Lk 2:11,12   Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

      

There are some verses that seem very obvious at first sight, but perhaps not quite so obvious when you think about it. Here are the instructions to the shepherds to go down to the town and find the Messiah, the Christ, who has just been born.

 

Right! Yes, well, what's that got to do with us, we're just shepherds? That could have been their response. Sometimes when God's word comes it may not seem relevant to ‘my' circumstances. The Christ? The Messiah? Yes, well I heard something about him when I was a kid but when you're a shepherd you don't have much time for religion, for going to the synagogue and all that. Where's this kid going to be born? In the rabbi's house? In a palace – he sounds important?

 

You'll find him wrapped in cloths. Cloths? No clothes? This kid hasn't any clothes of his own? You'll find him lying in a manger. A manger? Not a proper cot? Mangers are only found in stables! This child is in a stable in a manger? Hey this child is one of us, an outcast! This child is in straw, just like our lambs. Hey, this is something different, this is at our level! So how come we've got an angel telling us this? I thought angels were from God? Is God interested in us? Is this little child coming for us, the lowest of the low?