An Invitation to All Outcasts

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

  and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  

Luke 2:8-15

God doesn't call kings.  At least not when The King shows up on the scene.  The birth announcement of a baby born in a manager go out to the people at the bottom of the social ladder.  To call the lowly.  To call the outcasts. To announce to the underdogs that care for mere sheep.  That is what our God does. He calls shepherds to The Shepherd.  They get the grand announcement.  They get singing angels.  No kings get a personal invitation.  Sure, they see a star and follow it.  But the personal announcement comes to the lowest of the low.

What a God we serve!  One that isn't worried about status.  One that reaches out to those that are empty, not full of themselves.  Because those full of themselves can't be filled with God.  It is in the emptiness.  It is in the dark hours of the night that God shows up to invite us to the celebration.  The party of the entrance of Emmanuel.  God with us. God with shepherds.  God who would become the Shepherd.

Because God isn't concerned about our position in society...he is concerned with our hearts. Because a Shepherd isn't concerned about the prestige of His sheep...but that they follow Him.  That they are with Him.  Emmanuel.