On the hillsides of Bethlehem some shepherds were tending to a dirty job! Nobody was standing in line for their job which their occupation would become a part of the greatest story ever told. When children were growing up in that time you didn't hear them saying things like, "when I grow up I want to be a shepherd."God chose the least of all cities in Bethlehem to host the birth of his son and he chose the least of society in the shepherds to be the first witnesses. The story of Christmas is truly an amazing story because the first people to have been blessed by Immanuel were the lowliest. No matter how dirty you get God's grace can clean you up.
Date: 12/23/18
Scripture: Luke 2:8-20
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From Series: "Shema"
The season of Advent may bring thoughts of joy, peace, love, hope, and Jesus or it may bring thoughts of anxiety, stress, and chaos. Any good “Chaos Coordinator” will tell you that the first most crucial step to seeking the true meaning of the season, is to get every person involved small or otherwise to truly listen. It is an action that takes our whole being. When working with young children you might say “I need your whole body to listen.” What does that entail? There are cool charts, sayings and ways to signal that it is time to listen. They all give clues about how to prepare to listen: ears - hearing; eyes - looking at the person talking to you, mouths are quiet of all sounds; hands - still; feet - still; body - facing the speaker; brain - thinking about what is being said; heart - caring about what the other person is saying. Take note that no where in the list did it say come up with a response to what is being said. However, most of the time there is an action to take after we have listened and understood the words being said.
In our sermon series “Shema for Christmas,” we are going to take a look at the concept of Shema.
Morning and evening the Jewish people pray to God, these words called the Shema.
“HEAR O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one, and as for you, you shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your HEART, with all your SOUL, and with all your STRENGTH.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5
The first word of this prayer is hear or listen in Hebrew the word is Shema and is where this prayer gets it's name. Israel is being commissioned to listen to God, but not just listen as we may understand it today. SHEMA might be a small word but it is not an insignificant act! Even today we are called by God to Shema. Join us as we uncover the true meaning of Shema.
The Story of Advent relies on the different ways one can listen to God using more than just our ears. Join us to see how the participants of the Christmas Story all listened and obeyed God. They all had different roles to play and used different parts of themselves to fulfill God's Plan. We will take an in depth look at the Wisemen, Zechariah, the Shepherds, and Mary. Then return to finish our Series on December 30th, as we take a look at our own part in God's Plan and how we can listen to God, by having “Ears for the future.”
