You Have a Place in the Story

Luke 1:26-27, ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

Luke 2:8-9, ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

Luke 2:25, 36a, ESV

25Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him…36And there was a prophetess, Anna, 

Matthew 2:1-2, ESV

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

What disqualifies man in the eyes of the world, has no bearing in the eyes of God. For God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

When God chose the earthly parents of His Son, He chose a young, poor Jewish couple, who were humble in means and humble in heart.  

When God sent a chorus of angels to break through the barriers of the heavenlies and shine forth into the earth, He sent them to lowly shepherds—people poor in means and poor in reputation. And they became the first people to spread the word of Jesus.

When God revealed the identity of His Son at His temple dedication, He did it to two elderly people of no position, yet who had spent their lives earnestly seeking God—Simeon and Anna. Simeon was the first person to speak a blessing over Jesus, and Anna was the first woman to tell others of the birth of Jesus.

And then there were the wise men—esteemed and wealthy, yet foreigners to the people of God. When God created a star to reveal the birth of His Son and show the way to Him, He did it for magi from a foreign land who knew the Jewish scriptures and were watching for their fulfillment. And their gifts likely paid the way for Mary and Joseph’s trip to Egypt to escape Herod’s edict. 

The young and the old. The rich and the poor. The lowly and the esteemed. All people.

All people who had a heart to seek.

All people who had a heart to see. 

And they all had a place in the story of God.

So this Christmas, if you don’t know where you fit—if your mind is bombarded by everything you’re not—then take heart. God values you. God sees you. God knows your heart. And you, dear child of God, have an important place in His story.