James 4:1-10 (NKJV)
Pride Promotes Strife
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “ God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Humility Cures Worldliness
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
HANDY LITTLE CHART - GOD HAS AN ANSWER:
| YOU SAY | GOD SAYS | BIBLE VERSES |
| You say: 'It's impossible' | God says: All things are possible | (Luke 18:27) |
| You say: 'I'm too tired' | God says: I will give you rest | (Matthew 11:28-30) |
| You say: 'Nobody really loves me' | God says: I love you | (John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 ) |
| You say: 'I can't go on' | God says: My grace is sufficient | (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15) |
| You say: 'I can't figure things out' | God says: I will direct your steps | (Proverbs 3:5- 6) |
| You say: 'I can't do it' | God says: You can do all things | (Philippians 4:13) |
| You say: 'I'm not able' | God says: I am able | (II Corinthians 9:8) |
| You say: 'It's not worth it' | God says: It will be worth it | (Roman 8:28 ) |
| You say: 'I can't forgive myself' | God says: I Forgive you | (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1) |
| You say: 'I can't manage' | God says: I will supply all your needs | (Philippians 4:19) |
| You say: 'I'm afraid' | God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear | (II Timothy 1:7) |
| You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated' | God says: Cast all your cares on ME | (I Peter 5:7) |
| You say: 'I'm not smart enough' | God says: I give you wisdom | (I Corinthians 1:30) |
| You say: 'I feel all alone' | God says: I will never leave you or forsake you | (Hebrews 13:5) |
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Do We Love Him???
John 14:15-24 (NKJV)
Jesus Promises Another Helper
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Indwelling of the Father and the Son
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Where Animals Go after they Die?????
Ecclesiastes 3:14-22 (NKJV)
14 I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.
Injustice Seems to Prevail
16 Moreover I saw under the sun: Inthe place of judgment,
Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness,
Iniquity was there.
17 I said in my heart, “ God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”
18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”
19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?
22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
14 I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.
Injustice Seems to Prevail
16 Moreover I saw under the sun: Inthe place of judgment,
Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness,
Iniquity was there.
17 I said in my heart, “ God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”
18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”
19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?
22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
Thursday, May 29, 2008
50 year from innocent to radically stupid!!!!!
SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2007
Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack 's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack .
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark . Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy 's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy 's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy 's mom has affair with psychologist.
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 - Pedro 's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro 's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane pain t bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2007 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny 's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary . Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
Friday, May 23, 2008
True Heart Diease
Pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars selling drugs that prevent hardening of the arteries, a condition that can lead to heart attacks, which kill thousands of people every year.
A more serious condition than hardening of the arteries, however, is hardening of the heart, and it cannot be prevented by any wonder drug. The prophet Zechariah warned the Israelites about it. They had hardened their hearts and refused to listen to the words of the Lord. Symptoms of this deadly condition were their refusal to execute true justice and their failure to show mercy and compassion (Zech. 7:9). As a result, the Lord became angry and stopped listening to them (v.13).
While it’s important to keep plaque from forming in our arteries, it’s even more important to keep our hearts from becoming callous to people who are important to God: widows, orphans, aliens, and the poor (v.10).
It’s crucial to follow our doctor’s orders to keep our arteries from hardening. But it’s even more crucial to obey God to keep our hearts from becoming hardened to the needs of others.
Ask God to bring to mind a person who needs the help of someone with a soft heart.
— Julie Ackerman Link
Zechariah 7:8-14(NKJV)
8 Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘ Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
11 “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.
12 Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
13 Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts.
14 “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”
A more serious condition than hardening of the arteries, however, is hardening of the heart, and it cannot be prevented by any wonder drug. The prophet Zechariah warned the Israelites about it. They had hardened their hearts and refused to listen to the words of the Lord. Symptoms of this deadly condition were their refusal to execute true justice and their failure to show mercy and compassion (Zech. 7:9). As a result, the Lord became angry and stopped listening to them (v.13).
While it’s important to keep plaque from forming in our arteries, it’s even more important to keep our hearts from becoming callous to people who are important to God: widows, orphans, aliens, and the poor (v.10).
It’s crucial to follow our doctor’s orders to keep our arteries from hardening. But it’s even more crucial to obey God to keep our hearts from becoming hardened to the needs of others.
Ask God to bring to mind a person who needs the help of someone with a soft heart.
— Julie Ackerman Link
Zechariah 7:8-14(NKJV)
8 Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying,
9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:
‘ Execute true justice,
Show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother.
10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.’
11 “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.
12 Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
13 Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts.
14 “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.”
To love Christ is to have a heart for others.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A Christmas Response
William Theron Yates
O God, we have sinned, been cast out of Thy Garden, and brought death to ourselves and our children.
Come, Son of Adam!
We have doubted thy promises.
Come, Son of Abraham!
We have disobeyed Thy commands and been in Captivity.
Come, Son of Moses!
We have desired Earthly kings to reign over us.
Come, Son of David!
We have loved darkness for our deeds are evil.
Come, Light of the World!
We have built our lives on shifting sand.
Come, Rock of Ages!
All we like sheep have gone astray.
Come, Good Shepherd!
We have gone after strange loves.
Come, Heavenly Bridegroom!
There is no good in us that we may fellowship with Thee.
Come, Emmanuel!
We have longed for a king to defeat our enemies.
Come, Babe of Bethlehem!
We have no power to rescue ourselves.
Come, Savior of the World!
We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Come, our Righteousness, our Peace, our Redeemer!
We listen for angels to say
Come to Bethlehem, Christ is born!
Ho, all ye who wait for the Messiah! He is come!
Glory to God in the Highest!
Joy to the World, the Lord is Come! Alleluia!
© 2003 by William Theron Yates. All rights reserved.
O God, we have sinned, been cast out of Thy Garden, and brought death to ourselves and our children.
Come, Son of Adam!
We have doubted thy promises.
Come, Son of Abraham!
We have disobeyed Thy commands and been in Captivity.
Come, Son of Moses!
We have desired Earthly kings to reign over us.
Come, Son of David!
We have loved darkness for our deeds are evil.
Come, Light of the World!
We have built our lives on shifting sand.
Come, Rock of Ages!
All we like sheep have gone astray.
Come, Good Shepherd!
We have gone after strange loves.
Come, Heavenly Bridegroom!
There is no good in us that we may fellowship with Thee.
Come, Emmanuel!
We have longed for a king to defeat our enemies.
Come, Babe of Bethlehem!
We have no power to rescue ourselves.
Come, Savior of the World!
We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Come, our Righteousness, our Peace, our Redeemer!
We listen for angels to say
Come to Bethlehem, Christ is born!
Ho, all ye who wait for the Messiah! He is come!
Glory to God in the Highest!
Joy to the World, the Lord is Come! Alleluia!
© 2003 by William Theron Yates. All rights reserved.
A Christmas Benediction
William Theron Yates
It's Christmas time! Got your gift list ready? Wondering what to get your kid for Christmas? Something useful (clothes, perhaps) or something fun (a bike, a game)? What to give your loved ones, the mailman, your second cousin twice-removed...
Why do we give gifts at Christmas anyway?
What is a gift? The dictionary defines "gift" as
"Anything given; anything voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation; a present; an offering."
The custom of giving gifts at Christmas is said to be derived from the actions of the Magi in giving gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ Child. But these gifts can be said to be rightly His due as King.
The proper example for our gift-giving is God Himself. God the Father has given us the Ultimate Gift, His only Son, Jesus Christ. Why? We certainly do not deserve such largesse.
God gave this gift solely out of His love for us. And this gift, though freely given, was purchased for us at a terrible price: the blood of His only beloved Son. And we are able to accept that gift only through God's gift of faith.
Christ, too, is our example of gift-giving. He gave himself for us.
The Holy Spirit is also our example of gift-giving. The Spirit is the gift that keeps on giving.
When you give gifts, what do you look for in the recipient?
A look of surprise, joy, and gratitude. It is what makes gift-giving so satisfying.
And what is our response to the gifts of God?
We respond with surprise‹that we are so loved when we know we do not deserve it.
We respond with joy‹that we have received eternal life with Christ.
We respond with gratitude‹that we have been saved from our just condemnation.
Now as you enter this gift-giving season, give according to the example of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And receive according to how you have received these gifts from God: with surprise, joy, and gratitude.
Now may God Almighty, the Great Giver of Gifts, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, grant you the peace and joy of Christmas in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His great Gift, His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen and Merry Christmas!
© 2004 by William Theron Yates. All rights reserved.
It's Christmas time! Got your gift list ready? Wondering what to get your kid for Christmas? Something useful (clothes, perhaps) or something fun (a bike, a game)? What to give your loved ones, the mailman, your second cousin twice-removed...
Why do we give gifts at Christmas anyway?
What is a gift? The dictionary defines "gift" as
"Anything given; anything voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation; a present; an offering."
The custom of giving gifts at Christmas is said to be derived from the actions of the Magi in giving gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ Child. But these gifts can be said to be rightly His due as King.
The proper example for our gift-giving is God Himself. God the Father has given us the Ultimate Gift, His only Son, Jesus Christ. Why? We certainly do not deserve such largesse.
God gave this gift solely out of His love for us. And this gift, though freely given, was purchased for us at a terrible price: the blood of His only beloved Son. And we are able to accept that gift only through God's gift of faith.
Christ, too, is our example of gift-giving. He gave himself for us.
The Holy Spirit is also our example of gift-giving. The Spirit is the gift that keeps on giving.
When you give gifts, what do you look for in the recipient?
A look of surprise, joy, and gratitude. It is what makes gift-giving so satisfying.
And what is our response to the gifts of God?
We respond with surprise‹that we are so loved when we know we do not deserve it.
We respond with joy‹that we have received eternal life with Christ.
We respond with gratitude‹that we have been saved from our just condemnation.
Now as you enter this gift-giving season, give according to the example of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And receive according to how you have received these gifts from God: with surprise, joy, and gratitude.
Now may God Almighty, the Great Giver of Gifts, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, grant you the peace and joy of Christmas in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His great Gift, His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen and Merry Christmas!
© 2004 by William Theron Yates. All rights reserved.
A Shepherd's Tale
William Theron Yates
My name is Benjamin. I am a shepherd. Not that I ever wanted to be a shepherd, but that's what I was doing at the time. It didn't pay much, but it's all I could find to bring in money for food. And drink.
I hated the work. Working for some fat sheep owner, sitting in his warm house with his warm wife while I sat out in the wind and rain and cold watching the sheep. Sheep are the dumbest creatures on Earth. Leave them alone and they'll all wander away and get themselves killed in a minute. And the chief shepherd, Judah, is a real pain. Always telling me what to do, "Go get that lamb!", "Keep them together!", "Come on, get moving!" What makes him so important?
We were watching the sheep on a hill outside of Bethlehem. Judah was yakking away with some of the others. The night was black. As black as the cavern of my heart.
Then came the light!
It slammed me to the ground like the hand of God. It was bright as noon where we stood but still black all around us. I could see nothing but the blackness of my heart. I tried to hide beneath my cloak, bury myself in the ground. I felt a rush of shame engulfing me.
And then he spoke. He looked like a man, but somehow, not a man. He was just there, like the light. His voice was powerful but gentle; it penetrated me.
"Don't be afraid!" he said. And suddenly I wasn't. At least not like the moment before.
"Listen! I bring you the most wonderful news, news that will bring great joy to all people everywhere! Today, in the city of David, a Savior is born! He is Christ, the Lord‹the Messiah! And this is how you will know Him when you find Him: you will find a baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger."
The Messiah? The Promised One? Here? Now? I was having trouble getting my mind around this news when there were thousands of... angels, I guess... singing the most joyful and glorious music I have ever heard.
"Glory to God in the Highest!"
"And peace on Earth to men with whom He is well pleased!"
And then they were gone. It was dark again. We gaped at each other, then started talking all at once. I wasn't dreaming, the others saw and heard it, too. Judah said, "Come! Let's go find the baby!" And we turned toward Bethlehem and began to run.
We quickly slowed to a fast walk after I demonstrated the folly of running on rocky ground in the dark of night. After I picked myself up, wincing from the bruising I received from the hard stones, we proceeded. I almost pointed out to Judah that he had left the sheep‹a violation of his own primary rule! But it didn't seem so important any more.
Soon we came to the town. Somehow we seemed to know where to go. We found the stable, a rude shelter with one old donkey loosely tethered inside. To the side a young woman sat on the ground, leaning against a manger. A man who had been seated on the ground next to the woman rose as we approached. He did not seem surprised that we were there. Judah came a little closer and the man moved as if to say, "That's far enough." Judah knelt down on his knees and tears began to well up in his eyes. He whispered "Hallelujah!" over and over to himself. I simply stared at the baby. The angel had said we would find a baby, and we did. But he seemed so small! So tiny and helpless! This was the Messiah?
I thought and thought about it. It's not every day an angel speaks to you. And the light! And the thousands of singing angels! That is hard to ignore. This must be the Messiah. But what does it mean? The Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of David. The names and phrases came back to me from my spotty attendance and attention as a boy in the synagogue. He would save his people‹us. When and how were beyond my ability to think about. But I had to admit I was pleased. More than pleased, I felt a joy I had rarely known in my life. I knew my blackness was still within, but it seemed less like a looming darkness than a stain which might be erased somehow. I knelt beside Judah.
We left after a little while, more to give the young mother some rest than because we wanted to. We began talking among ourselves with growing animation and intensity, a moving source of noise in the quiet night. Occasionally we came across someone out in the streets at night. We would immediately accost them with the joyous news of the Messiah's birth, the angels, and everything. Most though we were drunk. Or crazy. We were roundly cursed on more than one occasion. But some listened to us. And a wondering smile would grow on their faces and they would leave with a lighter step.
It's been over thirty years since that dark night. I am still a shepherd, now a chief shepherd. I heard one day of a man called Jesus of Nazareth and his remarkable teachings. I went one day to hear him, along with thousands of others. His words were penetrating and moved me deeply. And he healed people! After he was done, as I was leaving, I happened to pass near him. He looked at me as if he had seen a long-lost friend, smiled, and clapped me on the shoulder. "Benjamin! It's been a long, long time! I'm glad you came today!" I stood there like a fool, not knowing what to say. And then he moved on to others.
I was shocked and heart-broken at what they did to him. I wept when I heard he had been crucified. I moved about my business without any energy or feeling for the next few days. And then one of his friends told me he was alive! Now this was more unbelievable than angels! I was very skeptical until one day I joined with a few hundred of his friends who had gathered to remember him and discuss the latest happenings when I realized with a start that he was there! Alive! I fell to my knees and cried "Hallelujah!" over and over to myself. The darkness which had ebbed and flowed in me all my life seemed to shrivel to a tiny spot and I was filled with the same feeling I felt at that manger. Joy!
For years I told the story of the appearance of the Angels. Often, I am ashamed to say, with pride. But now I tell it with humility that the first to be told from Heaven of the Messiah's birth was Benjamin, the shepherd, a miserable sinner. In the years since, in happiness and sorrow, in pleasure and pain, the joy of that word from God has sustained me. And as you remember this tale, may you experience that same joy.
© 2000 by William Theron Yates. All rights reserved.
My name is Benjamin. I am a shepherd. Not that I ever wanted to be a shepherd, but that's what I was doing at the time. It didn't pay much, but it's all I could find to bring in money for food. And drink.
I hated the work. Working for some fat sheep owner, sitting in his warm house with his warm wife while I sat out in the wind and rain and cold watching the sheep. Sheep are the dumbest creatures on Earth. Leave them alone and they'll all wander away and get themselves killed in a minute. And the chief shepherd, Judah, is a real pain. Always telling me what to do, "Go get that lamb!", "Keep them together!", "Come on, get moving!" What makes him so important?
We were watching the sheep on a hill outside of Bethlehem. Judah was yakking away with some of the others. The night was black. As black as the cavern of my heart.
Then came the light!
It slammed me to the ground like the hand of God. It was bright as noon where we stood but still black all around us. I could see nothing but the blackness of my heart. I tried to hide beneath my cloak, bury myself in the ground. I felt a rush of shame engulfing me.
And then he spoke. He looked like a man, but somehow, not a man. He was just there, like the light. His voice was powerful but gentle; it penetrated me.
"Don't be afraid!" he said. And suddenly I wasn't. At least not like the moment before.
"Listen! I bring you the most wonderful news, news that will bring great joy to all people everywhere! Today, in the city of David, a Savior is born! He is Christ, the Lord‹the Messiah! And this is how you will know Him when you find Him: you will find a baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger."
The Messiah? The Promised One? Here? Now? I was having trouble getting my mind around this news when there were thousands of... angels, I guess... singing the most joyful and glorious music I have ever heard.
"Glory to God in the Highest!"
"And peace on Earth to men with whom He is well pleased!"
And then they were gone. It was dark again. We gaped at each other, then started talking all at once. I wasn't dreaming, the others saw and heard it, too. Judah said, "Come! Let's go find the baby!" And we turned toward Bethlehem and began to run.
We quickly slowed to a fast walk after I demonstrated the folly of running on rocky ground in the dark of night. After I picked myself up, wincing from the bruising I received from the hard stones, we proceeded. I almost pointed out to Judah that he had left the sheep‹a violation of his own primary rule! But it didn't seem so important any more.
Soon we came to the town. Somehow we seemed to know where to go. We found the stable, a rude shelter with one old donkey loosely tethered inside. To the side a young woman sat on the ground, leaning against a manger. A man who had been seated on the ground next to the woman rose as we approached. He did not seem surprised that we were there. Judah came a little closer and the man moved as if to say, "That's far enough." Judah knelt down on his knees and tears began to well up in his eyes. He whispered "Hallelujah!" over and over to himself. I simply stared at the baby. The angel had said we would find a baby, and we did. But he seemed so small! So tiny and helpless! This was the Messiah?
I thought and thought about it. It's not every day an angel speaks to you. And the light! And the thousands of singing angels! That is hard to ignore. This must be the Messiah. But what does it mean? The Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of David. The names and phrases came back to me from my spotty attendance and attention as a boy in the synagogue. He would save his people‹us. When and how were beyond my ability to think about. But I had to admit I was pleased. More than pleased, I felt a joy I had rarely known in my life. I knew my blackness was still within, but it seemed less like a looming darkness than a stain which might be erased somehow. I knelt beside Judah.
We left after a little while, more to give the young mother some rest than because we wanted to. We began talking among ourselves with growing animation and intensity, a moving source of noise in the quiet night. Occasionally we came across someone out in the streets at night. We would immediately accost them with the joyous news of the Messiah's birth, the angels, and everything. Most though we were drunk. Or crazy. We were roundly cursed on more than one occasion. But some listened to us. And a wondering smile would grow on their faces and they would leave with a lighter step.
It's been over thirty years since that dark night. I am still a shepherd, now a chief shepherd. I heard one day of a man called Jesus of Nazareth and his remarkable teachings. I went one day to hear him, along with thousands of others. His words were penetrating and moved me deeply. And he healed people! After he was done, as I was leaving, I happened to pass near him. He looked at me as if he had seen a long-lost friend, smiled, and clapped me on the shoulder. "Benjamin! It's been a long, long time! I'm glad you came today!" I stood there like a fool, not knowing what to say. And then he moved on to others.
I was shocked and heart-broken at what they did to him. I wept when I heard he had been crucified. I moved about my business without any energy or feeling for the next few days. And then one of his friends told me he was alive! Now this was more unbelievable than angels! I was very skeptical until one day I joined with a few hundred of his friends who had gathered to remember him and discuss the latest happenings when I realized with a start that he was there! Alive! I fell to my knees and cried "Hallelujah!" over and over to myself. The darkness which had ebbed and flowed in me all my life seemed to shrivel to a tiny spot and I was filled with the same feeling I felt at that manger. Joy!
For years I told the story of the appearance of the Angels. Often, I am ashamed to say, with pride. But now I tell it with humility that the first to be told from Heaven of the Messiah's birth was Benjamin, the shepherd, a miserable sinner. In the years since, in happiness and sorrow, in pleasure and pain, the joy of that word from God has sustained me. And as you remember this tale, may you experience that same joy.
© 2000 by William Theron Yates. All rights reserved.
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About Me
- Our Chamberlian Actions
- I am a CA native, who should have been a country girl.
