While Caesar flexes his tyrannical muscle, God reveals a new, powerful phase in His heavenly kingdom. The new king is announced to lowly shepherds because He would be a different kind of ruler. His humble beginnings merely highlight His power. He comes for all people. He brings joy to everyone, not just those in power. Hope gives us this power to rejoice, even in troubled times.
To those living in Israel, the coming of Jesus made sense. God had promised a king in the line of David, and now He had arrived to assume His throne. But what does His coming mean to those outside of Israel, who were not yet part of Israel’s story? Then mysterious visitors appear from a distant land, because the heavens have told them of this glorious birth. God has summoned them to find in Israel the child that would reign over all the earth. Their presence reminds us that this hope has power to reach every seeking soul.