Temple walls; in fact it was going to be waaaayy
outside the walls!

While by the river Chebar among the exiles God spoke directly to Ezekiel through a vision and the hand of the Lord came upon him. The vision had a sci-fi feel to it. There were 4 living beings with 4 faces (human, lion, bull and eagle), 4 wings, and straight legs with calves’ hoofs for feet. Next to the living beings was a wheel on the earth with another wheel inside. They were like sparkling beryl and the rims had eyes
on them. Over their heads was an expanse and above the expanse was a throne and
on it was a figure with the appearance of a man. When we look at Heb 1:1-3;
John 1:1-14; Revelation 1:12-18 we see that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and His exact likeness.

Click on the drawing of Ezekiel’s Vision above.

Wow! Imagine you are a young priest about to embark in your very first ministry and the heavens open up and you have a vision like this and God speaks to you! My first thought might be, what in the world did I eat that caused this kind of dream? How did Ezekiel respond? He fell on His face! Why? Because he realized that he had just seen God and heard His voice!!!!!

I wondered why in the world God would start this book this way. After all He first sets the context, a little history of how we got here and then BAM! We’ve got this really wild vision going on. I wanted to stop and try to figure out what it meant, but that was
not the focus on this section. We need to move on but we aren’t going to dothat right now. This is enough for today, I will continue this tomorrow. In the mean time why don’t you read Ezekiel Chapter 1-3 and join us as we walk through it together.

Something to think about for now; Ezekiel saw and heard from God and when he did he fell on his face. Why did he do this? Has there ever been a time you knew you were in the presence of God? How did you respond? What impact did that have on you?

Stay tuned for the rest of the story. I hope you will continue the journey through Ezekiel with us.

I walked in the door of the church where David preached Sunday morning, he was preaching for our friend Tommy who was in the hospital earlier in the week. It’s a very sweet church and everyone is very friendly, so it isn’t unusual to walk in and have someone greet you with a smile and a handshake that you know they really mean. I was blessed as I watched a woman enter whose son had died tragically this past week and when the women in the vestibule saw her they surrounded her and “did life” with her. They wept with her, hugged her neck, encouraged and prayed for her right there. I overheard her say something like “I couldn’t not come and worship with my church family today”.

That interlude was enough to bless me and to tell you the truth I could have gone home right then. I was blessed to watch the body do what the body is supposed to do, Love God with all their heart, soul and mind and love their neighbor as themselves. As it got closer to time for Sunday School to start more people arrived and they were asking Carol how their pastor was doing, was there anything they could do to help out? etc. In the midst of their concern for Carol and Tommy they didn’t overlook me standing there, they greeted me and engaged in conversation with me. Tommy and Carol have done well teaching and training their church how to truly love God by loving people.

I was thinking about the circumstances which had brought us to this particular place on this Sunday morning and was thanking God for all Carol and Tommy had invested in us in both ministry and friendship when I was suddenly aware of someone speaking to me.  His voice is what drew me out of my fog, but it was his smile that drew me to his heart.

He stood before me with a smile the size of Texas and he said “Hi, I am Woodrow”. I replied “Hi Woodrow I am BJ” as I reached out my hand to shake his. Woodrow’s hand went right past mine as he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a huge bear hug, all the while he was smiling and his eyes were sparkling.  It wasn’t a lengthy encounter, in fact as soon as he gave me that great big hug he was off to greet someone else who had caught his eye. It wasn’t too long after Woodrow parted that I realized he was a thief, you see Woodrow in the twinkle of an eye had stolen my heart. I still can’t get him off of my mind.

What I didn’t tell you about Woodrow is that he is about 60, he only comes up to my shoulder, has large ears and the cutest face on which he keeps that huge smile. Woodrow has special needs; some may even say he is “simple”.  Except for that brief engagement I don’t know much about Woodrow personally, other than he lived with his parents until they passed away. At that time someone (I don’t know who) became his caretaker but they were unable to care for him anymore and he now lives in a home with others who have special needs. His caretaker takes him to their house every weekend and brings him to church on Sunday, Woodrow’s favorite day of the week.

Although small in stature in my eyes he is a spiritual giant who is living out God’s plan and purpose for his life with everything he’s got. In his simple, child like faith Woodrow is doing that which God wants from us more than anything, to Love Him with all our heart, and with all our soul and with all our mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is obvious that God lives in him. One day Woodrow will stand confidently before God’s throne perfected in love, sporting a grin the size of Texas, and perhaps while giving Him a bear hug, he will hear God say “Well done my good and faithful servant”.

What about you?1 John 4 tells us that loving others is what gives us confidence before God’s throne in the Day of Judgment – how are you doing with that? Will you stand confidently or will you bow in shame? Just askin’.

Woodrow thank you for invading my space and stealing my heart! I want to be just like you when I grow up. It is my prayer that I will never be able to get you off of my mind!

 In the mean time, several of you asked yesterday if there was really a St Patrick. The answer is yes! You may be surprised to know he isn’t what you thought.

 Some 1,500 years ago a teenage boy from what is now Great Britain was kidnapped and enslaved by marauders from a neighboring country. That kidnapping literally changed the course of history.The invading marauders came from fifth-century Ireland. The teenager they captured eventually escaped, but returned voluntarily some years later. In the meantime, he had become convinced that he was handpicked by God to convert the entire country to Christianity. Apparently, he was right.

There is much historic evidence that Patrick was one of the first great missionaries who brought the gospel beyond the boundaries of Roman civilization. According to tradition, he had established bishops throughout northern, central, and eastern Ireland. Only Munster, in the south, was to remain pagan until a century after Patrick’s death.

Patrick was the ultimate model for Celtic Christians. He engaged in continuous prayer. He was enraptured by God and loved sacred Scripture. Because of that he is most worthy of the title saint, as one “set apart” for a divine mission. He became an inspiring example. Hundreds of Celtic monks, imitating Patrick, left their homeland to spread the gospel to Scotland, England, and continental Europe.

It is a legacy Patrick was proud of: “For God gave me such grace, that many people through me were reborn to God and afterward confirmed and brought to perfection. And so then a clergy was ordained for them everywhere.”

The Celts of Ireland were the first major people group to be evangelized successfully without violence. For a culture so reputedly bloodthirsty and “barbarian,” this was some accomplishment.

Patrick, the Catholic patron saint of the Irish, was so designated as a result of popular devotion and long-standing custom, not an official canonization process. (The Roman Catholic church has made official designation of relatively few patrons.)

And so it was that a young Briton named Patricius died an Irishman named Patrick. And neither Ireland nor Christianity was ever quite the same.

 If you want to read more about this I suggest you pick up Thomas Cahill’s, best-selling book How the Irish Saved Civilization.

Below is a time line of Celtic Christianity:

Celtic Christianity

390 B.C. Celtic tribes (called the “Gauls”) sack Rome

58-50 B.C. Julius Caesar is victorious in Gallic Wars. Surviving Celts retreat to British Isles

415 Patrick born in Roman Britain’s northern frontier

430/31 Irish slavers capture Patrick

431 Pope Celestine I sends Palladius to Ireland

437 Patrick escapes, returning to Britain in the 440s

460/61 Patrick arrives in Ireland as a bishop and missionary

492/93 Patrick dies

There were divisions in the church at Corinth because they were following after men and not God. They had their eyes on the messenger and not the message.  They were measuring men by the eloquence of their speech and their popularity among men. However, when we get to chapter 4 Paul explains how God measures men and their Christian service so that no one becomes puffed up against another.

We must avoid extremes when it comes to men and their ministries. On one hand we must not be so indifferent that we accept anyone who comes along. But, the other extreme is to be so hypercritical that even Paul himself would fail the test. Yes we must “try the spirits” (1 John 4:1-6) but we also must be careful not to grieve the Spirit as we do.

Paul addresses the leaders of the various factions by explaining that he and Apollos were ministers of Christ. These ministers or servants are described as “underrowers” or slaves on a ship. They are not the captains of the ship but simply slaves who are under orders. He goes on to ask the question “Is one slave greater than another?”

 He goes on to explain the picture of a steward. A steward is one who manages everything for his master, but who owns nothing. His responsibility is to be faithful to his master. A steward may not please the members of the household or even some of the other servants; but if he pleases his own master he is a good servant. We see this idea in Romans 14:4

Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

So the issue is not whether Paul is popular or that Apollos is a better preacher. The question is “Have Paul, Apollos and Peter been faithful to do the work God assigned them?” And who is to be the judge of these teachers? Man/woman? 1Corinthians 4 goes on to say that God will judge at the appointed time, revealing things hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of the hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

As I study I am reminded of posts that believers are putting on Facebook, sending as mass emails and posting on the internet about this teacher and that teacher claiming that they are false teachers. In the not so distant past men like: Billy Graham, James Dobson, Charles Stanley, Bill Bright, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper and John MacArthur just to name a few, have been accused of being false teachers.

In recent months the accusations have been leveled against Mark Driscoll and Rick Warren. Don’t forget, even Jesus Himself was accused of being a false teacher because he did things like; heal on the Sabbath, hang out with prostitutes, tax collectors and rugged old fishermen.

 Come on, really? False teachers? I may not like their delivery, their style of preaching or their outreach plan but that doesn’t make them a false teacher. As of yet I have not heard anyone who has brought those accusations say that they are teaching another Jesus, deny the virgin birth and or the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

 The Corinthians were measuring different men by their own personal preferences and prejudices. They were even comparing ministers with one another. They were messing in someone else’s business! We have to be careful not to do the same, after all it is not the slave’s responsibility to make sure fellow slaves are happy. The slave’s only responsibility is to please their Master.

 Are you judging God’s servants at the wrong time? When the Lord returns He will evaluate their lives and ministries, so wait until then. In fact, you cannot see into men’s hearts; you cannot begin to judge their motives. Only God can do that. We need to be very careful not to play God and assume privileges that belong to God only. It would be very easy to misread a situation and misjudge a person.

 When asked which commandment was the greatest of all Jesus didn’t choose from the 613 laws of the Pharisees, He chose one of His own. Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul and might. The second is to love others as yourself. We shouldn’t be wasting energy by judging these men and causing divisions. Rather we ought to be using that energy to love God and His people by being good stewards of His gospel, by preaching it and being careful not to exceed what is written.

A word to the wise from one slave to another, “Another Man’s slave is not your business!”

            October 30, 2010, 650 singers assembled in Philadelphia inside Macy’s and sing the Hallelujah Chorus.  7 million hits on YouTube.

            November 13, 2010 at a mall in Toronto, Canada, once again the Hallelujah Chorus is sung. 27 million hits on YouTube.

However, unusual as they may be, I am convinced they are far from being pointless. In fact I believe God chose the Christmas season to step into the reality of those people and say “Hey, it’s not about all that stuff, it’s all about Me!” It was an unexpected witness to those who might not otherwise have heard the gospel. You see, although traditionally associated with Christmas, the Hallelujah Chorus in Handel’s Messiah is actually written announcing the Resurrection of the Christ on Easter morning. It is an extraordinary narrative of God’s plan of salvation  for mankind throughout the history of His creation.

One man commented on the story featured on Hear and Now, public radio’s daily news magazine:

     Being an atheist I hate Christmas, but I like good music and this is one of the best ever written. I would have    loved  to have been there that day and heard this.  Hmm, a self proclaimed atheist invaded by an unexpected witness!

So what does this have to do with an ear?, you ask. In John 18, a Roman cohort comes with lanterns and torches to arrest the light of the world. When asked, “Who do you seek?” They answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I am.”  They backed up and fell to the ground. When asked a second time He said “I told you I am He!”  Peter draws his sword and cut off the right ear of the High Priest’s (Caiaphas) slave. His name was Malchus. Jesus then tells Peter to put his sword up and says “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Luke 22:49-51 tells us that Jesus put his ear back on.

 You can imagine the conversation between Malchus and Caiaphas “Sir, he cut off my ear and Jesus healed it!” It was Caiaphas and Malchus’ unexpected witness. This was one more opportunity for Caiaphas the High Priest to know this was the Messiah. For years to come as Caiaphas looked at Malchus each day he would be remined of that witness.

 The shepherds were watching over their flocks one night when the angel of the Lord stood in front of them and God’s glory shone around them scaring them to death. The angel told them “Today, in the city of David a baby was born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you, a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly host saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men whom He is well pleased.” It was an unexpected witness to an unexpected audience!

 Christmas morning on Good Morning America Max Lucado and the Harlem Boys Choir were special guests. Those listening were exposed to an unexpected witness. God has not left Himself without a witness according to Romans 1:18-20, 21-23. All that heard the singing in Philly and Toronto as well as over 30 million YouTube hits, all that watched Good Morning America Christmas morning and the countless number who have listened to Christmas hymns will be held accountable before the Lord one day. You can almost hear the conversation now “But I never knew….” God’s response “What about the time that….”

 So what do flash mobs, an ear and angels all have in common? They were all vehicles of God’s unexpected witness.

 It is my prayer that you live with your eyes and ears wide open in order to see God’s hand at work in the world around you in 2011. Don’t miss His unexpected witness not only to the lost and dying, but to you as well.

The lighting of this candle is a reminder that God came for the most unlikely and insignificant people.

The first announcement of the Messiah’s birth was given to shepherds, an unlikely group to receive such an important announcement. The shepherds were the outcasts of Israel; they were from the lowest place in society, they were unclean and therefore unable to worship at the temple, they could not testify in court because they were considered untrustworthy. All of this is evidence that God does not call the rich and mighty but the poor and lowly. It is even rumored that a rabbi once said “Give no help to heathens or shepherds.”

Can you imagine this group of shepherds out in the field when an angel suddenly appears? No wonder they were terrified! The shepherds were told not to be afraid and then given a message of comfort. The angel told the shepherds a baby was born in Bethlehem that was given to them. This baby was the long awaited Messiah. The angel described the child as “the savior for all people, Christ the Lord.” By appearing to the shepherds, the angel revealed the grace of God to all mankind. As if to punctuate the moment, a choir of angels appeared and sang a chorus: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his peace on Earth.”

Glory to God in the highest BECAUSE of the glory of God in the lowest!

He didn’t come to the religious leaders of the day, God came to the ungood!!!

       1 Corinthians 1:26-27

       26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according  to the  flesh, not  many mighty,  not many noble;
                                   27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,

God uses people from all walks of life to spread the good news of His Son. God chose to use the shepherds to describe the vastness of His love for us. In this week, we discover that God does extraordinary things through ordinary people. God chose the insignificant of the day to reveal His magnificence to. God reminds us “as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me!”

So my question is this What is your attitude towards the seemingly insignificant of society? Are you willing to get your hands dirty with those who feel unworthy, dirty, guilty, ashamed in order to share the gospel with them?

Scripture reading

            Luke 2:8-9-14

            Isaiah 35

            Psalm 146-5-10

            Matthew 11:2-11