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Study Guide: Just a Nobody from Nowhereville

Sunday July 10, 2005 | Greg Boyd

Focus Scripture:


Brief Summary:

God sends the angel Gabriel to Mary to tell her that the Lord has shown favor on her. She would conceive Jesus who would be the heir to David and his reign would have no end! Greg spent significant time emphasizing that the way God works is not how we might expect. The fact that God overlooks all of the “usual suspects” when it comes to starting a revolution, and chooses a young peasant girl as the entry point for the King, this demonstrates the character of the Kingdom. It is often just the opposite of what we might expect.


Extended Summary:

Today we covered Luke 1:26-34, 38. God sends the angel Gabriel to Mary to tell her that the Lord has shown favor on her. She would conceive Jesus who would be the heir to David and his reign would have no end! This is amazing news! So amazing, one would be hard pressed to believe it! Nevertheless, Mary responds in faith and says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Even though Mary was not a person who would stand out in a crowd by human standards, the Lord chose her and showed great favor upon her.

Greg spent significant time emphasizing that the way God works is not how we might expect. Mary was not said to be the most righteous, nor the most important, she had no real credentials at all, except that she was willing. To the core of her being, she would trust and submit herself to God. The fact that God overlooks all of the “usual suspects” when it comes to starting a revolution, and chooses a young peasant girl as the entry point for the King, this demonstrates the character of the Kingdom. It is often just the opposite of what we might expect.

In this Kingdom, the first will be last, the foolish will be wise, the humble will be exalted, least will be greatest, those who are despised will receive honor, the poor will become rich, the weak—strong. Those who serve will be served, giving will be better than receiving. A Kingdom where we do good to our enemies rather than fighting back. God shows greatness by being born human, shows power by being crucified, shows holiness by becoming a curse (2 Cor. 5:21), shows love by being hated, shows victory through being defeated. This is about as counter-intuitive as it gets! God comes into the world by being born of an otherwise “insignificant” (by the world’s standards) young girl promised to someone else!

But in the Kingdom of God, there are no “nobodies.” In the Kingdom of God, success or failure is not about your abilities, qualities, characteristics, appearances, or any other standard that the world might measure you by. Instead, it is simply a matter of your heart toward God. A young powerless girl can start the whole thing off simply by saying “yes” to God. Greg compared this to the story of Gideon from Judges 6:11-15. Just as Mary and Gideon had roles to play in the success of the Kingdom, we too have a role to play.

The Kingdom of God is a community in which all “kingdom of this world” distinctions are considered irrelevant. We all fall into this trap at times. Greg offered an example of this where he was drawn to leave a conversation with a woman with a simple concern in order to engage in conversation that he hoped might benefit the church financially. Then it dawned on him, God would be offended that Greg would disrespect a daughter of the King in this way!

Rather than judge each other by the world’s standards, Greg encouraged us to consider how universally God’s Spirit is poured out! Acts 2:17-18 shows that regardless of the world’s categories, God will use anyone from any station of life regardless of class, gender, race, or what-have-you. Gal. 3:26-27 confirms this.


Reflection Questions:

  1. Which categories of the kingdom of this world do you have the hardest time letting go of? Which ones have you had better success with?
  2. Review Acts 2:17-18. Who does God choose to use? Do you consider yourself included in this? Don’t forget Mary and what made her “qualified.”

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