Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Let us go to Bethlehem



"Lasst uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem und die Geschichte sehen, die uns der Herr kundgetan hat."

"Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."

Luke 2:15.


(My mother used to sing an ingenious lively little versicle with these words. I've never heard it from anyone else. I wonder where she got it.)

It makes me wonder that the Lord announced it first to the shepherds in the field. Our great Shepherd brought in those on the periphery first of all to see what salvation he had prepared for the lost sheep. Let us also go and see and behold and believe and spread the news to the more unlikely places. Lord bless us all.

4 comments:

Dorothee said...

Hi! Our pastor spoke about those very shepherds in the sermon entitles "Immanuel (God with us) in the Person Of Jesus Christ" last Sunday.http://fortsaskbaptist.com/09/index.php?pid=2&sid=Advent+2009
It was very thought provoking and encouraging.

Brigitte said...

Hello Dorothee!
thanks for the link. I listened to some of the sermon, until about when the stable is not exactly a stable (I've heard that before reading Witherington), then albertacom, the server, must have given up (the server does very poorly when all the schoolchildren are on Christmas break) or else it's not all completely there.

Anyways, perhaps, you can summarize in your own words what was thought provoking and encouraging for you? That would be neat! Your turn! :)

Dorothee said...

Hi Brigitte! I checked and the whole sermon is there...so your server must have cut you off. The part about the sherpherds is after...
I always find it thought provoking to have the old testmant and new testament linked in such a practical way. It encourages me, to know that the Word of my God, The Bible, is consistant and true throughout the ages and that God is in control. It brings the scriptures to life for me.
HE is the same, yesterday, today, and forever! Praise be to HIM!
Dorothee

Brigitte said...

Indeed, you are right, it is most amazing to keep in mind all the prophecies and the unexpected ways in which they came to be. Thanks be to God, indeed, who does not leave us to muddle and perish on our own. The unexpectedness of the fulfillment makes it even more believable and astounding at the same time. It is also a great thing, I find, to feel connected to the old testament believers who hoped in the same God and the same Messiah, for whom we also are waiting again.

Do you have OT and NT readings at all your services? One thing I really enjoyed about the Treasury of Daily Prayer in the past year was to have extensive readings every day from the OT and NT and a devotion by some other writer from Christian history, through the centuries. Sometimes the readings connect better than at other times, or maybe sometimes I am blind, but often all of it is most wonderful and surprising. Every day I looked forward to what we get today! Thanks be to God for his Word, where he keeps us looking up and focused on himself.