I am enjoying the engaging spirit-filled conversations I have making new friends while sharing my books. My life is enriched by these warm exchanges which often spark a reflection of some sort. One of these special encounters was another cherished God moment leading to this reflection.
In the second face-to-face conversation with a new friend, he was curious to hear my story of how God led me to my writing ministry. My friend, as I was sharing, was reminded of what a college chaplain mentioned at his first event on campus that he sees in my life with writing. The chaplain was encouraging the students to see God’s presence revealed in their lives and said:
Quote from Mary Oliver’s poem “Sometimes”
As we recently celebrated the birth of Jesus, it occurred to me the shepherds and the Magi are perfect examples of what my friend shared.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” –Luke 2:8-12 (NLT)
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. –Luke 2:15-19 (NLT)
The shepherds, just simple ordinary people, were the people God chose to announce the good news to! Aren’t we just like those shepherds, being simple ordinary people? Aren’t we to announce the good news too?
Notice how the shepherds:
–Pay attention…
to the angel of the Lord who had the radiance of the Lord’s glory surround the shepherds! I imagine their ears perked up, too, with hearing “…good news that will bring great joy…”
–Be astonished…
so much so that they wanted to go see the Messiah right away! The shepherds left everything and hurried to Bethlehem.
–Tell about it…
after seeing the baby Jesus “the shepherds told everyone what had happened!” With their lives forever changed and so full of joy, they couldn’t help but share with all they met. Isn’t it interesting to note that “all who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished” too?
Photo courtesy of Steve Evans under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” –Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. –Matthew 2:7-11 (NIV)
Notice how the Magi:
–Pay attention…
as they were diligent in looking up at the sky. The Magi, most likely astrologers, were attentive with noticing a special star that suddenly appeared in the sky.
–Be astonished…
at seeing such a unique star. The Magi knew, without a doubt, they had never seen such a star as this before. Even though Herod technically sent the Magi to follow the star, they were curious to see what they would find. I believe they were astonished at seeing the star lead their way and stop at the exact spot where the child Jesus was. As Scripture says, they were “overjoyed!” The Magi brought special gifts as they knew this was no ordinary star, which led them to the “king of the Jews.”
–Tell about it…
after following the star and seeing the king of the Jews. We know the Magi were Gentiles, people who were not Jewish. They originally were not part of the chosen people. Yet with bringing gifts to the Christ child, it shows they recognized He was “king of the Jews,” who they then worshipped too. I have to believe they shared this good news with all they met after their encounter.
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Isn’t it encouraging knowing God reveals Himself to everyone? He is impartial!
May this reflection inspire you to see God revealing His presence in your daily life. As each new day unfolds, be encouraged to:
–Pay attention…
- to the still, small voice you hear.
- to the beauty of nature all around you.
- to the people God places in your path.
–Be astonished…
- at the ways God uses your life to encourage others.
- at the ways God sends others to minister to you in your time of need.
- at the simple joys in life.
–Tell about it…
- by sharing God in your life with others.
- via whatever gifts God has given you.
- by writing a love letter to God or journaling.
Would you be so kind to share in the comment section below a time when God's presence was revealed in your life? Were you astonished at what He did? I am encouraged by your sharing. Thank you in advance!
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. –1 Chronicles 16:23-24 (NLT)
So many little ways each day, right?! 🙂 But I wanted to think of something more “significant” to write about……
Just a few days before reading your post, Tim and I were talking about the really nice letter we got from a priest friend of ours (long ago former pastor of St Ambrose). We have kept in touch with him for many years now, and it’s always such a joy to hear from him. This year, in light of the pandemic and just the current times, his words were such a source of comfort and reassurance. We feel so blessed to benefit from his insights and his reminders of how much God loves us, which was always his most prominent message when he served as our pastor! His words truly feel like a message straight from God…..
Were we astonished by it? Probably not enough! We’ve been so blessed by the presence of people like this in our lives that I’m sure we take it a little bit for granted. But we are always appreciative of it!
Did we tell about it? We shared with Jen and Nikki about what a great pastor and guy Fr Pete was and is (they are too young to remember when he was at our parish). We also talked about other former pastors that we have kept in touch with (that they have kind of come to “know” by the stories we have told 🙂 )
I agree that it’s important for us to encourage our children to look for God in their daily lives! It’s something I am so glad I was encouraged to do by my parents!
Indeed, so many little ways each day! What a wonderful example of God’s presence revealed in our lives, Barb! Thank you so much for being aware, astonished, and taking the time to tell about it here! I love the impact our lives have on each other and how powerful the ripple effect of everything we do is! How well I relate to the God’s love theme too! Blessings~