“Glory to God in the highest heaven, 
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 

(Like 2:14)

Thus sang the host of angels the night that Jesus was born inBethlehem.  The shepherds who witnessed this were dumbstruck.

The eternal plan of Almighty God was beginning to unfold; Magi in a manger were a rare sight, but angels singing in the desert was rarer still!

Shepherds were at the bottom of the social structure of the day… why did the angels announce the birth of Christ to them and not to the king?  And, why was the King of kings born to an unknown girl in a stable instead of to someone in a high station?

I’ve heard countless ideas; here’s mine:

Those who lived at the bottom of society in those days were not filled with pride at their earthly status; they had no status.  They were not full of themselves; they were ‘nobodies’ as far as society was concerned.  Jesus came to save those who would be willing to follow God.  He came to set us free from our sins… And let’s not forget that when the king found out about this, he started killing babies.

Think for a moment:  If the baby Jesus were born in our time, do you think that high society would welcome the news?  How about the ruling “elite, or the Hollywood crowd or the various grandees of our world?

The shepherds were humble men.  They were men who held no position that needed hanging on to.  From their point of view, having the Son of God in their midst was a pretty cool thing, and when He grew up and began His ministry, these were the kinds of people who followed Him while the grandees of the day plotted His death.

Those who are satisfied in themselves, their positions, their riches and in what they think they are, lack the humility to follow God; in fact they probably don’t see any need for God and would prefer to forget all about Him.  In order to follow Christ, we must put self aside and serve Him.

How can we do that if we are at the center of everything?