God can use anyone he chooses to accomplish his will. Some of them are very surprising…others maybe not so surprising….
Consider Mary – a young teenage girl.
Consider Joseph – an older well established man in the trades…
Or what about the case in today’s gospel of old Simeon and probably even older Anna – a couple of senior citizens…
Or what about John the Baptizer wild man of the wilderness…
But there are oh so many more…examples…
Throughout scriptures – the Hebraic Bible and the Early Christian Writings we see God using imperfect people for the sake of his mission and for his purpose.
I never quite understood why God or Jesus chose the individuals that they did, but I am guessing his reasoning was to further prove the validity of his being. God knows what he is doing!
Jesus didn’t call the popular, rich or successful to further his ministry, but rather, he called the poor, the broken and the sometimes faithful.
I can only imagine how confused the Pharisees and religious leaders must have been while looking at “the team” of people that the proclaimed Messiah was gathering around himself.
From an outside perspective, we can see that it didn’t matter where people were from, what they had done, or who they use to be; both Jesus and God used all kinds of people for the good of his will.
Father Abraham – Was beyond old, sagging and all wrinkly…Elijah “the great prophet” – was suicidal at a couple of points in his life…Joseph of “Egypt fame” – was abused by his brothers…and old Job – went belly-side-up-bankrupt…Moses – had a speech impediment which was really no big thing…but then he said “No” to God and made up many more excuses for himself…Gideon “the Judge” – was afraid of his own shadow…which is not a good thing when you are “a military leader”…Samson – was a womanizer and really thought a great deal too much of himself…why he had mirrors everywhere-strategically placed.
Rahab – was a prostitute…and quite proud of it…the Samaritan Woman – was divorced…in a time that – that was a real “no-no”…
Old Noah of “the ark fame” – was a vineyard owner and became a drunk…and young impetuous, acne-d Jeremiah – was barely a teenager and he became a prophet…that no one would ever listen too…
Jacob – was a cheater…who stole his brothers birthright and his blessing, while King David, the Greatest King in all of Israel’s history – was a murderer and adulterer…but hey, when you are King – anything goes…apparently!
Jonah – ran away from God, as fast as he could without ever looking back…and Naomi – was a widow who thought she wasn’t good for anything-anymore.
And as we all know Peter the leader – denied Jesus three separate times while Thomas doubted him and Martha (of Martha and Mary fame) – worried about every little thing and every little detail.
Zacchaeus (the Tax collector) – was small and money hungry and a well-known scoundrel in his day and time…and the disciples – all fell asleep while Jesus was praying and worrying what the immediate future held in store for him.
Paul (the great missionary) – at first was a Pharisee who seemingly enjoyed persecuting Christians and rounding them up and sending them straight to jail before he himself became one.
I tell you, the biblical characters are not what you might think…when the Apostle Paul talked about how “we have all fallen short of the glory of God” – he knew first-hand what he was talking about…
If you ever feel like you aren’t worthy enough or are not good enough, just remember that God used and uses a bunch of flawed people to share hope in what was then and is still now a very flawed world.
In God there is renewal, healing and mending…as well as forgiveness and unconditional love
God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips those whom he calls.
Somehow and in some way, people always seem to be able to rise to the occasion. We are capable of surprising even ourselves…sometimes.
And no matter what you’ve been through in this life, remember that the same power that conquered the grave lives within you.
God is a mighty source of power and strength.
God uses “ordinary people” in “extra-ordinary ways” for his glory and always has….
At first it may seem that that statement isn’t quite right and you may not believe it.
There is no such thing as a “super believer” and trust me, none of the Biblical characters wore capes. But together all of them were able to do extra-ordinary things…
Just like us here…when we all work together for the good of the church. Amen.