When Princess of Wales, Diana, gave birth to Prince Henry Charles Albert David (“Harry”), it is reported that a town crier, dressed in bright costume and plumes, rang a huge bell and declared, “Her Royal Highness the Princess Diana has issued forth a second son.” Outside St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, over 300 news reporters and photographers jockeyed to get a scoop. There were two 41-gun military salutes. A child, third in line for the royal throne, was born. Little Harry made international news.

Hidden in the shadows of a stable-cave, Mary the mother of Jesus, gave birth in the less than stirile confines for livestock. No papparazi. No reporters. No headlines in the Bethlehem Gazette.

Jesus did, however, have something more impressive than a decked-out town crier. An army of singing angels did announce Jesus’ birth. They did not sing to Herod or to Caiaphas or to Pilate. Not even to Nicodemas. The angels sang and spoke to a motley bunch of shepherds who were sort of like our minimum wage earners, shoe shiners, garbage pickers. “Go, look up Jesus. He is a deliverer for you.” Shepherds were not classy or spiffy. Shepherds were basic…basic humanity. People in the raw. Shepherds talked about and cursed kings, particularly Herod, but they never dreamed of being invited into the royal court. “Go, find your king.” We have to trust the word of the shepherds about the angels. By the way, the word of shepherds was not valid in court.

A few years later a posse of pagan astrologers (magi) visit Mary, Joseph and Jesus. A starry phenomenon captured their attention. They followed a star for miles in order to find Jesus. They asked around Judea, as a matter of fact, they asked right in King Herod’s palace halls, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews”? When they found Jesus, they worshiped him, giving him valuable gifts. God doesn’t take the devil’s money. Or, does he?

With visitors like that, who needs enemies? Marginalized shepherds and rich pagans.

Amy, a friend of mine, shared a saying with me, “An expectation is a premeditated resentment.” What is God doing consorting with rural riff-raff and Zodiac worshipers? It seems the new king of the Jews is contaminating his court, polluting his royalty. Yet, what if…just what if this new little king is happy to be the king of riff-raff and graciously open to pagan outsiders? What if this thoroughly Jewish king, with the blood of David in his veins (and Tamar’s, Rahab’s, Ruth’s), is king of the whole wide world?

What is God doing? God is rearranging our expectations in order to protect us from resentment. Let’s not get caught madly shouting, “We have no king but Caesar!”

Popularity: 2% [?]