Jesus. Jesus referred to Himself as the "good shepherd" in John chapter 10:
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
The shepherds outside Bethlehem were entrusted with a special message, and they responded to the angelic visitation by travelling to Bethlehem, then spreading the news. They understood concepts such as direction and devotion. They followed their instructions, then upon beholding Jesus, they spread the news. We can be challenged to spread what we have seen - God's handiwork in our lives becomes our testimony, and that can provide the basis for our proclamation of His truth.
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The angels appeared to a group of shepherds in the fields surrounding Bethlehem. They proclaimed that in the city, a Savior had been born that night! We pick up the Christmas narrative in Luke
chapter 2:
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
Later in the chapter, we can read:
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
It's our 21st symbol pointing the birth of Jesus and its significance; another symbol in 25, my Christmas Advent-ure. Perhaps the most familiar symbol associated with shepherds is the shepherd's staff, which can be for us an image that can remind us of the guidance that God wants to give us.
The latest Star Wars film has hit theaters with a powerful "force," with Variety reporting that as of Monday, it had reached $323.5 million after opening late last week. Domestically, it had made $172.7 million in its first four days, and has crossed the $150 million internationally.
The article says that the parent company for the film, Disney...
So, Star Wars has withstood the test of time, and apparently a group inspired by the spiritual practices that are contained within the films has attempted to gain official recognition in the U.K. ReligionNews.com has "breaking news" that the Charity Commission for England and Wales made the announcement on Monday that it had rejected an application from the Temple of the Jedi Order for charitable status.
The applicants say that the temple would have furthered “the religion of Jediism, for the public benefit worldwide, in accordance with the Jedi Doctrine.” But, the Charity Commission concluded that Jediism was not established for “exclusively charitable purposes,” including, as the article says, "the advancement of religion and the promotion of moral and ethical improvement to benefit the public."
The Commission says that Jediism incorporates the mythology of the Star Wars films, along with other religious and philosophical tenets. The leader of the Church of Jediism in the U.K., Daniel Jones, told the BBC he was confident “Jediism’s status will change in the next five years.” He says essentially that since Satanism and Scientology have the charitable status, so why not Jediism?
There are reportedly 177,000 Jedi in the United Kingdom, which the BBC says is a higher number than Rastafarians and Jains. Atheists in the U.K. and Australia had begun to list "Jedi" as their religious affiliation a number of years ago.
We have to make sure that we are accurate and Biblical in the practice of our faith. We can acknowledge that "Jediism" is patently unbiblical, but there are worldly philosophies that make their way into the church, diluting our faith and deceiving believers from the true picture of Jesus that we find in the Scriptures. We have to be careful to follow the teachings of the Good Shepherd, as He leads us by His Spirit. The Good Shepherd calls us into accuracy, rightly dividing the Word of truth.
We also recognize that the shepherds of Bethlehem were on the receiving end of the proclamation of the birth of Jesus, and they responded in worship and action. When we receive the word or direction from God, it is important that we act in obedience - God will give us the capacity to comply with His activity.
And, when the shepherds had seen the Christ Child, they responded in worship and they shared the news about Who they had seen. As we seek and see Jesus and who He really is, we can respond in adoration. Christianity is not reduced to merely a religious practice or intellectual philosophy, rather it can be a vibrant relationship with a living Lord. Because He loves us, we can respond with love toward Him and allow that love to motivate us to serve the people around us.
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The latest Star Wars film has hit theaters with a powerful "force," with Variety reporting that as of Monday, it had reached $323.5 million after opening late last week. Domestically, it had made $172.7 million in its first four days, and has crossed the $150 million internationally.
The article says that the parent company for the film, Disney...
...announced Monday that it had become the first studio to go past $7 billion in worldwide grosses within a single year. “Captain America: Civil War,” “Finding Dory” and “Zootopia” each topped the $1 billion mark worldwide.According to Box Office Mojo, the film garnered around $155 million during its opening weekend domestically, which is way off from last year's The Force Awakens, which drew just south of $250 mil in its opening weekend. By the way, Finding Dory is the top-grossing film of 2016, with over $486 million in the domestic box office.
So, Star Wars has withstood the test of time, and apparently a group inspired by the spiritual practices that are contained within the films has attempted to gain official recognition in the U.K. ReligionNews.com has "breaking news" that the Charity Commission for England and Wales made the announcement on Monday that it had rejected an application from the Temple of the Jedi Order for charitable status.
The applicants say that the temple would have furthered “the religion of Jediism, for the public benefit worldwide, in accordance with the Jedi Doctrine.” But, the Charity Commission concluded that Jediism was not established for “exclusively charitable purposes,” including, as the article says, "the advancement of religion and the promotion of moral and ethical improvement to benefit the public."
The Commission says that Jediism incorporates the mythology of the Star Wars films, along with other religious and philosophical tenets. The leader of the Church of Jediism in the U.K., Daniel Jones, told the BBC he was confident “Jediism’s status will change in the next five years.” He says essentially that since Satanism and Scientology have the charitable status, so why not Jediism?
There are reportedly 177,000 Jedi in the United Kingdom, which the BBC says is a higher number than Rastafarians and Jains. Atheists in the U.K. and Australia had begun to list "Jedi" as their religious affiliation a number of years ago.
We have to make sure that we are accurate and Biblical in the practice of our faith. We can acknowledge that "Jediism" is patently unbiblical, but there are worldly philosophies that make their way into the church, diluting our faith and deceiving believers from the true picture of Jesus that we find in the Scriptures. We have to be careful to follow the teachings of the Good Shepherd, as He leads us by His Spirit. The Good Shepherd calls us into accuracy, rightly dividing the Word of truth.
We also recognize that the shepherds of Bethlehem were on the receiving end of the proclamation of the birth of Jesus, and they responded in worship and action. When we receive the word or direction from God, it is important that we act in obedience - God will give us the capacity to comply with His activity.
And, when the shepherds had seen the Christ Child, they responded in worship and they shared the news about Who they had seen. As we seek and see Jesus and who He really is, we can respond in adoration. Christianity is not reduced to merely a religious practice or intellectual philosophy, rather it can be a vibrant relationship with a living Lord. Because He loves us, we can respond with love toward Him and allow that love to motivate us to serve the people around us.
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