God uses many small things to accomplish good. He uses small fish,
small loaves, tiny mustard seeds,
little splinter groups, and things not even showing up as a blip on a radar screen to do
His work.
When Jesus looked up and saw the great
crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these
people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he
was going to do. Philip answered him, "Eight months wages would not buy enough
bread for each one to have a bite." Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon
Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small
fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Jesus said, "Have the
people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down,
about five thousand of them, Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to
those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When
they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples "Gather the pieces that are
left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets
with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten." John
6:5-13 (NIV) |
The lesson from the Advent /Christmas/Epiphany Pericope's
Luke 2:11-12 "Today in the
town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to
you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (NIV)
Matthew 2:1-6
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of
King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has
been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship
him." When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When
he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked
them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied,
"for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will
be the shepherd of my people Israel.' " (NIV)
Micah 5:2 "But you,
Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come
for me one who will rule over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient
time." (NIV) |
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