Christmas Eve celebration

Luke 2:1-14

Rev. Neli Miranda

 

            “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). These are the revolutionary words God’s messenger proclaims not to the powerful in Jerusalem or Rome, but to a group of shepherds keeping watch in the fields.

            Jesus’ birth occurs in stark contrast to the world around him. This world is ruled by Caesar Augustus, an emperor who, with a single decree, sets the known world in motion. His is a hierarchical system with himself at the apex, supported by Roman and local elites, while the vast majority of people live in poverty and oppression at the bottom. Yet, no matter what the emperor decrees, the divine plan is not prevented. Indeed, the emperor's decree becomes the very instrument God uses to fulfill His promises. The Son of God is born.

            Compelled by this decree, Joseph and Mary have traveled from Galilee to Judea. Mary is pregnant, and the time of her delivery is near when they arrive in Bethlehem, the “town of David”. They arrive at the precise location the prophet Micah had foretold would be the Messiah’s birthplace: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel” (5:2).

            In simple but profoundly meaningful words, Luke narrates the moment: “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and Mary  gave birth to her firstborn. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room for them.” Bethlehem is overflowing with families returning for the census. The home where Joseph and Mary seek shelter is full, and they are given the only space available—likely the lower level where animals were kept for warmth and safety. Here lies the great paradox: while the world moves to the rhythm of imperial power, the Son of God rests in an animal's feeding trough. While the emperor in Rome sought to ascend from man to god, the God of heaven descended to become a child in a manger.

            The scene then shifts from this quiet, glorious-human moment to the public announcement. But to whom? To shepherds. In first-century Jewish society, shepherds were often social outcasts, considered unreliable and unclean due to their work. And yet, it is to them that the euangelion—the good news—is first proclaimed. This is a hallmark of Luke’s Gospel: the good news is for the poor, the marginalized, and the humble. While the powerful and the busy were preoccupied with the census and the manifestations of imperial authority, the shepherds on the fringes possessed an openness. Their lives were not dictated by the schemes of empire but by the rhythms of the earth and sky, leaving them uniquely positioned to hear the heavens sing.

            And what a song they hear! A heavenly choir appears, praising God and proclaiming a new reality: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” This is not the Pax Romana, a peace enforced by the sword and the threat of crucifixion. This is God’s Shalom, a holistic peace that encompasses well-being, reconciliation, justice, and flourishing for all creation, given as a gift from God. The shepherds are the first recipients of this divine shalom. Invited to see the sign—the baby in the manger—they respond with haste. They find the extraordinary scene just as the angel described it, and they return “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen”. The world’s definition of power—political, military, economic—is subverted by God’s, which is revealed in humility, service, and vulnerability. In the spirit of Mary’s own song, God lifts up the lowly and brings His salvation into the world in the most humble of circumstances.

            Luke’s account is far more than a sentimental Christmas story; it is a profound proclamation of God breaking into human history. It declares that true history, God’s history, is made not in the centers of power like Rome, but on the fringes, in a forgotten town called Bethlehem. The world’s true Lord is not the one on the imperial throne but the one in the manger. Through the annunciation to marginalized shepherds, Luke establishes from the very beginning that God’s kingdom is for the poor and the humble—for all who are open and willing to hear the good news.

            From where do you await the arrival of the Son of God today: from within the world of the emperor who consolidates all power, or from the world of Bethlehem and its fields, full of social outcasts who are open and willing to hear the Good News? May our ears be attentive and tuned to the gospel being proclaimed today in the fields of Bethlehem: “to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord”. Amen.