Little Things In The Christmas Story
By-Evangelist Gary Huckaby D.D.
"And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Luke 2:12
The story of Michaelangelo and his paintings.
Someone once asked Michaelangelo, "Why he spent so much time on painting the trifles in his work?" His reply was; "Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."
In telling the greatest of stories ever told God used a series of little incidents, little things, little tasks, little people, and little places, when telling us of Christ coming to earth. In Luke’s account there is nothing that suggest bigness.
God Uses Little People
There were many big men in Palestine at this time. There were scholars of great intellect, Rulers of great power of command, but God did not chose these to tell of His Son coming to earth. The angels came to little people, little shepherds. Mary was a little teenage girl, not a queen.
It was not a king or Ruler, that was his adoptive father, but rather a lowly carpenter.
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 says; "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And the base things of the world and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are;"
One of the most encouraging thoughts to me is that God uses little people to do big things. The Bible gives many examples of this fact.
-Goliath was killed by little David.
-The Midianites were defeated by only 300 men.
-Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt.
-Naaman, was sent to Elisha to be healed of leprosy by a little maid.
-A little boy with his lunch given to Jesus, feed a multitude of people.
-Little Paul was the first missionary.
-Mary Magdaline, was the first to see Jesus after His resurrection.
God can use you too if you will just put your life in His hands. So why not do it today?
God Uses Little Places
Bethlehem was the place where Jesus was born. Galilee was in the region around the Lake of Gennesaret, or lake of Galilee. It had a large gentile population, and from the days of the prophets has been known as, "Galilee of the Gentiles." (Isa. 9:1)
Nazareth was a city in the hills of Galilee, located on the trade route that ran from the coastal plain across to Damascus and the East. Judea, was the province south of Samaria, and North of Edom and by the Mediterranean sea and on the East by the Jordan River and the Dead sea.
Bethlehem, was the original home of David’s family. Bethlehem was also called Ephrath. (Gen. 35:16,19.)
Bethlehem was a little town, and it is the place where our Lord first appeared on earth.
God Uses the Little Places to do His great work.
Little David was found in the field, and Gideon was behind the wine press. Pilgrims progress which is a great Christian classic was written from a little prison cell. The great Evangelist Dwight L. Moody was won to Christ by a little shoe salesman. If you are a Sunday School teacher, you may only have a little part in God’s work, but you may there have a D.L.Moody, or a Billy Sunday in your little class. God uses little places in which to work His will. God loves little places and little people. You may be located on a dead end street, or in some little Church in the hills, but God knows where you are, and He knows your name. Let Him work through you.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7
God Uses Little Things
The manger was not a crib, or a baby bed, it was a feed trough used to feed the beast which came there. It was a little lowly thing. The swaddling clothes, were nothing but rags, probably ragged cloth used to wash the animals which feed from the manger.
This is where the Saviour was born. He who is the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, stooped to lowliness that we might someday have riches untold. He could have been born in a palace, or a modern hospital, or any other place, but God chose the little things to greet His Son’s birth.
Moses was given fully to God at a little bush that burned, but not consumed.
Samson, used the little jaw bone of an ass to do battle for God.
Jesus, used the illustration of little sparrows to show His love and care for the Christian. Often the Lord sailed in a little boat to reach the other side of the lake.
It was a small (little) still voice that spoke to Elijah and not the earthquake, or the wind, nor was it in the fire that passed, it was the small still voice. 1 Kings 19.
It was a little crowing that the rooster did that caused Peter to realize His sin.
It was Jesus who went a little father and prayed in the Garden. Matthew 26:39
God uses little things to do His will. He can also use little you and me too!
We only have to surrender to Him! Romans 12:1.
"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven; the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us," Luke 2:15
As we come to the final point of this Christmas message, we now use the thought that, "God Uses The Little Tasks."
God Uses Little Tasks
Jesus could have preached a sermon on the Mount each and every day if He wanted. Jesus used the little tasks to reach others with the message of eternal life. He asked the woman at the well for a little drink of water and then showed her that He was the living water. (John 4).
Dr. John R. Rice once opened a door to invite a lost soul into the Church house, and the man was later saved.
David, used the little task of playing the harp to quiet the king. It is the little tasks that God uses to work in Local Churches. Singing in the Choir, helping with the youth outreach, cleaning the Church buildings, being an usher.
It was a little bush called a hyssop that was used to spread the lamb’s blood on the door post that spared the first born of each home of the children of Israel. Countless times the little tract, "If You Died Today" has been used to show the way of salvation to untold numbers of lost people. Little acts of kindness have reached where no big things could to share the plan of Salvation. Jesus said that even giving a cup of water in His name would bring a reward which would last forever.
Little Tasks Bring Great Results And Blessings
The shepherds little task of leaving the flock to go and see the Christ child has been told for thousands of years.
Little things? Yes, little things in the Christmas story is the way that God chose to send His Son to this world!
God can use you too! If you will but trust Him.
Are you a part of God’s family? Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? If not why not trust Him today. Do it now!
