God uses ordinary people at Christmas
It never ceases to amaze me how God works wonders and accomplishes His will in ways that are contrary to the ways of men. Over and over in the Bible, as well as today, God uses ordinary people to accomplish His purpose.
Christmas playlist on Spotify Christmas playlist on this website
For example, if you were planning the most important event of the year for your company or the 100th anniversary celebration for church, you’d pull out all the stops and make it as fashionable and newsworthy as possible. You might even hire celebrities to lend their powers of attraction in order to get more publicity and participation.
And you would probably judge the success of your event by how many people attended and what was said in the news media and on Social Media.
But that’s not how God usually does something with all that fanfare, especially if it’s important (as if He ever did something that wasn’t important).
Throughout the Bible, God uses ordinary people. He often chooses the most unlikely people and circumstances to announce and accomplish His set purpose.
This is especially evident in the birth of Jesus.
God uses ordinary people to be Jesus’s family
God chooses a carpenter and his soon-to-be wife as the family into which Jesus will be born. They are just normal people, by the world’s standards anyway. Nothing impressive as far education, prestigious credentials, or family titles. But God looks on their hearts. There He finds pure gold.
It’s true that Joseph is a descendant of King David and many Bible scholars affirm that Mary was as well. That didn’t necessarily garner them many privileges. There could have easily been hundreds of descendants of that famous king living in Israel when Jesus was born. I have a friend who is descended from Charlemagne, but that doesn’t get him any special favors these days.
And where is Jesus born?
Where is the King of kings, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace born? In Jerusalem, the capital city? In a palace? In a place of honor to show forth his importance? We all know the answer: No. He was born in the small village of Bethlehem in a stable, some say a cave. It was the antithesis of what the world would say was appropriate for a royal birth.
There were no big parties to announce this birth. There were no humanly orchestrated, week-long festivities to celebrate it.
Gods ways are not our ways
That is not to say however, that God lets this Event-of-events go unnoticed. He has His own unique way of proclaiming the birth of His Son.
Enter stage right: one angel out in the country side with an important message to a few shepherds. The angel says:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12 NIV
Then, enter stage right and stage left: too many angels to count, singing loud and clear,
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13, 14 NIV
God uses ordinary people to proclaim Jesus’s birth
And who do these angels appear to and proclaim the news that Christ has come? The religious leaders of the day? The political leaders? The famous and wealthy? Not at all. God announces His Son’s glorious birth to a few simple shepherds. And these ordinary shepherds tell others.
Of course there is the star the Wisemen see and follow. They weren’t exactly ordinary people. And even King Herod saw the star along with many others. But there were no songs and proclamations by the angels accompanying the star. Wise men discerned its meaning.
God does not use the ways and means of mortal men. He works in unexpected ways.
God has taken the most unworldly way to tell the world that Jesus was born and announced the news to the fewest and simplest of normal, everyday people.
This adds so much beauty to the story.
Jesus chose ordinary people to share his message
Think of how Jesus, during his ministry, continued this approach. He chose ordinary people to preach his message. He didn’t seek out the religious leaders, the intellectual elite of his day, or the people who had political power to preach his gospel. He chose people like you and me.
They weren’t perfect. They may not have been the most spiritually minded men when he first called them to follow him. But Jesus discerned something in their hearts he knew he could work with and build on.
What does this say about how God continues to reveal Himself and His Christ in our world and the kind of people He chooses to fulfill His purpose?
God is looking on the hearts of men and women today, and children too. He anoints and appoints those who are ready to serve Him with their whole hearts in sincerity. And all too often God uses ordinary people full of doubts and fears for a specific task.
There have been times in my life, when I felt God compelling me in a certain direction but I just didn’t feel qualified to do what He was asking of me. But God patiently took me step by step to get me going in the direction He was leading me.
God uses ordinary people to share the spirit of Christmas
So let’s come back to the fact that God uses ordinary people to prepare the way for the coming of Christ, the Christmas message.
Think of a time when you truly felt the spirit of Christmas, when you experienced the coming of Christ, the presence of Christ in your life. It doesn’t necessarily have to have been at Christmas time.
It could be when you first accepted and decided to follow Christ. It could be when someone did something for you with a pure, unselfish motive and you were deeply touched. You felt loved and cared for. You felt seen and that God had smiled on you.
It might have been when you did something for someone else and they felt your love and support.
How did that feeling of Christ’s presence come to you? What prompted it? More than likely, it came gently, simply, without fanfare or a big celebration. It was probably a quiet deed or a calm word, that opened your heart to feel Christ’s presence.
God was using normal, ordinary people and everyday situations to speak to you.
A meaningful Christmas
One of the most meaningful Christmases I ever had was when I was in college. For my entire junior year I studied in southern France. During the Christmas holidays, some friends and I traveled to various countries and made plans to arrive in Munich, Germany on Christmas Eve.
We got to our youth hostel in the middle of the afternoon and had plans to go find all kinds of festive foods for a big Christmas meal the next day. But by the time we got to the shops and the Christmas markets, almost everything was closed. We only got a couple of pastries, and none of what we expected to feast on.
And to make things worse, the man at the front desk told us nothing would be open on Christmas day, no shops, no restaurants, nothing. Everything looked pretty bleak.
We could have all been pretty gloomy. It was the first time any of us had been away from home at Christmas time and nothing was going according to plan.
But when we met back in our hostel room, mostly empty handed, the most remarkable thing happened. No one complained. No one got upset. We simply decided to make the best of the situation.
Someone had found a little branch of a Christmas tree broken off in the street. It made the Charlie Brown Christmas tree look like a luxury item. And someone else had found a candle or two.
God uses ordinary people and circumstances to celebrate Christmas
Christmas morning, we each had half a pastry. Someone had managed to buy some nuts, and we had some hot chocolate from the hostel.
Our Christmas breakfast, with almost nothing, turned out to one of the most special memories I have. We were happy. We sang Christmas carols. We laughed. We shared stories. We all felt the spirit of Christ with us.
It didn’t come because of expensive gifts, lots of holiday food to eat, or important people doing something kind to us or even knowing we existed. It came because of the love in our hearts for Christ and the true spirit of Christmas.
It’s hard to describe the joy we all felt.
Later that morning the man at the front desk again told us there would be nothing open, stores or restaurants. But that didn’t dampen our spirits in the least. We walked around the city and enjoyed the Christmas lights and decorations. And we all waited in line for two hours to place a collect phone call to our parents back in the United States. This was way before cell phones.
And wouldn’t you know it, that evening we ended up finding a nice place to eat and had a very filling meal.
I will never forget that Christmas.
We were just regular people drinking in the spirit of Christmas. Christ came through each of us to everyone else in the group. It came in such a quiet, beautiful way.
How will God use you this Christmas to share Christ with others?
As you prepare for the Christmas season with all the hustle and bustle, please take some quiet, prayerful time to let God prepare your heart for His purpose.
God uses ordinary people to accomplish His will. What will God see in your heart? How will He use you to share the spirit of Christmas?
How will God use you to give birth to the spirit of Christ to those in your sphere of influence? As you walk down the street, interact with people in shops, and are busy at home, at work, or at school, whatever you’re doing, how will the people you come in contact with feel the appearing of Christ shining through you?
How will you prepare for Christmas? Don’t copy what anyone else does. Be yourself. Have a genuine and sincere desire to embrace more of Christ’s appearing in your own life and hopefully be a beacon of light and hope to those around you.
Just as the angels told the shepherds where to find the newborn baby Jesus, when you have the spirit of the birth of Jesus in your heart, don’t be surprised when the angels bring people to you to share in the joy of Christ.
Have a wonderful time these next few weeks preparing for Christ’s Christmas.
Note: this podcast episode was originally a blog post in December 2014, but has been expanded for the podcast
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Luke 2:10-12 NIV
10 “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:13, 14 NIV
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
