Finding Hope With the Shepherds: A Christmas Story of Promise

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you:
You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:10-12 (NKJV)

Christmas is the perfect time to pause and really think about the shepherds in the Nativity story. I mean, have you ever wondered why God chose them to be the first to hear about Jesus' birth? They weren't religious leaders or powerful politicians. They were guys out in the fields doing what many considered a lowly job.

But here’s what absolutely amazes me: These weren’t just any shepherds. According to Jewish tradition, the shepherds near Bethlehem were raising lambs specifically for temple sacrifice in Jerusalem. These were Levitical shepherds - men from priestly families whose job was to ensure the Passover lambs remained perfect and without blemish for worship in God's house.

When the angels appeared to them that night, announcing the birth of a Savior “wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12), these shepherds would have immediately understood something we often miss. They knew exactly what to look for because this scene was familiar to them.

You see, when lambs were born in those fields, the shepherds would wrap them in strips of cloth to protect them from getting cut on rocky cave floors. They'd place the sheep in mangers to keep them safe. The swaddling cloth wasn’t just for warmth but also to prevent any blemishes that would disqualify the lambs from being acceptable sacrifices.

So when these shepherds found baby Jesus wrapped in similar cloth and lying in a manger, they would have recognized the profound symbolism. Here was the Lamb of God, born in the same manner as the sacrificial lambs they tended. This wasn’t coincidence; this was God’s story unfolding exactly as He planned.

And there’s even more hope woven in: The swaddling cloth Jesus was wrapped in likely came from old priestly garments, the same fabric used to make wicks for the temple menorah. Jesus was not only identified as the Lamb of God but also the Light of the World from His very first moments on earth.

I find such comfort in knowing that God chose ordinary people doing their everyday work to be the first witnesses of His greatest gift. These shepherds weren't perfect, and neither are we. But God saw them as worthy to receive and share the Good News.

The hope we find in the shepherds’ story is this: God meets us right where we are, in our ordinary moments, with His extraordinary love. Just as He chose shepherds tending their flocks, He chooses us in whatever field we find ourselves working. He has a covenant of friendship with us, sealed by the sacrifice of His Son, the Lamb who became our great High Priest.

Lord, thank You for choosing ordinary people like the shepherds - and like me - to be part of Your amazing story. Help me recognize You in my everyday moments, just as those shepherds recognized You long ago. Fill my heart with the same joy and wonder they experienced when they first laid eyes on You. Give me the courage to share the Good News with others who need to know they matter to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

- Rabbi Jason Sobel
(Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries")

Meme: Quiet Your Mind...

The Modern Tower of Babel

This image was created to depict a modern reinterpretation of the Tower of Babel, through the rise of modern technology today.

This is not to suggest that using technology is wrong. All technology is morally neutral (in my opinion) and can be used for either good or evil. That includes the inventions of the printing press, electricity, the internet, social media, and even AI.

Ultimately we have a choice what to do with the technology available to us: Are we going to use it in a God-honoring way to glorify Him and encourage others? Or are we going to use to it become like gods ourselves?

My fear is that AI, quantum computing, and other breakthroughs are causing the world to think that they can reach god-status, just like in the story of Babel in Genesis 11. But using technology in that way is naive, idolatrous, and in danger of judgment. My prayer is that no matter what piece of technology is before us, we use it to glorify the Lord.

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

Author and Creator: Kevin Carden ("Christian Digital Artwork")

Be Not Quarrelsome

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. - 2 Timothy 2:23-26 (NKJV)

As a teacher, Timothy helped those who were confused about the truth. Paul's advice to Timothy, and to all who teach God's truth, is to be kind and gentle, patiently and courteously explaining the truth. Good teaching never promotes quarrels or foolish arguments. Whether you are teaching church school, leading a Bible study, or preaching in church, remember to listen to people's questions and treat them respectfully, while avoiding foolish debates. If you do this, those who oppose you will be more willing to hear what you have to say and perhaps turn from their error.

There should be no quarrelsome Christians. The truth of God is within us; we need never be intimidated or frustrated by those who do not accept God's truth.

At times people may disagree with you regarding God's Word. Perhaps they question the way you say He is leading you, or they may challenge your faith in God. At times like these it is never helpful to argue. You will never debate anyone into the kingdom of God. You will never persuade someone that God has spoken to you by outarguing them! Only God can convince others of the veracity of His word to you. If you will allow God to vindicate you in His time, and in His way, a time will come when the wisdom of your choice will be evident (Luke 7:35). If you find yourself often quarreling with others, you need to ask God to clearly reveal your motives and to forgive you for your disobedience to His clear command.

If your motivation for arguing comes from your desire to be right, or to be exonerated, or to gain the esteem of those listening to you, you are acting selfishly, and God will not honor you. God is not interested in how right you are. He is interested in how obedient you are. God's command is not that you win arguments, but that you are kind and forgiving when others mistreat you. You bring God no honor by winning a dispute in His name, but you reflect a Christlike character when you demonstrate patience to those who mistreat you or misunderstand your motives. Arguing may never win people to your view, but loving them as Christ does will win you many friends over time!

Resources:

"Life Application Study Bible" by Tyndale House Publishers

"The Bible Knowledge Commentary" by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck

Lord, Silence my worries...

Lord, silence my worries so I can hear Your voice.

My mind is so loud with distraction and fear, and I long to hear You clearly.

Silence the noise within me, the anxious thoughts that spiral, the fears that shout, the doubts that whisper.

Teach me to be still in Your presence, to quiet my heart enough to listen for Your gentle whisper.

I confess I often fill the silence with my own plans and solutions, when what I really need is to hear Your wisdom and guidance.

Help me create space in my day to sit with You, to wait for You, to tune my ear to Your voice above all others.

Remind me that Your voice brings peace, not panic; clarity, not confusion; truth, not worry.

Give me the courage to trust what You say, even when it asks me to let go of my need to control.

Let me find rest in knowing that You speak to those who listen, and You guide those who wait on You.

Amen

- Provided by "Faithful Grace"

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"Because I never leave your side, My Peace is always with you. You need this Peace each moment to live out My plan for your life. Sometimes you may want to take shortcuts - to reach your goal as quickly as possible. But if taking the shortcut means you turn your back on My peaceful Presence, then don’t do it. Keep walking with Me along paths of Peace - even in this crazy world."

"And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6 - "Jesus Calling for Kids" by Sarah Young

Meme: Lean on Jesus

Weariness

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-20 (NKJV)

A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen. It is attached to a piece of equipment the oxen are to pull. A person may be carrying heavy burdens of sin, excessive demands of religious leaders (Matthew 23:4; Acts 15:10), oppression and persecution, or weariness in the search for God.

Jesus frees people from all these burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.

If you find that Christianity exhausts you, draining you of your energy, then you are practicing religion rather than enjoying a relationship. Jesus said that a relationship with Him would bring rest to your soul. Your walk with the Lord will not make you weary; it will invigorate you, restore your strength, and energize your life.

Hard work or lack of sleep can make you tired. This fatigue can usually be remedied by a good rest. But there is a deeper fatigue that goes beyond physical tiredness. There is an emotional exhaustion that comes from experiencing heavy burdens and draining crises. There is a tiredness deep within your soul that comes from carrying the weight of the needs of others. You can go on a vacation, but your soul will not be restored. This condition can only be rectified by finding rest in Christ.

Some zealous Christians want to do all they can to serve Christ, and they exhaust themselves in the process. It was to these that Jesus extended His invitation to go to Him and learn from Him. Jesus spent most of His earthly ministry surrounded by needy multitudes. He faced relentless opposition, He often prayed throughout the night, and He rarely had any privacy; yet He always received the rest and strength that came from His Father. It was not that Jesus did not work hard but that He knew the path to spiritual rest. Are you weary? Go to Jesus and let Him give you His rest. His rest will restore your soul as nothing else can.

Resources:

"Life Application Study Bible" by Tyndale House Publishers

"The Bible Knowledge Commentary" by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck

You Are Not Failing

There comes a moment when you realize that what you are calling failure is actually just life unfolding in a way you did not expect. You have been holding your breath trying to make everything make sense, trying to fix what slipped through your fingers, trying to rewind what cannot be rewound. And somewhere in all of that pressure you began to label yourself with words God never spoke over you.

You are not failing. You are living. You are learning. You are moving through a season that feels heavier than you wanted, but it is still shaping you in ways you cannot see yet.

Sometimes the most freeing thing you can do is stop naming your situation something it is not. Instead of calling it failure, call it what it is. A moment. A season. A point in your story where you get to choose what happens next. Acceptance is not giving up. Acceptance is choosing to stop fighting what already happened so you can finally focus on what God is inviting you into now.

When you stop trying to force what is gone, you create space for what God is still growing in you. This is the shift where strength begins. You look at what is and you say, I accept this. I release the shame. I refuse to drag the past into the present. And now I choose to move. I choose to do something. I choose to show up again.

God meets you in that choice. God breathes hope into the small steps. God honors the decision to stop spiraling and start building. You are not behind. You are not weak. You are simply standing at a doorway that requires courage instead of perfection.

Choose courage. Choose movement. Choose the next right thing, even if it is small. That is not failure. That is faith.

- Ellie Mont

Music: "The Call of Christmas"

..Hear the call of Christmas

All you lost and left behind

The lowly and those longing

With an emptiness inside

The forgotten and forsaken

I bring you good news

Hear the call of Christmas

The Savior waits for you..

Meme: Hope In Christ

Don't Let Disappointment Define Your Year

“… but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

The holidays come with a lot of expectations. This can be a glaring reminder of all that hasn’t changed in the past 365 days - and I’ll raise my hand first to say I’m walking into this season with a lot of unmet expectations in tow.

Between the busyness of the season, shopping for gifts, and trying to finish all of our work before taking time off, it's hard to find time to process the unfulfilled dreams we may have had for this time of year.

Which leaves room for hopelessness to creep in.

Maybe you thought this year you’d have someone to bring home with you.

Maybe you thought you’d get to share a pregnancy announcement.

Maybe you thought you’d be over that particular struggle or you'd have something new and noteworthy to share at the family dinner table.

But Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that we can still have hope in the midst of disappointment: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

When we put our hope “in the LORD” and not in our circumstances, we don’t have to let disappointments define our whole year. Every year can be marked by hope in the midst of what has been hard.

Hope in the Lord is the best kind of hope. The kind we don’t have to be afraid of letting us down. The kind that doesn’t make us embarrassed, disappointed, or ashamed. Rather, it helps us run the race of life God has gifted us with. And we don’t have to stay weary in the waiting; the Lord gives us strength for each step.

We need the hope of Christmas this year more than ever. Not in the Hallmark-y, happy-ending sort of way but for the real reason we celebrate: Our Savior came and is coming again soon. And that’s worth putting all our hope in.

Let’s define our years with hope. The hope of life to come. The hope of something so much better than what’s right in front of us that we can’t even wrap our minds around it. The hope that strengthens us day by day.

God, I come to You weary, worn, and waiting. This time of year often reminds me of what I wish were different about my life. Show me how to still be hopeful about what has not happened yet. At the same time, help me find gratitude for where I am today. Teach me to define my year not by what I don’t have but by what You have given me: Jesus. In the meantime, help me to love it here. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

- Meghan Ryan Asbury
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"I am training you to thank Me not only for obvious blessings but also for situations you would never have chosen - a wayward child or spouse; loss of health, home, or employment. This is counterintuitive thankfulness, and it is possible only to the extent that you trust Me at a deep level. It is also a matter of self-discipline: willing yourself to thank Me even when your circumstances are screaming at you to find a way out.

Though it is wise to look for ways to improve your situation, you cannot force My hand - or My timing. Just keep coming into My Presence with thanksgiving. Your persistent thankfulness may actually provide the long-awaited key I will use to unlock major difficulties in your life. Giving thanks to Me can open doors in ways that transcend your understanding." - "Jesus Today" by Sarah Young

What is the True Meaning of Advent?

The true meaning of Advent extends far beyond a countdown to Christmas morning. Derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning "arrival" or "coming," Advent is a season of spiritual expectation that focuses on three specific arrivals of Jesus Christ. First, we look back with gratitude at His birth in Bethlehem. Second, we look forward with hope to His promised Second Coming. Third, we invite Him to arrive afresh in our hearts today. It is a season of active waiting, repentance, and preparing room for the King.

~

The calendar turns to December, and for most of us, the race begins.

The schedule fills up with parties, the to-do list grows with shopping obligations, and the stress of "getting everything ready" often overshadows the very person we are supposed to be celebrating. We decorate our homes, but we often fail to prepare our hearts.

If you feel a sense of disconnection amidst the holiday noise, you aren't alone. Many Christians find themselves exhausted by December 25th, wondering where the peace on earth went.

This is why we need Advent.

Advent is not merely a religious version of a countdown clock. It is a deliberate, counter-cultural rhythm designed to slow us down and wake us up. To understand the true meaning of Advent is to reclaim the season from consumerism and return it to Christ.

Defining the Term: The Arrival

To understand the theology, we have to start with the word itself. "Advent" comes from the Latin word adventus, which simply means "coming" or "arrival." In the ancient Roman world, this word was often used for the arrival of an emperor into a province. It was a time of preparation, cleaning up the roads, and getting ready to receive royalty.

For Christians, the King is Jesus.

However, the richness of Advent lies in the fact that we aren't just celebrating one arrival. We are navigating the tension of three distinct "comings" of Christ.