This chapter is packed full of some of my favorite accounts of the miracles of Jesus. But in thinking about Christmas and the book of Luke, what sticks out the most to me in this chapter is Jesus’ parable of the seeds and the soil. (Vrs. 4-14)
The Christmas account of Jesus, “the Word made flesh” coming to us so we could come to God is like a seed. Our hearts are much like soil. Some hear the Christmas story only to think, “That’s nice…” never letting its true meaning into their heart.
Some receive with much gladness the Good News of the Word, first proclaimed by Angels, “…a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) But never allowing the true meaning of Christmas to really take root and grow within their hearts. When hard times come they run to other sources for help, neglecting to look to the God who came to Help us.
Then there are those who embrace “God with us- Emmanuel”, but only for awhile. They know He is real but they allow all the worries of their lives, or riches, or pleasures to slowly squeeze out believing in God. Their belief is “choked out.”
Yet there are some who have heard the announcement, seen the light of His star and take it in, letting the seed of Jesus, the Living Word, grow within. That kind of encounter with the Jesus of Christmas, the God who not only came to us but came to dwell within us changes us! His Hope and Love pours out of us to all those around making known the true meaning of this Christmas season- Jesus came to our broken world, Jesus died for our sins, and Jesus lives victoriously in our lives- every day of the year.
Let us give our hearts wholly to Him as good soil ready to receive Him gladly into every area of our lives this Christmas season and beyond.
The people of Jesus time are much like the people of our time. The more they heard about Jesus and saw His mighty deeds the more hungry they became. They wanted to experience more. Large crowds surrounded Him. Who would not want to be there to see all the wonders He was doing? Verse 21 says Jesus had “cured many who had diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and gave sight to the blind.” I imagine it would have been incredible to watch Him, even if only from a distance. Then Jesus did what was impossible, He raised the son of a widow from the dead. Verse 16 says, “They were filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us…God has come to help his people.””
The crowds did not get who Jesus was, “God with Us!” But they did know He was like no other. “God had truly came to help his people!”
Around 30 years before, when Jesus was just a baby in Mary’s womb, John the Baptist’s Dad, Zechariah declared similar words of prophecy about Jesus “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us…salvation from our enemies…to rescue us from the hand of our enemies and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” (Luke 1: 68-75)
“God had come to help His people” this is the whole point of Christmas. Jesus came to help us, because we CANNOT help ourselves! Our enemies, whether they be sins, addictions, hurts, wounds, etc. are much bigger than our ability to save ourselves. We need a Savior! Jesus had come to help His people. And He still comes to us, in our point of need, to help His people today! He longs for us to surrender to Him, and to no longer follow Him from a distance only observing His awesome power. He came so we could know Him and the power of His resurrection! That is the whole point of His life here on earth! From a manger in Bethlehem, to a cross on Golgotha’s Hill, to an empty borrowed tomb, Our God, Jesus has come to “help His people!” And Praise God, we can know this help He brings into our lives!
Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus or His coming to be with us, is described this way in John’s gospel: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
The scene is set in today’s chapter. A large crowd had come: to hear, to be healed, to be set free from evil spirits. Power came out from Jesus as people tried to touch Him. Then He speaks. “The Word”, Jesus, who had come from God, speaks hope to the crowd of the poor, hungry, sorrowful, and hated. Jesus, the Word, spoke blessings, spiritual happiness and the favor of God, “Blessed.” His words confirmed what the angels spoke to the shepherds at His birth, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and in earth peace to those on whom his favor (delight, kindness) rests.” Jesus described His Father as “kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (vrs35), “merciful” (vrs36), and “giving” (vrs37). All the crowd needed to do was to truly HEAR the Word, Jesus, speak, take Him into their heart, and live a life constantly listening to Him and obeying. They would then live a life unshakable when life’s storms came to them (vrs48).
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still declaring blessings and favor over us. All we must do is truly listen to the Word, Jesus, as He speaks, and then OBEY! We will find, just as the crowds did so many years ago, that as we listen and reach out for Him hoping to touch Him, we will experience His power in our lives. Healing from our dis ease and freedom from the oppression of the evil one are there as we “come.” Because, He has come to us! First as a baby, then as a sacrifice on the cross, now as a risen Savior!
From the announcement of Jesus birth by angels to the shepherds watching their flocks, to the events recorded in Chapter 5, people were drawn to Jesus. Who would not be? In Jesus presence, a bad day of fishing turns into the largest catch of all; a man who is outcast with a deadly disease is healed and restored; a man who is paralyzed leaves carrying his mat, walking, and praising God; a hated tax collector who was labeled a sinner is now one of His Twelve.
The encounters of the people with Jesus are summed up in verse 26, “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” These “remarkable things” still occur today! Jesus went to great lengths to make this a reality then and He makes this a reality now. He still works miracles, restores the broken, heals the sick, and forgives us of all our sins. And best of all He still draws us in. He calls to us to “Come.” As displayed in this chapter, there is NOTHING too big for Jesus!
If you find yourself as the crowds did, following Jesus at a curious distance, not sure of what to think, let me testify, it is worth it to get closer to Him, listen to His voice, and to obey His commands. He still does “remarkable things”.
John the Baptist went before Jesus proclaiming the “Good News.” Luke says, “the word of God came to John…in the wilderness.” He told the people to repent for the forgiveness of sins. John was the voice calling out, “Prepare the way for the Lord.” The people would not want to miss the one who was coming, the Messiah, Jesus Himself. Sin and selfishness would only entangle the ones who refused to repent, keeping them from truly seeing and experiencing Jesus, “God’s salvation.”
We have this command as well. “Prepare the way for the Lord.” We don’t want to miss what is coming! The baby born in a Bethlehem stable is now Jesus, our Savior, who longs to be born in our hearts. As we repent and turn from our sins, we offer our hearts to God. He comes with power to transform our hearts and our lives. He fills us with His hope, His peace, and His joy! We can experience Jesus, whom John “proclaimed” this Christmas season and forevermore!
Today we read Luke 2, which contains the familiar passage about the birth of Jesus that is often quoted this time of year:
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.””
Luke records the words of Simeon spoken over Jesus at the temple after his circumcision; 12-year-old Jesus speaking with the religious leaders at the temple; finishing up with the summary of Jesus’ growing up years “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (verse 52)
He was truly “God with us” Emmanuel. Jesus took on our ordinary so He could bring God’s extraordinary to our world and into our lives! What a Savior!
I went to college at Mizzou. That seems like the appropriate thing to do for a Missouri Girl. Back in the 80’s MU was known as a party campus to the kids in my high school. As a young lover of Jesus, my motivation to go there was definitely not to party, I wanted to be a light and witness to my generation.
A.P. Green Chapel
One thing I loved about the campus at Mizzou was the A.P. Green Chapel, next to Memorial Union. It was like a small candle flickering light on a campus with so much darkness in it. I would go there frequently to pray and read my Bible. It was in that chapel during one of my times of prayer that I wrote this poem.
Chapel Prayer
Let me see the world as You see it. With the compassion of the Cross That's a heart of Love that breaks For the dying of the lost. Let me cry as You cried and Break me as You were broke Make my heart like Your heart And let me wear Your yoke.
Let me be as You are Full of love and kind, Gentle and compassionate, Sweet as the New Wine.
Let me see the world as You see it, Through the eyes of the cross. Willing to give my all for You So others won't be lost. (originally written January 21,1990)
Inside the Chapel
This morning as I started my time in prayer memories of that chapel and a young, wholly devoted heart that I had started to flow through my mind. I know that at that time if God would have told me to pack up my bags and head to the corners of the earth, I would have. I wanted to do whatever He wanted no matter what the cost. Over 30 years have went by since I sat in that chapel writing those words. I’ve had my times of living a life for God that I felt like I was red hot on fire and then lukewarm since then. I have often wondered If I heard God say, ” Pack up everything and go,” would I be willing to obey like my younger heart would have? Then I thought of the poem above that my younger heart wrote during a time of prayer.
Things haven’t really changed much since that day. The world I live in is still dark and full of death and destruction. Just this week two shootings have occurred in my country for no real reason except evil in the hearts of mankind. However, I know the remedy, Jesus. It seems like all that I can do is like a tiny band aid on a gaping wound.
In Isaiah 6 the prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord. His way of going about life was wrecked by what He saw. He saw a God who was so holy, glorious, and awesome in power, that all he could think of is how sinfully human he was. But he also heard the voice of God asking, “Who will go for Us?” Sitting there realizing how unqualified he was he replied, “Here am I. Send me!” Sitting in the presence of Jesus has that effect on a person. Seeing what Isaiah saw, a God who is so much bigger than us and yet so loving and so kind, I also can hear His voice calling to me. “Who will go for Us?” Although I have no idea what that will mean for me, may my heart say as Isaiah’s did, “Here am I. Send me!”
As it usually does during my times of contemplation, I come across a song that stirs within me. The lyrics of this song are so powerful. May it be my prayer. May it be the prayer of all of us.
God has given us so much to be thankful for this season. Let us purpose in our hearts to not only give thanks, but give ourselves to Him fully! Taking the remedy to our brokenness to the world around us! Come Lord Jesus!
“If it’s bandaging the broken Or washing filthy feet Here I am, Lord, send me If it’s loving one another Even when we don’t agree Here I am, Lord, send me If I’m poor or if I’m wealthy I’ll serve You just the same Here I am, Lord, send me On the mountain or the valley I will choose to praise Here I am, Lord, send me If I’m known by how I love Let my life reflect how much I love You I love You And before You even ask Oh, my answer will be yes ‘ cause I love You I love You If the truth cuts like an arrow I will say it anyway ‘Cause here I am, Lord, send me And if it’s means that they’ll reject me Lord, I will still obey ‘Cause here I am, Lord, send me And if I’m known by how I love Let my life reflect how much I love You I love You And before You even ask Oh, my answer will be yes ’cause I love You Oh, I love You When I’m standing in Your glory I’ll be glad I chose to say “Here I am, Lord, send me” “Well done, good and faithful” I live to hear You say Here I am, Lord, send me”
“Therefore since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” 2 Corinthians 3:12
Our God is soooo good! I have been contemplating the goodness of God lately. Something that in my 40 years of walking with Him I have never done. I’m not sure why not, but here we are… I have been awed by a definition I heard of love in a class I am taking, “Living Life Live” at WOW- Women on Wednesday. “Love always wants the very best, the most excellent, and the most profitable for another to benefit them for their own sake.” In other words since God is love, He wants the most excellent, the most profitable, the most beneficial for me. Mind blown. Especially if for some reason you have lived your life with a distorted image of God, looking at Him as a taskmaster of sorts. One who demands work from us in exchange for His blessing that He occasionally doles out to keep us plodding along like a donkey following a carrot on a stick so it will pull a cart. Not so with our Loving Heavenly Father who has set His affections on us and gives so many rich gifts of love, joy, and peace to the heart who is open to receive.
This leads me to the verse above: “We have such a hope…” hope- the confident expectation of Good. Our God is the God of Hope- when we trust Him and believe Him He pours out a confident expectation of GOOD- Hope because all His ways are GOOD toward us, EVERY single one! He never acts as the false gods of ancient times did. They were known for manipulating their subjects, punishing harshly for any misstep or act that displeased them. Their ways were not able to be known because they simply cared only for themselves.
Our God is good! And He is our hope, confident expectation of Good, because Good is the essence of who He is. This goodness makes us “bold”- free from timidity, confident, brave! We are told in the word we can approach God boldly because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We can be confident of His heart towards us, because it is filled with His great love. And Our God is always good!
I’ve been asking the Holy Spirit to fill me with Boldness the past few months: Boldness to obey God fully, boldness to say whatever He places in my spirit to say, boldness to do whatever He asks.
Yesterday I was in a break out session at the Inspire Women’s Retreat and this verse was one of a section of scriptures being discussed. It stood out in my heart as I heard it read: God’s hope- my understanding of just how GOOD He is and expectation of that GOODNESS to be poured out in my life moves me. It makes me free, free from timidity and fear. It makes me BOLD! It makes me willing to go wherever God leads me, to do whatever He asks. Because I am living a life close to Him, basking in His goodness. I am anticipating with hope His love has gone before me, goes behind me, and is in me. It makes me unable to fail! That Hope truly does make me bold!
“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God”….. Brother Lawrence
This morning I was reminicing about how my life has been since having 4 kids and homeschooling them. “Busy”, is the best word to describe my days. Usually it is an early morning cooking, teaching, cleaning, driving, refereeing fights, trying to spend one on one time with each of the kids, grocery shopping… the list could go on and on. I was reflecting on how life was pre kids and then pre marriage, how I had time.
In all this, there has been a gift given to me.Something I did not recognize as a gift at first.It has been how my relationship with God has changed. Out of necessity I have found myself praying at all times of the day in all situations. I find myself praying while doing dishes, cooking supper, waiting for my kids to finish their assignments, cleaning toilets… It is the “continual converstation” that Brother Lawrence was talking about, and it is the most sweet and delightful thing in this world.
Here lately, I have been trying to pray for people if I think about them. If I find myself thinking about situations that a loved one or friend is in I breathe a short prayer for them. I’ve also placed a list of people on my refrigerator that I feel particularly impressed on to pray for. I figured that with my job, that is the place I will see the list the most.
In all this God has shown me that spending time with Him is not complicated. He is there waiting all I have to do is speak and recognize His presence with me.
This gift is not for me alone, but for anyone. God loves it when we reach for Him. His promise is to fill us if we hunger and thirst for Him.
In saying all of this, I am reminded of a funny story about a time of prayer that I had…One time, while I was driving, I began to pray under my breath for something. One of my daughters was pretty little and asked me what I was doing. I replied, ” I’m praying. ” She then asked me, ” You do have your eyes open right?”
So remember if God draws you into this ongoing blessing of a life of prayer to always pray with your eyes open while driving : )
Your Love 