Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Mid-Week Message - An Ordinary Day

"You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected."  Luke 12:40 (NLT)

Today was an ordinary day for my family and it probably was for yours as well.  We woke up, put the dogs outside, had breakfast and began our everyday activities.  This afternoon we ran a couple of errands in town, stopped for coffee and now are home preparing for dinner.  Nothing out of the ordinary has happened and for that, we are mostly grateful.  Mostly because there are some things we have been praying for that we would have been overjoyed to see happen today.  

On a clear day in September 2001, thousands of people in New York were getting ready for what they thought would be an ordinary day.  They got up, had breakfast, got children ready for school and did whatever else they normally did each morning.  It didn't turn out to be an ordinary day though.  Terrorists in hijacked planes destroyed the World Trade Center, crashed into the Pentagon, and killed another planeload of passengers in a field.  That day changed this nation forever.  We found out that we are not as protected as we assumed and while fears were ignited, so was a unity that the citizens of this country had not experienced since its early years.  

There was another ordinary day that changed the world.  It took place over two thousand years ago when a young virgin girl and her betrothed husband sought a place to stay in Bethlehem where they had traveled to take part in a census.  After what had to have been a grueling trip, they just wanted a bed for Mary, who was due to give birth.  No one knew what was about to happen.  The other citizens were taking care of their personal needs.  I'm sure they didn't even take notice of the couple.  All the rooms were taken so the best that could be provided for them was a stable.  Here they settled themselves for the night but before that night was over. the ordinary day became extraordinary as the time came for the girl to give birth to the Son of God.

The ordinary day certainly changed for a group of shepherds who became the first to receive the announcement of Christ's birth.  It wasn't an ordinary occurrence for angels to appear before them.  Nor was it ordinary for them to leave their flocks in the field to worship a newborn.  Imagine, the King of Kings arrived on earth as a helpless infant and the announcement wasn't delivered to royalty but to lowly keepers of sheep.  Only later do we see the significance as Jesus likens Himself to a Shepherd and His followers as His sheep.   

Sometimes, the unexpected happens.  Life is full of unexpected moments.  Sadly too many of them cause extreme grief.  However, those that bring joy are moments we look forward to.  As Jesus was born on an ordinary day, so one day He will return.  He has told us that no one knows the time or day except the Father.  That means that He will return on an ordinary day when we are doing ordinary things in our ordinary lives.  We will wake up, have breakfast, get ready for the day and be doing all the things we normally do.  There will be weddings and births and deaths and then, there He will be, coming in glory.  This time the announcement will be delivered in person and every knee shall bow before Him, no one will be excluded.  We don't know when it will happen but we have been warned to be ready.  May your ordinary day be blessed and may we all be ready for the out of the ordinary return of our Savior.  God bless!  



No comments:

Post a Comment