Scripture: Luke 2:8-20.
Event/Theme: Shepherds
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Symbol we use: Christmas ornaments with shepherds on them.
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Meditation: God doesn't just pick the brightest and most worthy. He chooses to shower blessings on the poor, the unworthy, the insignificant. The angels could have announced the birth of the Messiah to the local rulers, to the local Pharisees, to the local rich men. Instead, they announced His birth to the lowly shepherds living out in the fields.
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How do you rank yourself? If you consider yourself to be among the holy, the wealthy, the worthy, then this is a reminder that God doesn't elevate or demean people according to human standards. Look around for the outcasts of society--the individuals living apart, whose choices or circumstances have somehow separated them from the group you identify yourself with. Those are people Christ wants you to reach out to and share with them the fantastic news of His birth. If you consider yourself to be unworthy in some way, then this is a reminder that God doesn't view you in the same way you view yourself. Just as He, through His angelic servants, invited the unworthy shepherds to come to Himself in the stable, He invites you to come visit Him right now. Not some day when you've cleaned yourself up and are living a life "suitable" for the King of kings; right now, straight from the "fields" of your life. Rather than waiting for your life to become suitable for the Messiah (you'd be waiting forever, for no human life is ever suitable for Him), come to Him like the shepherds from wherever you happen to be living and worship Him just as you are.
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Jesse Tree Week 1: The Patriarchs
Sunday: Root of Jesse
Monday: Creation
Tuesday: Fall of Mankind
Wednesday: Noah
Thursday: Abraham
Friday: Isaac
Saturday: Jacob
Jesse Tree Week 2: The Formation of a People Set Apart
Sunday: Joseph
Monday: Moses
Tuesday: Israelites at Mt. Sinai
Wednesday: Joshua
Thursday: Gideon
Friday: Ruth
Saturday: Samuel
Jesse Tree Week 3: The Formation of a Nation Set Apart
Sunday: King David
Monday: Elijah
Tuesday: Isaiah
Wednesday: Jeremiah
Thursday: Daniel
Friday: Nehemiah
Saturday: Jonah
Jesse Tree Week 4: Christ Jesus is Almost Here!
Sunday: Mary
Monday: Joseph
Tuesday: Shepherds
Wednesday: Merry Christmas!
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