Read: Luke 2:1-21
Additional Verses:
God often does the unexpected.
We think God should choose the wisest and the strongest to accomplish his purposes. Instead, God opts for the underdogs among us to do his great things.
God chose a shepherd boy to become the greatest king of Israel because that shepherd boy knew how to walk in humility and repentance before his Maker. God chose fishermen as disciples for his son Jesus and entrusted his message of redemption to them.
The Christmas story exemplifies this truth: a teenage girl births God’s Son, and a poor carpenter is stepfather. The teenagers probably owned little. They traveled to the government census in Bethlehem on a donkey. God’s way of heralding the world’s salvation and handling the future of mankind left no room for placing glory anywhere but with him.
Upon arrival in Bethlehem, Mary was set to deliver her son. Instead of open doors and offers of free guest rooms, an innkeeper directed them to the only available vacancy in town — an animal shelter, out back. Soft nursery blankets and beds were missing. They made space for themselves among the animals in the hay. The closest thing to a bassinet was a feeding trough, perhaps lined with animal saliva.
Guests arrived to welcome the baby — not the town mayor or the local synagogue leader. Instead, a rag-tag group of shepherds, straight off the hillside. A miracle in the night sky sent them scurrying to find the newborn. These ordinary men, humbly pursuing their tasks, had the honor of being the first people God invited to the birth of his Son.
God reached from eternity to give his message of salvation to those who represented Every man — just like us. Good News for all.
The joy in this paradigm? God and man met over piles of hay and the backs of animals. God’s epic plan for bringing mankind back into relationship with him had begun — with a baby in a manger.
Small great things are the miracle of Christmas.