The Announcement


Hi Friends,

At this point in our unusual Advent series, it’s clear that God has chosen to do things much differently than we would have.

And the announcement of Jesus’ birth is no different.

You and I, we probably would have shouted the announcement of His arrival in the palace of the king. All eyes and ears, give attention!

Or maybe we would have sent the message to the halls of the temple. Yes, it would be fitting to send word to the priests who spend their days in spiritual service to God.

But that night, the hallways of the temple and the corridors of the king remained silent.

For God took pleasure to send news of the birth of the Messiah to a very different audience:

His eyes landed on a few dusty shepherds on a hillside in Bethlehem.

One moment they watch over their sheep, perhaps lying by a fire in the pitch dark of the field. The next moment, they surge to their feet, then fall on their faces as brilliant light blinds their eyes.

Light unimaginable, heavenly choirs that even the most accomplished musical savants from all of human history would ache to hear — all this for a handful of men spending their time just doing what it took to make ends meet.

Most of the characters in the Advent storyline are named. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, John, Gabriel, Herod, Ceasar… but these shepherds, despite their major role, remain nameless. They are identified only by their job.

I wonder if this is where we are to find ourselves in the story.

Think about the work you do every single day. Maybe you love it — it’s your passion. Maybe it’s a bore, but it pays the bills. Either way, it’s become routine.

This is your normal life.

Sometimes in the church we tend to cast grandiose visions of what our lives are meant to be. Swelling words that hold urgency and impact and compulsion.

Some have answered altar calls to sign up for that greatness again and again and again.

Sometimes young people in the church are immobilized as they look at the future. They want to make a big impact for God. So what in the world should they do?

We put out fleeces and look for signs. We wring our hands and worry we might miss it.

Or we resign to being one who’s just not cut out for greatness.

Or we steep in shame for being among the not-fasting-enough or not-dedicated-enough… not enough, not enough, not enough.

But God silences those fears, that shame, when He pierces the night sky above the shepherds.

If I had to say what He is conveying in this detail, it might be this:

God loves your normal life.

You’re seemingly unimpressive, mostly blending in, doing what is needed to support your family, normal life. It’s enough.

God announces “good news of great joy, and it shall be for all people”.

Not just the special ones, not just the set-apart ones.

It’s for the shepherds working in the fields. It’s for you.

And perhaps His message to us is the same as it was to them. Right in the middle of this normalcy, go and find Him. Draw near and behold Him.

There’s so much to see and know of Him. Today, let’s start with this:

God loves your normal life.

–Anna

Anna Blanc

I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.

Read more from Anna Blanc

Hi Friends, It’s a cold, snowy January here in Kansas City. And while this winter has brought some wonderful things for us — hot soup on the back burner and kiddos reading on the couch while huddled under blankets — we are also rounding the bend of our second foray into the stomach bug. Noooooo! I know. It’s awful. It has me thinking today about dependency. In bold below are some lyrics I sing about this, and below that are a few thoughts. You touch my heart and cause me to thirstBy grace You...

Hi Friends, I love turning a familiar verse over in my hands and seeing the light catch in a new-to-me way. This time it is Genesis 1:14: Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. Signs. We love signs. The star above the birthplace of Jesus leading kings to His doorstep in worship. The sun standing still in the heavens while Joshua and the people of Israel fight their battle....

Hi Friends, We had a huge blizzard this past weekend that dumped over a foot of snow in 24 hours. We woke up to a blanket of white. My kids are thrilled to have more snow shoveling gigs than they can handle. They shovel, stop by the house for snacks, throw their soggy gloves back on and head out to sled. After sledding? Shoveling… and repeat. Heavy snows seem to come at the beginning of January each year in the Midwest, and it always feels like they give the perfect visual for a new year. A...