Luke 2:8-18
Hope is Born in a Manger
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Mark 3:13-19
Jesus Chooses His Twelve Disciples
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Mark 4:30-32
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”
Matthew 24:35
Jesus Words Will Never Pass Away
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
John 12:23-26
The Growth of the Greatest Wheat Seed
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
John 4:34-38
One Sows and Another May Reap
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
1 Corinthians 3:5-8
Planting Seeds of Faith
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Ecclesiastes 11:6
Sow Seeds of Faith in the Morning and Evening
6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
1 Peter 3:15-16
Be Prepared for the Planting of Seeds
15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Hope was born in a manger...And Jesus grew up poor...From very the beginning of His preaching career and around age thirty, He really did not have any disciples...He chose them one day, and He chose Twelve...He was on a mountainside, when He started His ministry...Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him...So He started out with twelve ordinary men to follow Him...Day in and day out for three years they would learn from Him...He appointed these twelve men that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and He would give them authority to drive out demons, and do other things that He might ask of them...Did any of the Twelve men see the future glory of what would happen in their mind's eye that day on the mountain, as they were being hand picked...That day they had not yet seen a great miracle or a great event...All they saw that day, was a most fascinating Young Man choosing them...One might look in His eyes, I suspect, and see a Remarkable Man...The seedlings were planted that day...
When Jesus gave the Twelve (and us) the Parable of the mustard seed, He tells them what the Kingdom of God is like...And He wanted to use a parable...He even questioned what parable could He use to describe the Kingdom of God...The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground..Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade...From just a tiny seed, to where birds of the air can perch in its great shade, to find relief...One cannot tell from the present what something might turn into years later...A seed planted today may grow into something only years and years later...Things small and insignificant today, maybe something great in the future...
The Parable is wrapped with many meanings...The Parable is about the Kingdom of God...It is also about Him...From the smallest of starts, Christianity would start with only Twelve men...Christianity would grow from Twelve men on a mountainside in Israel, to a worldwide religion...Who of the original disciples on the mountainside that day, would know that two thousand years later, it would grow to all nations and offer its followers faith and a Man to worship, who was the Greatest of All Men to ever walk the earth?...Through what His disciples would do in their lives would have a great and enormous impact on His future followers...And what His current disciples say and do, still have an impact on the next generations of followers...A tiny seed planted today may make all the difference in the world...
Twelve common fishermen, tax collectors, and ordinary men in the Great Commission would be ask to change the world...From the smallest of seeds, can produce great plants...Born in a barn, and a starting point is a manger...From a Man who started this on a mountainside, His words have still not passed...From the most humble and tiniest of starts can come Infinite Hope...