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

Luke 2:14

Thus sang the angelic host as they announced the birth of the King of kings.  No doubt you have noticed that the angelic host who made this dramatic announcement were not addressing a king or a prince; they were out in the fields addressing a group of shepherds.  Doesn’t this strike you as odd?

Those shepherds had no social position, they were at the bottom of the totem pole in their world and no doubt would have been looked down upon be virtually everyone in their day.  So why did God’s messengers announce this news to them?

The only thing that is more amazing was that the King of kings was born in a barn!

I don’t know about you, but when I think on these things it occurs to me that God isn’t very impressed with society and human grandeur.  It would seem that God simply did not care about who was important on earth; He cared for people who were much more simple and down to earth.  He wasn’t looking for luxury or elegance, just real people who would seek Him and be willing to forsake the things of this world, and Jesus was to demonstrate this divine attitude throughout His ministry on earth.

This brings us to an interesting place this morning.  What is important to us? Is it things of this world like position, rank, riches, fame and luxury?  Surely we can see that these things do not matter in God’s sight.  Maybe we are more concerned with priorities closer to those that God is showing us in the story of Jesus’ humble birth, things like love, compassion, justice, mercy and a willingness to set earthly things aside and follow His Son Jesus.

As we remember the birth of Jesus Christ this year, let’s also ask ourselves what lessons we can take from the story to put into practice in our attitudes and daily lives, so that when the day comes when we meet Him face to face, we will hear the only words that really count for anything: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”