Have you ever had a moment in your life when you had to shake yourself for a minute and wonder: How did I end up here? Maybe you got invited to a meeting at work with some of the most important people in the company. Or, you got upgraded to first class on a flight and you’re not sure how. We live like this as followers of Jesus sometimes. We’ve been invited into the closest of relationships with God Himself, but our thoughts and behavior can keep us at a distance— like we really don’t belong. Our hearts wonder, Do I really belong here? Yet, as we’ll see this week, God wanted to communicate a truth to us loudly and clearly with the birth of His Son. When Jesus was born, God declared His arrival to all the world. God could have announced Jesus’ arrival to kings, to religious leaders, to the “important” people of society.
Yet God chose to send His choir of angels outside of the city to a field of shepherds. Average, standard, common shepherds. Up to this point, only the priests could ever draw near to God—and only once a year. In one moment, God showed up and set a new standard for His relationship with people. He invited the shepherds to come near to the Son, who had come near to them. God’s message for them and for us this Christmas is loud and clear: You’re invited.
