Are You An Advertiser For God?
Not too long ago, the people used to promote products and services in television commercials were often not easily recognizable faces. But today, and it is certainly true during Christmas, many advertisers use “celebrity endorsements” to sell their products and services. The focus seems to have shifted from quality and affordability to using something because of who else uses it (or at least endorses it), thus in some way making those buy those products or services part of the “in” crowd.
While our culture uses the “high” to sell a message, God often uses the “low” to promote and advance His message. Sure, all throughout the pages of scripture there are stories of God using kings, rulers, priests, and famous people to “advertise” His kingdom, but those same pages are also full of accounts of people who held little or no status in society – tax collectors, fishermen, prostitutes, servants, widows, and even shepherds – being used by God in big ways. And if you are a follower of Jesus, while you might have committed your life to Him through the efforts of a well-known person, it is more likely that it occurred when someone not known by the world invested time and effort into you. That is certainly the case for me!
Today I want to quickly look at one such story of when God used the lowly to share the best news ever told. We will be looking in Luke 2 at the story of shepherds being used announce the birth of Jesus. What do we know about shepherds? Shepherds generally came from the base elements of society. They were on the lowest rung of the economic scale and had little of not formal education. Shepherds had no power or influence, they simply tended sheep. It is also entirely possible that these shepherds who heard the angels singing were illiterate. Shepherds were also totally committed to their flock and would do anything, including risking life and limb, to care for and protect their sheep.
The story line in Luke 2 is that Jesus has been born and about that time an angel appeared to shepherds who were keeping watch over the flocks, simply doing their job. The angel announced that the Messiah has been born. These shepherds were very unlikely candidates to “advertise” this good news. Wouldn’t priests have been more credible since they were the well-known and well-connected religious people of their day? But the story tells us that these shepherds said to each other “Let’s go to Bethlehem to see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about (Luke 2:15).” So, they hurried off and saw the Baby Jesus and in verses 17-18 we read this, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
So, here we have lowly shepherds, the bottom feeders of society, being used by God as the first to tell the world of the Messiah’s birth. He spoke through angels to lowly shepherds on a remote hillside outside a tiny Judean village. It didn’t seem a likely way to win the world, but God uses people like you and like me, just average “Joes” and “Janes” to share His good news with the world.
God wants to use you to promote His kingdom and His message, and you don’t need to be rich and famous or wise or well-educated. You and I just need to be willing and available! The gift of Christ is the best gift anyone will ever receive. Are you asking God to use you as He used those shepherds 2000 years ago?
The picture in this post is an oil painting by Thomas Cole is titled “The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds” and found in the public domain.
Dave’s Note: Writing is still challenging for me as I recover from my stroke, but it is also both therapeutic and something that gives me life, so I press on in healing and doing what I love!
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