The First One

If God decided to humble himself, become man, and enter the world today… I wonder who He would appear to first?

A Wall Mart greeter named Betty?

A welder named Sam?

A dog groomer named Margo?

Phil, the guy who cleans gutters?

Jimmy, the mall cop?

Yeah. Those jobs probably aren’t included in any list of the top 10 coveted jobs in America, yet these jobs are filled by people that God loves deeply… so deeply, they might just be the first person he connects with.

Do you think God would have chosen a Wall Mart greeter to be the first one to visit him as a baby?

If you’re like me, you’ve heard 100 sermons about the nativity, the shepherds and the angels. This Christmas, I’ve been reflecting on that whole scene. It’s something that has become so routine to us we often miss the significance.

It’s this simple: Shepherds were a bunch of nobodys, and God chose them to first come greet the Messiah.

Imagine what this would look like today. Baby Jesus, in a run down motel with a leaky roof, surrounded by Betty with her Wal Mart tag, Sam with his dirty calloused hands, Margo with a toy poodle tucked in her oversized purse, Phil in a pair of coveralls, and Jimmy sucking from the straw of a McDonald’s cup.

This was the Messiah’s entrance 2,000 years ago. He noticed the unnoticed back then, enough to greet them first…. and he still cares enough to hang with us today.

I guess he really lived up to that “Emmanuel” title… God is with us. All of us. Even Betty, Sam, Margo, Phil, Jimmy… and you.

(Luke 2:1-16)