4 Words that Changed...Part 2

Fact: I never seized to be amazed
who God uses to change the world.

Mary’s life was changed by four words and if you think that she was an unlikely character to speak such powerful words then the next group was WAY unlikely.  Many people thought that the Savior of the world would come by way of a great king who would be worshiped by the highest of highs.  Ha!  We all know that is not what happened!  Instead the King of Kings came in the form of a little baby and was worshiped by some very unlikely characters…. One group being Shepherds.

Luke 2 tells us that after Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph that there were some shepherds that lived in a field nearby and they were keeping watch over their flocks by night.  Now, let’s think about the job of a shepherd for a moment.  This job was low on the totem poll, if you will.  You did not want to be a shepherd… I mean, who really wants to smell like sheep and have to use them as a pillow to sleep at night?!?  Anyway, shepherds were not the high-class society. Hmmm… The Savior of the world came as a humble baby born in stable (not high-class society) and was born of a young humble run-of-the-mill girl (not high-class society) and the angels chose to announce His arrival to shepherds (not high-class society).  Hmmm… Think it was a coincidence?  Yeah, I don’t think so either. 

OK, that was a nice rabbit trail, but let’s get back to the shepherds.  They were hanging out in the fields watching their sheep.  I would like to think that they were looking into the sky, checking out the stars and making small talk with each other.  They lie back on one of the sheep take a deep breath in followed by a long sigh and then in the words of Gladys Herdman “SHAZAM” the angel of the Lord appeared to them in the same night sky they were looking at.  I could only imagine that the shepherds jumped up straight to their feet out of fear.  I would have!  The angel told them to fear not just as it was spoken to Mary and then went on to tell them about the birth of Jesus.  The angel tells them that they could find Him in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.  Then a multitude of angels gathered and began singing praises to God and I am sure it was nothing short of AMAZING.  The angels were inviting the shepherds to join all of creation in worshiping the Savior of the world.   Talk about an invitation! When they departed and everything settled down, the shepherds had two choices. #1 they could totally ignore what they had heard or #2 they could seek out Jesus.  Let’s look at Luke 2: 15 to see what they did.

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

Four words that changed their lives forever… Let us now go.  The shepherds got up and went and found Jesus.  Now, I wonder if they took their flocks with them.  It’s quite the entertainment in my brain to imagine the shepherds and all their sheep weaving their way through Bethlehem to get to the manger where He lay.  Ha…I’m sure it was amusing!  Anyway, the shepherds left, found Jesus, worshiped Him in their own way and then told the world what they had seen and they and many others were changed forever.  Why?  Simply because they said “let us now go.”

Each of us is called.  Now granted, it might be way of an angel appearing to you, but we’re all called.  We have two choices when we are called: ignore it or respond.  God is calling each one of us to meet Him somewhere and do what He has for us and what He has is life changing.  The shepherds responded with four words that we can learn a whole lot from, let us now go.  They heard their call and they accepted it.  They did not say that they needed to wait around and find something to do with their sheep or make sure all their affairs were in order. No.  They said let us go NOW.  The moment they heard their call they responded and they were never the same.  The awesome part about the whole thing is that after they saw Jesus they told everyone they could and their lives were changed too.  This all happened all because they were willing to say, let us now go.

What is God calling you to do?  Are you willing to say that?  Are you willing to say to God “Let us (me) now go” whenever He calls you?  He might not be calling you to go somewhere, but He could be calling you to do something, share with someone or many other things. The shepherds chose to say the four words let us now go and their lives were never the same.  My challenge to you is to simply take on the mindset of the shepherds.  I challenge you to go before God and speak the same four words, let us (me) now go.  Surrender your will, your wants and your way and tell God you are ready to go and do whatever it is that He is calling you to.  Let us now go.  It will change your life, I promise.

4 Words that Changed...

Fact: Christmas time is one of my 

favorite times of the year. 

          I love the atmosphere of joy and celebrating it brings about.  I love the smells of Christmas goodies coming from the kitchen.  I love the cheesy movies where everything always works out in the end.  I love Christmas music (After Thanksgiving and up to New Years!).  I love the time I get to spend my family and friends.  I love Christmas trees…REAL ones NOT artificial.  Anyway, I just love Christmas! 

         The thing I love the most about Christmas?  I love the Christmas story in the book of Luke.  I love hearing it read aloud (I have heard it read aloud in English, Spanish and Swahili.  Next year I’m thinking about doing a rendition in Pig Latin!) , I love reading it myself, I love seeing it portrayed through Christmas plays and movies and I love hearing carols reflecting the story.  I would dare to say that in my 25 years of life I have heard the Christmas story in some form or another over 150 times.  Honestly. However, two weekends when I saw it portrayed at FBC Milan’s Christmas program I saw something different.  Something new and exciting to me.  I saw four words that changed me.  As I went back and read the passage myself I saw three different “characters”, if you will, in the Christmas story say four words that changed lives.  Over the next few days leading to Christmas I would like to look at these three characters and the four words that they spoke.

           

            The first person I would like to look at is Mary.  Mary, the virgin, gave birth to the Son of God, Jesus.  Everybody knows Mary!  Some religions idolize Mary, but some people just put her aside and forget about her.  To me, Mary is a fascinating person that we, women AND men, should try to model our lives after.  Luke 1 gives a little blurb about Mary, but that little blurb says a whole lot.  Mary is described as being highly favored by God.  There was something about Mary that captured the heart of God.  Whether it was her demeanor or her gentleness or her pure heart, no one knows.  What we do know is that God saw something special in her.  God looked at Mary and saw her to be righteous and worthy of mothering His son.  Wow…what an incredible honor and privilege bestowed upon her.  Mary simply lived her life as an offering to God and she was blessed beyond comprehension for it.

            When the angel, Gabriel, came to Mary to tell her the news that she would bare the Son of God, Mary was startled.  I mean, who wouldn’t be?!?  Anyway, an angel came to her and told her that she, a virgin, was not only going to have a baby, but that the baby was going to reign forever and that His kingdom would never end.  If I was Mary I think I would of done one of two things.  I would have either #1 laughed at the angel or #2 I would have flipped out and said I did not want that responsibility at all.  What did Mary do?  Let’s look at Luke 1:38, “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.  And the angel departed from her.”  Be it unto me.

            Be it unto me.  Four words that changed Mary’s life forever.  Mary did not argue with the angel, Mary did not try to get out of it or even question God.  Mary just said be it unto me.  In the world of Meredith that translates to, “Bring it on God.”  Mary was saying to God that whatever He planned, whatever He purposed, whatever mountain or valley He had for her, bring it.  She was telling God whatever it is, let it happen to me.  Good, bad or ugly, she would do whatever God had in store because she was God’s servant.

            After those four words Mary’s life changed drastically.  She had the task of carrying, birthing and raising the Savior of the world.  Not only that, but I am sure that she caught a lot of flack for being pregnant before she was married and for just being the mother of Jesus.  Then she had to watch her son die a cruel and painful death on the cross because He did nothing wrong.  Mary was never the same after those four words.  Be it unto me.

            My challenge to you is to simply take on the mindset of Mary.  I challenge you to go before God and speak the same four words, be it unto me.  Surrender your will, your wants and your way and tell God to bring on whatever He has for you.  Be it unto me.  It will change your life, I promise.