Shepherds and Angels

By


One of the goals in this “Journey to the Manger” theme is to put ourselves in the place of the nativity characters and follow their lead.
So today, imagine yourself in the position of one of the shepherds. You’re simply at work—following your routine—when God’s glory appears around YOU with a burst of light and you hear that God has chosen you to hear and carry good news to the world:
Says the angel, "I am bringing YOU good news of great joy for all the people…”  

The reality is that God HAS chosen you. God HAS called you.
Read this worship poem with the mindset of a shepherd, sought and called by God...

 "O great God who chooses me"
      From Nailscars.com
O great God who chooses me
Who calls to me and picks me
Who looks past all of the things that other see
Those things that cause them to pass me by
O great God who choose me
Who calls to me and picks me
Even when I am running from you
Even when I am hiding from you
Even when I don’t want to be found
O great God who chooses me
Who calls to me and picks me
who invites me into work of eternity
after I have turned away yet again
who come to me after I have messed up yet again
O great God who chooses me
Even after I have chosen my will over yours.
O great God who chooses me
Who calls to me and picks m
I lift my heart and my hands to you
I come offering who I am to you
And asking you to take this small gift
Take these few loaves and fishes
And break me
use me to feed and to clothe
And to love
I come knowing full well that I will still run sometimes
Knowing in my heart of hearts that I am not strong enough
Or patient enough
Or brave enough
Or confident enough
To continue to go where you are leading
But knowing that—beyond all reason—
You are the great God who chooses me
Who calls to me and picks me
and right now, in this moment
I lift my life to you in worship and in praise.
O great God who chooses me
Who calls to me and picks me
Today I choose you.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel

By
Image
Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel And Israel (previously named Jacob) had 12 sons who didn't all get along (despite their Father's dying attempt to gather them together for blessing and peace...). These sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Genesis 49:1-28  God could have chosen any tribe or any family lineage--God could have skipped the family drama and tribal violence of the Old Testament tribes, but God chose to remain faithful to those ancient promises. God chose to root new  life and new  peace in a previously violent story. Praise be to God!  Just for fun: Which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel are you? (online personality quiz)  Tribe of Jesus: · Matthew 1:1–6 and Luke 3:31-34  describe Jesus as the tribe of Judah . ( “Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” ~Revelation 5:5) ·   Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also related to ...
Read more

Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's Clay Pitcher

By
Image
Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's clay pitcher The Israelites enter the promised land, but the next generation stops worshipping God. When enemy armies attack and conquer them, the  Israelites turn back to God and cry out. God--in grace--raises up a judges (like Gideon) who leads Israel back to victory.  Gideon 6:11-16, 7:19-23 (or all of 6-8 if you're feeling ambitious)   Gideon--Peace by Karlie Harper I love the story of Gideon because it is an underdog story. In this story we see a man who is so full of doubt of himself that he does not recognize the Spirit of the Lord sitting right in front of him. For someone like me who battles doubt and anxiety, this story is particularly meaningful.  In the verses we see the Lord trying to build up Gideon’s courage by calling him a “might warrior” and telling him “Peace, do not be afraid”. But Gideon, not unlike myself, doesn’t listen to his Lord right away. If we read the story we go on to learn how Gideon—...
Read more

Twelfth Symbol of the Jesse tree: Ruth's wheat

By
Image
Jesse Tree Symbol #12: Ruth, shaft of wheat I n the days of the Judges, famine left an Israelite woman named Naomi widowed and without both her sons. As she moved back to her hometown, one daughter-in-law (Ruth) stayed with her. This  penniless  foreigner--this outsider--Ruth was cared for and brought in to the Israelite family tree... the roots of Christ  Ruth 1:6-9,15-18; 2:1-12 and 16 Matthew 1:1-5                                       Reflection b y Peg Powell After reading these passages in Ruth, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories. Long ago, there was a mayor who lived with his only son in the hills of China. None of them in this village owned a horse, but one day, out of the blue, a stallion appeared at the mayor’s home.  All of the people exclaimed, “How lucky you are.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A few days later, the stallion disa...
Read more