From Ordinary to Extraordinary

by Beverly Suhr - 2011 - Used by permission

Mary—a young, virgin girl, from a poor family of oppressed Jews, engaged to Joseph, a common, Jewish carpenter.

No Cinderella story here

No debutante wedding a CEO

No movie star marrying a prince

No—just an ordinary girl, engaged to an ordinary man --but chosen by God to accomplish an extraordinary event—the Birth of the Savior of the world.

They both yielded to this turn of events even though it meant ridicule and rejection

Then you have an ordinary leader, legislating an ordinary law that would help him gather more ordinary taxes,

But God used this common decree to get a very pregnant Mary and a very concerned Joseph to take an extraordinary journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem so the scriptures of old would be fulfilled.

Next on the scene you have a less-than-ordinary birthing room for the couple’s baby to be born. Oh, it was ordinary enough for cows and sheep but for a human baby?

Yet the Lord of all Creation humbled Himself to be born in a stable with no running water, no white sheeted bed, no mid-wife or nurse----just smelly animals, prickly straw, and an empty manger.

Indeed, the amazing humility and condescension of our Lord so He could identify with the lowest and poorest of humanity is nothing short of extraordinary.

Ordinary shepherds come next. Theirs was considered the lowest of jobs. They even worked at night. But this night became extraordinary as the sky filled with angels singing of the birth of a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Once they found and worshipped Him, these ordinary men became extraordinary messengers of the Good News---Jesus , God’s Son has been born. The Promised Messiah is here!!!!

But now in 2011 we have even more extraordinary news. This same Jesus grew up to be a sinless man, who performed many miracles and taught countless lessons on how to live a godly life. He never hurt anyone by His word or deeds but He was rejected by the jealous religious leaders of His day. They handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified on an ordinary cruel cross. Yet today that cross has become an extraordinary symbol of His victory over sin—our sin. He died there in our place, to secure our salvation from sin, death and Hell. Then , after laying in an ordinary tomb, He made an extraordinary resurrection!!!!   Our Savior LIVES!!!!

He Lives!!!

Presently Heaven is His home but one day soon He is coming again and this time nothing will be ordinary about it. It will be completely extraordinary!!!!

Will we be ready? No one was the first time

Tell me, is there room in your heart for Jesus? Has He been accepted as your own personal Savior? If not, Pleas, please ask one of us how you can know Him as your personal Lord and Savior.

If He already is, then let us each be like the ordinary shepherds who became conveyors of this extraordinary Good News.