Christmas reflections - An angel appears before shepherds

Luke Chapter 2:

¹In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  ²This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  ³And all went to be registered, each to his own town.  ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  ⁶And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  ¹⁰And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.  ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."  ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,   

¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest,
   and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

 

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." ¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.  ¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.  ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.  ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (ESV)

I have always marveled that the revealing of the Christ did not occur in the Temple in Jerusalem, or in the court of King Herod or in the palace of Caesar Augustus; rather it occurred before a group of lowly shepherds, who by their profession (handling animals with cloven hooves) were considered unclean by Jewish law.

The first men who sought Christ and worshiped him were among the poor and lowly in their society; outcasts who were forbidden from entering the Temple because of their uncleanliness.  How beautiful, that those never allowed into the Temple build by men were instead led by the angels to gaze upon the precious face of God Himself.

Mary treasured all these things in her heart.  Her treasure was not to be gold and silk and rare perfume; rather it was the understanding, which by then was very clear to her, that the Lord to whom she had given birth was the lord of the common, undeserving man.  Not a Lord who would rule with an iron fist from a gilded throne, but a Lord who would touch the hearts of mankind one by one.  Not a Lord of human strength and glory, presiding over governments and kingdoms on Earth, but a Lord of suffering, humility, compassion, grace, and ultimately a Lord of spiritual restoration.