There are hundreds of nativity scenes scattered around my workplace right now. They range from minuscule to quite large, from elaborate to pretty plain, and they come from all over the world. Seeing all these miniature Josephs, Marys, and Baby Jesus got me thinking about the nativity, and who was there.
The father, Joseph, is a carpenter. A manual laborer. He is a blue-collar, hammer-swinging kind of guy, and he probably smelled of sawdust when he came home. Mary is a young, unmarried girl--she is insignificant. And of course, the center of the scene--the savior--is a baby.
How about the people God chose to be the first witnesses to this great event? Surely there are some important and dignified people here. If not aristocrats, than at least a local priest, or a Roman captain, or maybe a community leader. No. They are shepherds, guys who walk around with sheep in the fields. These are no educated farmers running sophisticated and expensive equipment, managing large budgets, and fixing
complex combines. They are boys with staffs, slings, and sandals wandering the desert.
What about the wise men, don't we find important people in the wise men? Perhaps they were important--they got a personal hearing with Herod and brought expensive gifts. But at this moment in history the wise men are conspicuously foreigners. They are gentiles. These are not God's chosen people set apart to be witnesses of God's salvation. They are ignorant of God's plans, his law, and his rituals; they just followed a star in the sky. They had to ask the chief priests for directions, but those priests didn't think it worth their time to come and look.
Did the chief priest and the scribes and the pharisees at least make it to Jesus dedication at the temple? No. An old man and an aged widow bore witness to Jesus at the temple. Could you find a group of people lower in the social order?
God accomplishes his purposes through whatever means he so chooses. He uses the weak, the marginalized, and the insignificant to spread his kingdom. All the cheap rooms are full, and Joseph doesn't have the money to buy a really nice place for God's son: that doesn't hinder the Lord. The religious leaders are selfish fakes: God brings in humble shepherd boys instead. The Lord works mysteriously and mightily through meager means.
So praise God for his wise working in Salvation. And hear the call of the nativity: God will fulfill his purposes and complete his plans, and he will do it through the humble. How might the baby King be calling you to bear witness to his salvation? You cannot be too insignificant or simple to play a part--you may be too proud.
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