1. The Good News is for all to hear (8-14).
“The Son of God was born into the world not as a prince but as a pauper. We must never forget that this is where Christianity began, and where it always begins – with a sense of need, a graced sense of one’s insufficiency. Christ, himself setting the example, comes to the needy. He is born only in those who are ‘poor in spirit.’” –Kent Hughes
“Hey Mister! What is there to research about us? We are nothing! Just spend our lives running after sheep and goats. Neither home, nor an address. Sleeping under the open sky, in winter, summer, and rains… Year after year we measure the length of roads by our feet, carrying cooking utensils on camels and mules. Can’t even rest in one place for a week. Why waste time, then, yours and ours?” –Shepherd from Tim Laniak’s book, While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks
“What is amazing is not that the child is wrapped up, but who the child is and where he is. One hardly expects to find the Messiah in an animal room. One would expect a palace. But the Messiah’s humble and common origins fit nicely with the task that he shall bear for all his people, including especially the humble, hungry, and poor. The Messiah’s life will contain an unusual bookend for a king, since he was born in an animal room and will die with robbers.”—Commentator F.W. Danker
2. The Good News demands a response (15-21).