Luke 2:7-11
And she [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Here in this story lies the most pivotal moment of all history; yes, in it we hear the most important message ever told - that unto us was born that day a Savior who is Christ by name. But if the angel in this passage holds such a dramatic and invaluable message in hand, why would he go proclaim it to the lowliest class of people, namely the shepherds? Why didn't he pick the most important kings to preach such a wonderful gospel to? I think the answer for us who aren't exactly at the top of the pack is quite comforting to remember.
Simply put, why I believe God sent such an amazing message to such a low class of people is because God just isn't impressed by kings. I mean really: in God's eyes, how much greater does a man dressed in purple seem than a man dressed in rags? Because of our inescapable littleness before Him, even the greatest, most radical improvements we can make upon ourselves is like nothing compared to the vast sea of difference between us and God. This shouldn't necessary comfort us just because God doesn't pay special regard to kings, but rather because He does pay regard to us who aren't so much. Just think about it: such an amazing message was declared to blue-collar kind of guys like us. This means that no matter what situation we're in, whether seated in a palace, or working extra jobs just to get by, the Gospel is for us.
May we never forget that the Christmas story is not about Jesus coming into the world to find the most qualified people to follow Him; He came into the world to find the ones who truly understood that they were weak and vulnerable. The Christmas story isn't about us reaching our hand out to God, but God reaching His hand down to us. Regardless of our position financially, socially or otherwise, the Christmas message is for us. God didn't want to come down and find beautiful people; He wants to take homely people and make them beautiful. This is the why we celebrate Christmas, because God came down not to find us worthy of His love, but to give it to us any.
And she [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Here in this story lies the most pivotal moment of all history; yes, in it we hear the most important message ever told - that unto us was born that day a Savior who is Christ by name. But if the angel in this passage holds such a dramatic and invaluable message in hand, why would he go proclaim it to the lowliest class of people, namely the shepherds? Why didn't he pick the most important kings to preach such a wonderful gospel to? I think the answer for us who aren't exactly at the top of the pack is quite comforting to remember.
Simply put, why I believe God sent such an amazing message to such a low class of people is because God just isn't impressed by kings. I mean really: in God's eyes, how much greater does a man dressed in purple seem than a man dressed in rags? Because of our inescapable littleness before Him, even the greatest, most radical improvements we can make upon ourselves is like nothing compared to the vast sea of difference between us and God. This shouldn't necessary comfort us just because God doesn't pay special regard to kings, but rather because He does pay regard to us who aren't so much. Just think about it: such an amazing message was declared to blue-collar kind of guys like us. This means that no matter what situation we're in, whether seated in a palace, or working extra jobs just to get by, the Gospel is for us.
May we never forget that the Christmas story is not about Jesus coming into the world to find the most qualified people to follow Him; He came into the world to find the ones who truly understood that they were weak and vulnerable. The Christmas story isn't about us reaching our hand out to God, but God reaching His hand down to us. Regardless of our position financially, socially or otherwise, the Christmas message is for us. God didn't want to come down and find beautiful people; He wants to take homely people and make them beautiful. This is the why we celebrate Christmas, because God came down not to find us worthy of His love, but to give it to us any.