Written by Dawn Rutan
At this time of year as we think about the birth of Jesus, born to be the Messiah, a string of other biblical appointments came to mind. Zechariah was told by the angel that his unborn son John “will be great before the Lord… and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:14-15 ESV). The prophet Jeremiah was told, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4). The Apostle Paul also said he was “appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher” (2 Timothy 1:11).
I was listening to a sermon on the radio yesterday (I think it was Walk in the Word) that commented on Joseph being carefully selected to be Jesus’ earthly father. We don’t give a lot of thought to Joseph since he is mentioned in only a few verses. About all we know is that he was a just man who was obedient to God. He doesn’t even have a speaking part in the nativity, so he tends to get overlooked as a minor character.
There is a tendency to think that only the “great” men of the Bible received divine appointments. The fact is, every believer was chosen and appointed for a purpose: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will” (Ephesians 1:4-5). Some are appointed as a “prophet to the nations,” others as a minister to our neighbors, an evangelist to our coworkers, or a servant to our family (or all of the above). It makes no difference how public or private our roles may be, we are equally appointed by God and equally important to the ministry of reconciliation in which we are all participants (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
At Christmas we can tend to feel like spectators, like the shepherds who were summoned to praise God when they saw the baby Jesus, though they had little idea what the angel meant that a Savior had been born. However, the rest of Scripture indicates that the birth of Jesus was as much for us as for those shepherds. The life of Jesus was for our sake as well as for the twelve men He called disciples. His death was for our benefit just as it was for the women standing at the foot of the cross. The gospel song says, “When He was on the cross, I was on His mind.” It could also say, “When He was in the womb, I was on His mind.” We are not afterthoughts or extras in the history of the world. We matter to God. He loves each of us and He’s called each one to love and serve Him.
Let us celebrate this Christmas with a fresh awareness that:
My hope is in the Lord,
Who came to earth for me,
He came to give me life
Through His nativity.
For me He died;
For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light
He freely gives.
(A new verse I added to the old hymn.)
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide… These things I command you, so that you will love one another” (John 15:16-17). “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word… so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me” (John 17:20,23).
© 2015 Dawn Rutan. The views stated may or may not reflect the beliefs of the pastor or leadership of Dulin’s Grove Church.
