Monday - A New Idea - The Night That Changed the Poor
Last week we started a new series called, “The Night that Changed Everything.” We’re looking at the significance of Christmas, a night that changed much more than most of us imagine. We’ll see its impact on five segments of society:
The Night That Changed the Religious
The Night That Changed the Powerful
The Night That Changed the Poor
The Night That Changed You
The Night That Changed the Wise
This week we’re looking at how it changed the poor. Often the poor are excluded from important events – there were reports of homeless people being temporarily removed from the streets before the Atlanta Olympics, for example. When the world was watching, Atlanta didn’t want them seeing poverty.
But strangely, the Christmas story puts poor people front and centre. Mary and Joseph themselves are travellers with apparently modest means. The first visitors to see the baby are shepherds.
We’ll explore this week why it’s significant that the poor are so prominent in this important event.
Question: What role do the poor play in our world?
Read the Bible in Sync Today
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We’re been exploring the contrast between the Magi and the Priests and Scribes who advise King Herod. The priests and scribes, the insiders, do nothing, and give nothing to the Messiah they have supposedly studied in depth.
While Magi, the outsiders and travellers, do something and give their gifts of treasure and worship, and make great sacrifices to do so.
None of us here are as powerful as Herod, as knowledgeable as the Magi or Scribes and Pharisees, but as you can see it’s not just about knowledge, it’s about our openness to God acting in our world, even in unexpected ways, that really matters.
We have something to learn from the contrast between the Priests and Scribes and the Magi. Given the same knowledge and experience, the Magi and Priests use it very differently. So we, given knowledge in this world, also have choices as to how we will use them.
We are given the knowledge that the message of Jesus Christ will change the lives of our family and friends for the better. He will transform our world from one ruled over by fear and manipulation to one ruled over by love and peace.
What will we do with it?
Like the priests and scribes, will we have all the info, and do nothing?
Or like the Magi, will we go to all possible lengths to worship this God, giving him our very best gifts?
Giving of our time, resources and even our power, to greet him as our Lord.
So today, with the same history presented to us, we decide how we will go down in history...as knowing much but doing nothing, or as worshipping the true King of love and peace.
Challenge: Explore Jesus this coming year – take c101, get in touch with me. In the process,s you can see if Christian faith is wise, rational, etc. for yourself.
Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community - so check out today's reading at https://www.redeemthecommute.com/readingplan
Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today at https://www.redeemthecommute.com/events/!
