NN Dec 2023

Amy Gane – Greeley, Colorado … My husband and I come from very different backgrounds. His dad came to the United States from Australia to pursue his Ph.D. His mom was a piano teacher, and his brother is a professor at Andrews University, educating the next generation of pastors in Old Testament languages. He was expected to go to college, and he went on to get his master’s as well.

My family cares a lot about cattle. Horses and cattle. My sister and I have favorite quote: “money not spent on cattle is like dust in your mouth.” Up before daylight, my entire extended family grew up believing you feed the livestock first. My family reads voraciously but we value cattle, horses, and pickup trucks.

I remember the first encounter between my ranching family and my husband’s very academic family. It was Christmas, and my mom’s house was very crowded. My brother-in law takes a real interest in everyone around him, and he had a lively conversation with my uncle dressed in his Wranglers, his mustache waxed, and wearing his bolo tie.

They enjoyed each other, but my brother-in law commented that he hadn’t expected my uncle to be so well read. I asked him what he thought ranchers did all winter long. I mean, we can read, its just sometimes livestock journals and a lot of history.

I used to feel kind of awkward about this, as though my family were low class and maybe a little bit backwards, until one day I’m reading the Bible. It began to dawn on me that I’m reading the writings of a shepherd.

David was a shepherd before he was king. His experience of God came to him firsthand while out tending his father’s flocks. He wrote songs to God, some of the Psalms, while a very young man, probably a teenager, living rough and outside with animals.

Moses was raised to be the heir of all Egypt, educated in the ways of the court. But when he fled from there after murdering an Egyptian, God sent him to live among herdsmen, the nomadic ranchers of Midian. There it was where God first spoke to him out of the burning bush.

The prophet Amos was a shepherd and harvested figs. Amos wrote, Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he reveals his secrets unto his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7), a verse with some interesting applications in our church. But he also wrote, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit [wild figs] (Amos 7:14). He was a man living very much in the natural world.

Peter, James, and John were fishermen, out at night with nets on the water in the moonlight. They were Jewish, probably they knew the prophecies, but they were more or less normal guys with a very hard and stinky job. The greatest book of all time [in my view] is probably the Gospel of John, written by this same John, the young fisherman. But he encountered God, he wrote about it, and then he wrote a quarter of the New Testament!

The greatest single message ever given to humankind was delivered directly to some shepherds outside the town of Bethlehem: Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11, KJV). Literally shepherds, the guys out protecting the flock and helping animals give birth. They are not even named in the Scripture, just some field hands.

And that’s the point; God chose to speak to people who were out working in the fields with animals, or maybe those were just the ones who could listen. They saw God in his creation every day in the birth of lambs and in the provision of grass for their cattle. And to this day, theologians study the works of these farmers and fishermen. The greatest scholars are reading the writings of those who just talked to Him while out in a field.

Whoever you are, whatever job you are doing, God is available to you. He speaks to people in the lowest jobs or in the highest. He speaks to us, very often though, when we are outside among the things he created.

We are very concerned with people’s position in life, but the Bible is very clear that “God is no respecter of persons,” which means he doesn’t rank us based on our job, our income, our genetics, or our wealth. Make no mistake, the shepherds to whom the angels revealed the greatest news of all time, were field hands, “keeping watch over their flocks by night.”

Merry Christmas!

—Amy Gane, DVM, is an active member of The Adventure Seventh-day Adventist Church in Greeley, Colorado. Republished with permission. Photo by Unsplash.

By Paul Negrete

The nativity story in the second chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke captivates me, particularly the encounters with Christ as a baby involving various characters such as the shepherds, Herod, priests, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Ana, and, my favorite, the magi.

The magi, a unique class of nobility and academics, sought truth through conversations, reading diverse holy and scientific texts, and observing nature. Notably, they stumbled upon the Book of Numbers chapter 24, where Balaam prophesied about a star and a scepter rising from Jacob.

Convinced of the Truth, the magi, guided by an anomalous celestial event, discover Jesus—recognizing the nobility of the Eternal One in the guise of poverty. They bow down, worship the infant, and become followers of the Messiah.

Interestingly, despite knowledge of Jesus’ birth, only a select few, including the magi, shepherds, Simeon, and Ana, found Him. The reason is simple: those who found Jesus actively sought Him. Seeking the Messiah led to discovery, emphasizing Jesus’ desire to be found by all. The Holy Spirit eagerly reveals Jesus to those genuinely seeking Him.

Even when not actively seeking Jesus, He desires to be found. Jesus continually yearns to be acknowledged in our lives, knocking at the door of our hearts. Some may perceive Him as an odd stranger interrupting their routine, but the truth is that Jesus desires recognition.

Today, people still search for Jesus, seeking truth. It is our privilege to reveal Him to others, akin to the angels informing the shepherds and the magi following the light to find Christ. We are part of the ongoing nativity story, encountering Jesus in various roles.

Jesus promised to return, and the signs are evident to all but recognized by a few. The Kingship of Jesus often clashes with self-rulership, making some hesitant to acknowledge the evidence of His imminent return.

Nevertheless, there are those still seeking Jesus, and we, as members of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) and of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, are called to proclaim the Gospel message in our communities. Reflect on your role in this narrative, and let God use you to reveal Him to others.

—Paul Negrete is the RMC Department of Education associate superintendent. Drawing by Wonderlane on Flickr.

By Mickey Mallory

Soon, the year 2023 will be in the annals of history. What will you remember about this year? I am sure you could probably think of a number of things that made this year special. How about the gifts you received this year? I am sure you could think of a few.

If you haven’t already, why not take some time to write down all the gifts you have received? Ask God to bring people/things to mind. You might be surprised to see how long your list will get.

One of the gifts on my list this year would be the gift of our pastors.

I have the privilege as ministerial director of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) to serve them. While some call me pastor of the pastors, sometimes they pastor me by giving me words of encouragement and praying for me. I walk away from these experiences thinking to myself how blessed we are to have such a great team of pastors in our conference.

Not only am I grateful for our pastors, I am also grateful for the gift of the church members they serve. Whenever I visit a church, I am always greeted with kindness. I am treated so well that I have come to the conclusion that one of the reasons we have such great pastors in this conference is because they get to work with some great church members.

As I reflect on all the gifts, I have received this year, I am especially grateful for Heaven’s most precious gift, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, we would not have life, physically and spiritually.

In Him we live and move and have our being …
(Acts 17:28, ESV)

We truly have lots to be thankful for this December. May it be a month to remember how blessed we are. May all the gifts we have received (and will receive) lead us to worship the Giver, who loved us so much that He left heaven for us. From the cradle to the cross, He gave his life so that we may have life. And, someday, He will return as King so we can enjoy the gift of eternity in heaven.

Let us praise God for His glorious grace, for the free gift He gave us in His dear Son!
For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.
How great is the grace of God,
which He gave to us in such large measure!
(Eph. 1:6-8, GNT)

—Mickey Mallory is the RMC ministerial director. Photo by Unsplash.

By Mic Thurber

Message from the RMC president:

There are three seemingly unimportant words in the telling of Jesus’ birth from Luke’s Gospel that I used to skip over. But they have arrested my attention in recent years. See if you can guess which ones I’m talking about from the Gospel of Luke 2:

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

“In those days” seems unimportant compared to the really important information that is revealed in these verses. What’s important was that Jesus was born of a not-yet-married young woman in a specific place—all things foretold in prophecy.

So, what was happening “in those days?” History tells us of tremendous political unrest, incurable diseases, international tensions, high taxation, a huge underclass with no real prospects of escaping their economic plight, and a spiritual climate that saw people believing pretty much whatever they wanted to believe. On top of all this, God had not spoken to His people through a prophet in some 400 years.

It was “into those days” that God decides to show up. Turns out He’d had His eye on what was happening, and He said, “this is the right time.”

Of course, that was “those days.” In these days, we have it all together, right? In these days …

• We’ve solved the hunger and homelessness problems,
• Our tax code is fair for all citizens,
• World tensions are at an all-time low, with nations extending only kindness and goodwill toward their neighbors,
• Our political systems work smoothly with fairness for all and there is nothing but peace everywhere,
• Lawlessness is no longer an issue,
• The family unit is strong and safe from attack,
• And if there’s anything we can all agree on, it’s religion and politics.

… Or not …

Turns out that these days need for Jesus to show up is every bit as much as in those days. I don’t know about you, but I’m very grateful for the promise of John 14:1-3, and also the words of the angel in Acts 1 when Jesus was ascended back to heaven. He is coming back, and, judging by the mess that describes these days, that great day cannot be far off.

But it will be different this time.

One of the stories treated almost as a postscript in the story of Jesus’ birth is about a deeply spiritually-sensitive man named Simeon (see Luke 2:25-30). So drawn to a close relationship with God was he, that the Lord impressed upon his heart that he would not die until he saw the promised Desire of Ages for himself. Thus began a long wait for this faithful soul.

It’s hard to imagine the sheer elation and amazement that must have filled the old man’s heart as he held the Savior of the world in his own arms and gazed into his face. The long wait was worth every passed moment for the joy of this moment. In his deep gratitude, he offered a brief prayer of thanks for this unique privilege, that also included something that is a bit shocking.

“Now dismiss your servant in peace,” was his prayer. In other words, “I’ve seen your promised Holy One, now let me die in peace.”

What will be different the next time Jesus shows up is that none who long for His appearing will be saying “thanks for letting me see your glory—now let me die I peace.”

No, not this time. We’ll be shouting praises and exclaiming that we want to “live forever in peace” with our dear Savior in His glorious heavens!

It is my prayer that as you and your family consider the story of His birth again this season, that it will remind you that the best is yet to come. He came once, just when He was needed. And He’ll do it again! You have His word on it.

—Mic Thurber is RMC president. Photo from Unsplash.

Rachel Williams – Cedaredge, Colorado … The month of October is known for apple picking and the annual Applefest in Cedaredge, Colorado. This year marked the fifth year the Cedaredge Adventist Church has participated in the festival.

The Cedaredge Church’s booth was managed by Patrick Williams, board chair and elder at the church, and multiple church members from Delta and Cedaredge.

While the crowds were smaller this year, and people weren’t purchasing festival goods like they usually do, they were willing to take the free literature offered at booth. Interest in the church was sparked thanks to Ellen G. White’s The Great Controversy handouts and KSYF radio.

One of the booth’s visitors was a gentleman who ended up leaving with a copy of The Great Controversy, and, later in the day, two ladies came by and filled their bags with literature. Some people took literature to share with their families, and others stayed to chat with the people working the booth.

Half the booth was dedicated to children’s literature, the Delta County Pioneer Pathfinder Club, and the Delta Seventh-day Adventist School. It was especially refreshing to see many young people coming to the booth. Teenagers and young adults even came interested in health literature.

One man stopped by and took information about the school to share with his family. He was trying to find an affordable private school for his grandchildren and was very pleased with the pricing and information he received.

The ministerial director for the Rocky Mountain Conference, Micky Mallory, preached the morning service during the first day of Applefest and stopped by the booth before and after church.

At the end of the two-day event, friendships were made, and the church was used by God in another wonderful way to reach the local community and out-of-town visitors.

—Rachel Williams is a Gen Z young adult and a leader in the Cedaredge Adventist Church. Photo by Mickey Mallory.