Tomorrow we celebrate Jesus’ coming into the world as a babe in a cattle stall, the most humble of beginnings. He became a great man, a powerful man who healed the sick, fed the hungry, give sight to the blind and many other wonderful things.

During his life on earth of about 33 1/2 years he was always poor by the word’s standards. No fancy clothing, no chariot on standby to take him to speaking engagements. He worked with his hands and laid low for 30 years. When he began his ministry it wasn’t kind to him. He was homeless, he found rejection almost everywhere he went, and it finally got him murdered.

When his ministry got underway he didn’t call one priest, not one rabbi, no religious leaders were chosen. He called commercial fishermen, a tax collector, a doctor and historian, just average guys. Things aren’t all that different today.

There are about 3 dozen preachers who get lots of attention in the United States and are so called “Christian leaders”, and perhaps they are. But, it seems to me that Jesus still leans heavily on average people to get his work done. Its men with rough hands who pull on work boots and jeans every morning, women who busily feed the family their breakfast and send hubby and the kids off to work and school and then work all day doing laundry, cleaning toilets, running family errands, and trying to make the family budget work. High school football coaches, postal workers, a greeter at Walmart, nurses, fishing guides, truck drivers and thousands of other men and women with other jobs who live out the Christ-life in their assigned places are the ones Jesus has chosen to do his mission. They do it without fan fare, do not seek and get no recognition, they just live day by day for Jesus and as they have opportunity say a good word for him.

The man in the pulpit is very important but in my view  the men and women in the pew who are just as important. It was a carpenter who told me about Jesus. It was a Presbyterian Sunday school teacher who led my mom to Christ. And it was farmer/insurance salesman who preached part time who played a big part in my father coming to Christ. I have been blessed to work as an insurance salesman, a house painter, a body shop manager, a Realtor, and many other jobs. In each of those jobs God put someone in my path who seemed eager to hear the good news so I told them. I know some of them eventually came to Christ, most of them I never saw again. That’s God’s business, ours is to put the good news in shoe leather.

Remember this, there are no insignificant foot soldiers in Christ’s army. Each of us is important to him. He chose us to represent him to a dark world by shining the light of truth in word and deed. As we love God and love our neighbor we impact a watching world.

You are special to God! If you will become the best you that will be enough. He uses common people to accomplish uncommon things!

Royce