Born in a Barn

On the old television show, Mama’s Family, I’ll never forget one of the lines that Mama delivered when her daughter came to pick her up from jail. Her daughter was concerned of what people would think. Mama said, “Yeah, there was this kid whose Mama got pregnant before she was married and was born in a barn. He was Jesus. Look how he turned out.” While trying to be funny, the writer was absolutely correct. Jesus’s beginning was not what anyone would expect for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but that’s exactly how God works.

So many times, we are waiting for the big exciting events to happen in our lives that we miss the little experiences that God gives us graciously. The town of Bethlehem was so full of people at the time that Jesus was born that there were no more guest rooms in any of the facilities, so Mary and Joseph had to go to the barn that the person that they went to who owned the inn offered them. Since Mary was about to have her baby, they took what they could get.

It’s interesting to note that Joseph is in his hometown and he couldn’t stay with relatives. It was a huge disgrace for a woman to be pregnant before she was married at that time period. For some people, it is still a disgrace. No one believed Mary that she was pregnant with the Son of God, but that doesn’t matter. People need to show love and grace to everyone. I would like to think that Joseph’s family may have behaved high and mighty, but there were many people within that family that were very sinful, because the people who cannot accept people that have live differently than them are usually the most sinful.

So, Mary had Jesus surrounded by animals and she placed him in the feeding trough. I often wonder if one of the animals came to see the baby, and then also nibbled on the hay. Then, some shepherds come to visit. They were the first people to see Jesus. When they left Jesus, they went and told people all what had happened to them. They were also the first missionaries. They found Jesus and then they told others about Him. That’s what we all are supposed to do.

The shepherds were considered lower class in that time period. People looked down on them. They were the first ones to see Jesus. Where were the religious leaders? They never saw Jesus until he was twelve years old, but the shepherds were there. They were just doing their job watching their flock and an angel came and told them about Jesus. The angel said, “You will find the baby in a manger wrapped in cloths.” They decided to go see Him. The angel didn’t say go to Him. The angel let it be their decision. They went and had a life changing experience because they were willing to take a risk. God uses people who are willing to leave what they know and step into the unknown. They told others. Then they went back to being shepherds, but they were different. They would always remember this night. God uses people of all economic classes to proclaim his message.

Jesus could have come to earth in a fiery chariot. He could’ve just come onto the scene and made a big deal with fireworks, lights, and loud music. He didn’t. He came at a time when everyone was busy. He came to a town that was full of people who didn’t notice one young pregnant girl. He was born in a barn, not a hospital, a castle, or even a house, but a barn. He lowered himself to become human, and when he was a human, he chose to be one of the lowest.

This Christmas season, I’m trying to see how God can use me in His plans. I live in a city where many people have big dreams and want to get noticed with a big entrance. As I have grown older, I have realized that the people who make the bigger impacts upon the world are not the ones who are noticed, but the ones who are faithful and do what is not always noticed, but their impact is noticed. I’m trying to look for the little acts of goodness and kindness this season. In order to appreciate what God does, it is necessary. To see God work, we must open our eyes and notice those who others may have forgotten or look down upon, because they are the very ones that God is using to impact the world with his message of salvation.   

Gifts

It is the season for which we are all scrambling around trying to purchase the perfect gift for our loved ones. For some people, it’s fun. For others, it is stressful and hectic, as they do not have the funds to be able to purchase what they desire to give to show the love and appreciation to the people they cherish the most. Tuesday is the day of giving. It’s a day that we are reminded to give of our resources to those who don’t have as much as we do. I would like to think of giving gifts in a different way. I believe that many of us, especially in the church, have lost our desire to give the gifts that are the ones that can actually impact the people around us and make a difference in the world. They are the gifts God has given us.

We all have gifts and talents. Some people do not realize what their gifts and talents are until later in life. Many of us do not use them because we have believed the lie that they are not valuable. Unfortunately, when we do not value our own gifts and talents, we begin to work and serve in areas that do not honor your gifts, and we become envious of those who are using their gifts and impacting the world.

No gift is too small. Paul talks about the distribution of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. He states that the parts of the body that no one sees are the most important. He uses the metaphor of the physical body to the body of Christ. The parts that work that no one sees are the most important parts. Every part is needed. Our world needs us to use our gifts. No matter how great or small your gift seems to you, someone is appreciative of it when you use it.

Love is the most important gift. Paul follows 1 Corinthians 12 that we must be eager to go after the most important gift, love. When we use our gifts for God, we are revealing our love for God. Our world needs the love of God. Imagine if we all would use the gifts God has given us how many more people would see the love of God. God gave us our gifts. We need to be grateful for what God has given us because He wants us to use the gift He gave us in big ways. If we are not using the gift at all, then how do we know how it can be used in a big way to impact the world?

Giving is not just about material items. It’s about giving part of who we are. The best gift we can give others is our talents that bring relief or guidance or joy to others. When we withhold them because of lack of confidence, we are being stingy. It has taken me years to comprehend that. Let’s take this month and make it a month of giving. A month of giving the gifts and talents we have. You never know who may be impacted and the impact that will evolve from one small gift.

Thanksgiving

There is so much rhetoric on the origins of the American Thanksgiving, that I began to wonder if we should continue to celebrate it, but then I had an epiphany. What if we just took a day to be thankful for what we have and not grouse about what we do not have. That would be a day in which our attitudes would begin to change and maybe we could influence others to grateful.

Trials. The book of James tells us to be joyful when we have trials because they make us stronger. It’s difficult to be thankful when we have trials in life, but that is exactly when we need to be thankful. As I look back on my past, I see that the experiences that were not so pleasant were the exact experiences that created change and forced me to grow as a person. I learned from my failures and from the experiences that others may have brought upon me forced me to learn more about myself and how to relate with others better.

Family. Living in Los Angeles, the homeless people surround us in every pocket of the city. Many of them have no physical family members. I am grateful that I have a family that has been there for me when I have failed. For people whose blood family is not close physically or emotionally, I am grateful for my church family that has grown throughout my lifetime and is open for more coming into our family.

Friends. As evil as people claim social media to be, it has connected me to old friends and even has created some new friendships. I am thankful for all my friendships. I am thankful for the friends that have been with me throughout the years and have shared in my crazy antics in youth ministry, and I am thankful for the new friends with whom we can share new memories.

Fun. I am thankful that I can have fun and enjoy many of the beauties in this life, whether they are in nature or created by amazing artisans. I am thankful for places to hang like coffee shops and bookstores that allow me to continue to learn about the wonders of the world.

Jesus. I am mostly thankful for Jesus who sacrificed his life for me when I did not deserve it at all. I am thankful that he loves me no matter what I do or say. He loves me and gives me peace through the turbulent times. He doesn’t take the troubles away, but he leads me through them and allows me to learn from them.

Being thankful for what we have in life is so much better than complaining and yelling about how horrible life is and all the political wrongs in the world. I wish we could celebrate Thanksgiving every day. I wish we would be more grateful for what we have and not worry about what we don’t have. It’s day where we feast. It’s a day where we spend time with loved ones. It’s a day where we can serve, but most importantly, it’s a day where we can sit and begin to list the experiences and items in life for which we are thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!