How do you communicate to people? That is what we are exploring during Christmas with the Holy Family. People don’t listen unless we speak to their problems. That’s what Mary shows how to do. People are also overwhelmed with too much to do. In this post we learn how Jesus first Saw the Glory of God and talked about it. Next post we will discuss how to call people to action.
- Ponder the Problem with Mary
- See God’s Glory and Talk About it with Jesus
- Get Up and Go Ask the Question with Joseph
Too Busy
Do you ever feel that you are too busy? You probably need something else to do like you need a hole in your head. Even Jesus got to feel too busy. We read throughout the gospels that he would get overwhelmed by the people who flocked to him. He dealt with multitudes of hungry and sick people. One reason why you might be too busy is because you jump too quickly to action. When you take the time to understand and ponder the problem someone is dealing with, you might want to offer a solution.
Short Sighted Solutions
Time and again Jesus had to teach people that salvation comes from God and not ourselves. Often people would test Jesus about tricky issues of politics and religion. They would try to trap him into saying something controversial about a political leader or a religious practice. Time and again Jesus would bring to light that people fixate on earthly or human solutions rather than God’s grace.
Jesus Showed the Glory of God
Today we celebrate Christmas. This is the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is one of the greatest holy days in the world. And why is it? What did Jesus do today some 2,000 years ago. Well the day Jesus was born he did very little. He nursed, slept, cried some, and just was alive. The miracle is that by being alive Jesus showed the glory of God! Throughout his life and ministry Jesus talked about God and what God does for us.
You can give people hope
Instead of quickly thinking of things for people to do, why not pause and look to see God at work all around you? The signs are there if we want to see them. That is what the incarnation is all about. It is curious how the four evangelists begin their accounts of Jesus. Each one build an another to show how expanisve God’s Glory can be seen.
- Mark begins by Jesus getting baptized by John. He shows that the ministry of prophets is transferred to Jesus noting the history of God’s glory.
- Luke tells the beautiful Christmas story. He brings in Mary, Elizabeth, and Zacharias, to the story. God’s glory began before Jesus baptism. It began especially in his brith.
- Matthew backs the story up to the entire genealogy of Jesus. Each generation during creation is evidence of God’s glory (Luke does this too).
- John begins the account with the dawn of creation. “In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God.” All of creation can give the Glory of God.
See the Glory of God and Talk About It
The best way to communicate with someone is to begin by understanding what their problem is. Mary shows how to “Ponder the Problem.” Then it is possible to give hope. The key isn’t to give another thing to do. The key is to pause and see the Glory of God. If you really want something to do. Tell people about God. Amen.
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