Daily Reading: Luke 2:21
Big Idea This Week:
Experience Jesus. Share Your Story. Go Back Changed.
Questions to think about:
Yesterday we looked at how God used society’s outcast like the shepherds to announce the greatest birth of all time. God invited a group of guys who had been labeled as outcasts and outsiders by everyone, and placed them at the top of the invite list for the most important birthday in history.
This is a theme we see continue throughout the story of Jesus’ life:
Jesus hangs out with religious outsiders, social outcasts, and “sinners” so much that He is accused of being a glutton and a drunkard.
Jesus heals a man with leprosy—considered contagious and religiously unclean— by touching him. Most people would have avoided lepers altogether.
Jesus chooses an inner circle of followers that includes uneducated fishermen, a former tax collector who has sold out countrymen, a zealot who wants to kill the Romans, and even a former prostitute.
Jesus consistently seeks out those who are considered social outcasts and religious outsiders and invites them to be at the center of His ministry.
Those who have been relegated to the outside are not only focus of His rescue mission—they become its leaders. The shepherds had nothing to offer Jesus. They were not religiously trained or socially polished. Unlike the wise men who would arrive later, they did not have exquisite gifts. These guys lived under the stars with only the clothes on their backs, a staff to guide the sheep, and a rod for protection. They had nothing of value to bring to Jesus except for themselves. That’s exactly what He wanted, and what He still wants today.
Who are “shepherds” in your community— social outcasts and religious outsiders? Do you believe that God can use them to impact your community and point people to Him? How can God use you to invite them to join Him and His mission? Invite them this Sunday for Christmas at C3.
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