The Significance of the Insignificant
Big Idea: God often works through ordinary people and unexpected places, inviting us to find our true significance in Christ.
This past Thursday, a new lieutenant-governor was appointed in Ontario. In this vice-regal role, the individual represents the Queen in the province. I've enjoyed some of the colorful characters who have occupied this post. From Lincoln Alexander to Hal Jackman, and now Hilary Weston, they have been interesting.
Hilary Weston is by all accounts an outstanding choice. She has poise, dignity, and beauty. She has enjoyed a life of privilege, philanthropy, and private enterprise. I'm not sure how Prime Minister Chretien selected Hilary Weston, but I know his methods differ from God's.
Prime Minister Chrétien seeks a vice-regal representative for the Queen who embodies poise, dignity, and grace. But God's most mysterious and significant plan in history unfolded through the most unexpected plot and characters. When God the Son came to the earth, he did it in somewhat of an unusual way.
This morning, I want to emphasize the extraordinary elements of the Christmas story, showing it as a heavenly drama that unfolds in unexpected ways. I also want to explore how God achieves amazing things through ordinary people in everyday situations.
Extraordinary
So look with me at some parts of the divine drama that are unusual or other-worldly.
Angels
Angels are the most mysterious and exalted beings in creation, reflecting the heavens' testimony to what is happening. Hebrews 12:22 states that when we worship, we enter the presence of "innumerable angels." There are countless angels praising God.
Now, it's not every day that one sees an angel. Whenever an angel appears in Scripture, it's always for a very unusual reason. In Luke 1 and 2, there are three angel appearances. The angels appear to Zechariah to announce the coming birth of John the Baptist. The angels appear to Mary to announce that she will give birth to Jesus. And the angels appear to a group of shepherds in the field, announcing the birth of Jesus Christ.
It's only appropriate that angels were present at such a momentous occasion. Their presence underscores the extraordinary nature of what's unfolding, as encountering an angel is anything but ordinary.
There's another unusual or otherworldly occurrence.
The Virgin Birth
I don't have to tell you that this has been one of the most ridiculed teachings of Scripture. The Bible states that Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb, without a human father. And once again, it's not just any day that a virgin birth takes place.
The virgin birth reminds us that salvation must ultimately come from the Lord. It reminds us that God brought about the birth of Jesus by his own power, not through mere human effort. It also made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person. Jesus Christ, as the eternal Son of God, took on humanity by being born of a woman, conceived by the Holy Spirit instead of a human father.
The angels and the virgin birth show us that Jesus' birth was extraordinary.
Ordinary People and Places
We all agree that the arrival of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords deserves angelic announcements and a miraculous birth. But I think we miss a lot of the Christmas story when we dress it up too much. I think we've added a bit too much glitz in part of the story.
This morning, I suggest that despite the miraculous nature of Jesus Christ's birth, it occurred among ordinary people and in common places. I would like to look at part of the Christmas story in Luke 2 and draw a few observations for us this morning. I believe this passage shows how God often works today.
The first observation is this:
When God chooses to work in miraculous ways, he often chooses the most ordinary people.
In the ancient world, it likely would have been believed that no one was more important than Caesar, the emperor of the vast Roman Empire. Caesar Augustus was the first, and according to many, the greatest Roman emperor ever to rule over the empire. He expanded the Roman Empire to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Euphrates in the east, the Rhine in the north, and the Sahara Desert in the south.
Caesar ruled during a time of great peace, initiating a golden age for Roman literature and architecture. In 27 BC, the Roman senate met and conferred on Caesar the title "Augustus," which means "exalted." But it wasn't to Caesar that the angels appeared.
In the ancient world, one would have answered that there were no more religious people than the Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees were world record holders of righteousness. They had quit their jobs to do righteousness full time. They were people who were addicted to righteousness. They followed the Scriptures and created hundreds of additional laws to ensure they stayed within the boundaries of righteousness.
The name "Pharisees" literally means "separated ones." There were about 6,000 of them, spread throughout all of Palestine. They were teachers in synagogues, seen as religious role models and self-proclaimed guardians of the law. They considered the interpretations and regulations handed down by tradition to be virtually as authoritative as the Scripture. But it wasn't to the Pharisees that the angels appeared.
In the ancient world, shepherds were likely considered the most ordinary group of people. There are no more "normal Joes" in ancient culture than shepherds. They represent the lowly and the humble of society. Some scholars teach that shepherds were outcasts in that society. Their work made them unclean and kept them away from the temple for weeks, preventing them from being purified.
But God did not send the angels to Judea or Syria, or to other places of honor and significance. He sent the angels to a group of lowly shepherds who were staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. God does not call the rich and mighty; he calls the poor and the lonely.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
(Luke 1:51-53)
When God chose a leader to free his people from Egypt, he picked a stuttering shepherd instead of an eloquent speaker. He chose an immoral prostitute, not a respected leader, to aid the spies in Jericho. When he needed someone to confront Balaam, he didn’t send a prophet but a talking donkey. When he chose the mother of Jesus, he didn’t select a sinless saint but an unknown teenager. And when he chose a rock on which to build his church, he didn’t call a stalwart leader but an impulsive loudmouth.
Even today, God doesn’t look to the intelligentsia, the power brokers, or the wealthy. Instead, he chooses people like Cecille Bernardo, Dorothy Howard, and Dave Russell. He chooses people like you and me.
When God chooses to work in miraculous ways, he often chooses the most ordinary people. My second observation is this:
When God chooses to work in miraculous ways, he often chooses the most insignificant places.
Jesus was born in very humble surroundings, either in a stable or a cave. They are in this strange birthing room because "there was no room for them in the inn." Since there is no vacancy in such a locale, the couple finds shelter where they can. And so Jesus enters the world in as mundane a way as possible. His first hours of human existence are spent in a manger. The agent of God lives without pretense.
In Luke 1, the angel announced that Mary's child would be a king of an everlasting kingdom. Zechariah noted that the Coming One would be like the rising sun, who provides light to guide our feet on the way of peace. Yet the birth of the Christ child is so simple and is located in as average a village as one can have. This is no normal setting for the birth of a king.
When his parents wrap Jesus in clothes to keep his limbs straight and lay him in the manger, the humble emptying of Jesus has begun. You see, the cast of characters and location in this drama show the significance of the insignificant. The announcement of Christ's arrival to everyday folk shows God's commitment to the mass of humanity. God chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.
God often works through ordinary people and in insignificant places.
Three Lessons
What can we learn from this?
Importance is defined by one’s role in God’s work.
It doesn’t depend on environment, status, or power. Jesus wasn’t significant because of the humble setting of his birth, but because of who he is before God. For a moment, the center of God’s activity rested in an animal trough. The dignity of that moment came entirely from the person at its center.
The lesson is clear: we may be impressed by wealth, power, or outward beauty, but God isn’t. When God works, he prioritizes substance over appearances and worldly credentials. He values the building of his kingdom above all else. And if you’re part of that work, you are significant.
The president of your company, if he’s not building God’s kingdom, isn’t important in God’s eyes. The prime minister, if he’s not part of God’s mission, isn’t important either. But if you're about Christ and his kingdom, you are important. You may never become a Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, or Max Lucado. But you are uniquely you, and that makes you deeply important to God.
God's work often happens quietly in hidden locales.
God's work does not always take place where we would expect. Sometimes God's work goes on quietly in the most unexpected of places.
As a child, I bought a brass key ring that says, "Throne Room – Buckingham Palace." I still have it. I used to imagine what it would be like if that key ring actually opened the Buckingham Palace throne room. Whenever I visited London, I would stand outside Buckingham Palace, curious about what was behind its walls.
This past summer, I paid my sixteen pounds and gained access to Buckingham Palace. And I walked through the state rooms. I unexpectedly found myself in the throne room of Buckingham Palace, just feet away from Queen Elizabeth's throne. Nearby were the thrones of previous monarchs, such as Queen Victoria. I'm impressed by that. But you know, God doesn't seem to be.
Because God doesn't usually choose throne rooms in which to act. When God works, it isn't usually a noisy affair. It isn't filled with pomp and circumstance. Often, when God works, he works quietly and in hidden locales.
For whatever reason, you and I are in a small church. It's easy to feel that God works in the megachurch or the cathedral. But the fact of the matter is, God often works quietly in a small place like this. With little fanfare and little recognition. It's like the Scriptures say in Zechariah, "Who despises the day of small things?" Not God.
There's one final lesson for us here.
Among all the things the world calls significant, it's easy to lose the most significant person: Jesus Christ.
God works in the insignificant, and sometimes that's easy to miss.
A well-known department store once introduced a doll modeled after the baby Jesus. It was advertised as unbreakable, washable, and cuddly, presented in straw with a satin crib and plastic decorations, along with biblical texts for added context. The doll didn't sell.
In a panic, the store manager launched a desperate promotion to clear out the stock. He put up a massive sign outside the store that read:
JESUS CHRIST
MARKED DOWN 50%
GET HIM WHILE YOU CAN
The glitter and distractions of the season have tried to diminish Jesus, to make him seem insignificant. And it’s so easy to overlook him. But Jesus is here this morning. He may not be what you expected. He works through the insignificant and shows up in the most unexpected places.
The Son of God left his heavenly home, was born in a temporary shelter, and was counted among the homeless during his ministry. He was buried in a borrowed grave. Through his death and resurrection, he invites all lost individuals to find a sense of belonging, security, and hope in this life, along with the promise of an eternal home in heaven.
If you believe in Christ, take time this Christmas to worship God for the gift of his Son, who makes any place feel like home. Worship him in a deeply personal and authentic way for giving you significance.
And for those who have never known this Jesus, why not meet him today? Let this morning be the moment you find your significance in Christ.
