December 17, Looking for a Sign by J. Slessman

Luke 2: 10-12
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”

Theme:
         There are signs everywhere around us, telling where to go, what to believe, and who to trust. We often look for these external signs to help us make our decisions. We decide whether to ignore them or to pay attention. In the end, external signs may point us in different directions, but it is God’s signs and promises that surround us, clearing the noise around us, so that we may see the path in which He chooses for us to follow.

Illustration:
One of my favorite Christmas movies is “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. This scripture brings me right back to my childhood, watching the scene where Linus, Charlie Brown’s best friend, takes a quiet stage to tell the Christmas story. His soliloquy comes after one Charlie Brown-related mishap after the other, including his pick of the world’s saddest little Christmas tree, and after the Peanuts gang failed attempt at a Christmas pageant, which falls apart over power struggles, insubordinate actors, and new characters invented for Jesus’ birth
story like “The Christmas Queen”. The gang is so focused on the “noise” and the debate over the
commercialization of Christmas that they just cannot come together and really see what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.

Linus, guided by his trusty blanket, emerges from the chaos and uses the scripture found in Luke to tell the story of the shepherds and the angels; the story of Jesus’ birth. In Luke 2:10-12, the shepherds were scared. They were fearful. An angel appeared to them and told them – lowly shepherds! – about the great news of Jesus’ birth. Amidst their fear, amidst their flock, amidst the chaos, the angel created a space for them to actually hear the news. At that moment, the angel quieted their fear and quieted the noise, so they could clearly see the sign that God put in front of them and to hear the great news. This was the sign that led them on the path to the manager and the sign that led them, as God wanted, to the path of witness for our newborn King and Savior.

Sometimes our lives are filled with chaos and noise. There are times when we are caught in fear and
disbelief. There are times we miss the signs that God plants for us because we struggle to focus on Him. There are times we need an angel or a Linus to help us block the noise and give us the space and quiet so we can see and hear God’s signs that lead us closer to him. 

And that, Charlie Brown, is what Christmas is all about.

Takeaway:
Go now, ready with quiet minds and open hearts to find and receive the signs of God’s promises of love, grace, and mercy in our everyday lives. 

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your gifts of guidance. We pray that we keep our eyes open, our minds focused, and the noise quieted so we can see you amongst all the chaos. We pray that we grasp the signs you provide to help keep our hearts open to you and our feet steady on your path. Amen.