1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
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Here we are made privy to the moment when God becomes flesh; God enters our plane of existence. However, unlike the hopes, wishes and desires of the people who came before, God enters the world as a child who is at the bottom of the barrel. Born in a manger, at the back of an inn, with shepherds as the first visitors... sadly, it doesn't get much lower than that. However, that's what the world was provided. That's what we were given. That is our salvation from what could have been.
There is a song by a modern hip-hop artist known as Drake that proclaims, "I started at the bottom, now I'm here; started at the bottom now my whole crew here." However, Jesus can't stake such claims. Jesus started the bottom and decided that in order to save the world he needed to turn things on their head.
God entered the world as the least of these. The baby Jesus was brought into a world where there were great power struggles and a lot of inequalities that held people in their places, much lower than what they were worth. Even the visitors of the newly born messiah were the shepherds, which weren't much higher themselves. However, his rise to power was much greater than any Caesar or king could ever be. He rose to the heights of messiah by proclaiming the love of God for all people, especially those who were thrown aside by the "powers that be."
Jesus was born to love.
Jesus died to redeem.
Jesus rose again for all.
This is the beginning of a long story of the rise to love. Through the lowest of lows, the word and love of God was allowed to spread across all the nations and infiltrate the hearts of all of those that would hear it. According to the gospel of John, this love was for the entire world, which is why the decision was made to send the son. The gigantic web of interconnected love that cannot be defeated resides in all of us. However, we often forget this.
All throughout the gospels we are reminded of the beggars, the prostitutes, the adulterers, the tax collectors, the murderers, and the all-around dregs of society. These are the people that will always be with us, the people who see the glory of God much clearer than we might. It is these that Jesus calls to love and support in their times of need. The least of these is the ones we are called to serve... so what's stopping us?
Let the glory of the Lord rise among all people. During this season of Christmas and beyond.
Let us pray:
Most gracious God, we must first thank-you for providing us with the breath of life that sustains us to conduct your will in the world. However, we so often lose track of just what we're called to do. Guide us, protect us, and strengthen us so that we may better live out that call.Give us the means and the aptitude to reach out to those who need it, but allow us, also, to accept the help when it is provided in return. We walk humbly with you, our God, so that we may see the world as you would have it be. In the name of your only begotten son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Not sure how the birth of Jesus morphed into a message about the least of these from that text. Is that a general devotion or meant to be message about that text?
ReplyDeletet,
DeleteThank-you for the comment. I feel as if the least of these is played out clearly in the text, where Jesus was brought into the world by means of a unwed mother, in a manager, with no support or assistance. It is then the shepherds who are told about it first, who have no social standing in the community--they are the "untouchables" of sorts. However, if you continue the story as everybody does, great things stem from Jesus being brought into the world as a baby who is of destitute origins. The entire Christ story is a subversion of the expecattion that the messiah was going to reign on high as the previous kings did. So, to me it is a both and scenario. Is it a general devotion? Yes. Is it meant to be a message about the text? Yes. I hope this answers your question, if not let me know and we can continue the conversation--that's what I'm all about!
Thank-you!