The Significance of the Insignificant

  • this past Thursday, a new lieutenant-governor was appointed in Ontario
  • in this vice-regal post, the incumbent is supposed to act as the Queen’s representative to this province, acting on his or her behalf
  • 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 don’t know how Prime Minister Chretien chose Hilary Weston, but I do know that his methods of choosing are a bit different from God’s
  • you see, when Prime Minister Chretien goes about choosing the Queen’s vice-regal representative, he looks for someone with poise and dignity and grace
  • but when God goes looking to unwrap his most mysterious plan, the most important plan that has ever unfolded in the history of the world, God chose the most unlikely and unusual plot and cast of characters possible
  • when God the Son came to the earth, he did it in somewhat of an unusual way
  • what I want to do this morning is to look at a few things that happened in the Christmas story that were as regal and fitting as they should be
  • and I want to do this to remind us that the Christmas story is a heavenly drama being played out in a most unusual way
  • but then I want to look at the cast and setting of this drama, and point out that when God accomplishes his heavenly purpose, he accomplishes it very often using very ordinary people in very ordinary places
  • so look with me at some parts of the divine drama that are unusual or other-worldly
  • FIRST HAS TO BE THE ANGELS
  • creation has no more mysterious and exalted beings than angels, who represent the testimony of the heavens to what is occurring
  • the Scriptures tell us in Hebrews 12:22 that when we come to worship, we come into the presence of “innumerable angels”
  • so there is an amazingly large number of angels – from a human standpoint, and innumerable assembly of angelic beings praising God
  • now, it’s not everyday 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 fitting that angels should be present at such an auspicious occasion
  • the angels remind us that what we’re seeing is a very unusual occurrence, because it’s not everyday that one sees an angel
  • there’s another unusual or other-worldly occurrence
  • AND THEN THERE’S THE VIRGIN BIRTH
  • I don’t have to tell you that this has been one of the most ridiculed teachings of Scripture
  • but the Bible clearly asserts that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother Mary by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and 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
  • in no better way could the deity of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God take on humanity that to be born of a woman, yet not by a human Father but by the power of the Holy Spirit
  • I think we all agree that an event as unusual as the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is fitting of 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 my premise is that as unusual and miraculous as the birth of Jesus Christ was, it took place among the most ordinary people and in the most ordinary places
  • I would like to look at part of the Christmas story in Luke 2 and draw a few observations for us this morning
  • because I believe that the way God worked in this passage is indicative of the way that he 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, if anyone had asked if there was a more important person that Caesar, the emperor and ruler of the vast Roman empire, the answer surely would have been no
  • Caesar Augustus was the first, and according to many, the greatest Roman emperor ever to rule over the empire
  • under his rule, he expanded the Roman empire as far west as the Atlantic ocean, as far east as the Euphrates, as far north as the Rhine, and as far south as the Sahara desert
  • Caesar also reigned in a period of great peace, and he ushered in the golden age of 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, if anyone had asked if there were more a more religious people than the Pharisees, the answer surely would have been no
  • 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
  • not only did they obey the Scriptures, they made up several hundred laws to border their behavior so that they would not get out of the fence 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 the synagogues, religious examples in the eyes of the people, and self-appointed guardians of the law and its observance
  • 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, if anyone had asked if there were more a more ordinary group of people than shepherds, the answer surely would have been no
  • 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 not only made them ceremoniously unclean, but it kept them away from the temple for weeks at a time so that they could not be made clean
  • 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
  • (Luke 1:51) He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
  • (Luke 1:52) He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
  • (Luke 1:53) He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
  • when God chose a leader to take his people out of Egypt, he didn’t choose an eloquent orator but a stumbling stutterer
  • when God chose a woman to help the spies in Jericho, he didn’t choose a respectable pillar of the community but an immoral prostitute
  • when God chose someone to confront Balaam, he didn’t choose a prophet but he chose a talking donkey
  • when God chose a woman to mother Jesus, he didn’t choose a sinless saint but an unknown teenager
  • when God chose a rock upon which to build his church, he didn’t choose a stalwart leader but an impetuous loudmouth
  • when God chooses to work today, he does not choose the intelligentsia, or the power brokers, or the rich
  • but he chooses people like Cecille Bernardo and Dorothy Howard and Dave Russell
  • he chooses people like you and me
  • but the second observation is this
  • WHEN GOD CHOOSES TO WORK IN MIRACULOUS WAYS, HE OFTEN CHOOSES THE MOST INSIGNIFICANT PLACES
  • we all know that the birth of Jesus took place in the most humble of circumstances, for the child is born in either 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 show God’s commitment to the mass of humanity
  • God chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise
  • what are some lessons in this?
  • LESSON NUMBER ONE: IMPORTANCE IS A FUNCTION OF ONE’S ROLE IN GOD’S WORK
  • in other words, importance is not a matter of one’s environment or the supposed status that things bring, and importance does not come from power
  • Jesus is important not because of the setting of his birth, but because of who he is before God
  • for one moment, the center of God’s activity resides in an animal trough
  • the dignity of the event comes from the person lying at the center
  • the lesson for us is clear
  • we might be impressed by the powerful or the rich or the attractive
  • but God isn’t
  • when God works, he doesn’t concern himself with the surroundings or the accoutrements
  • God doesn’t go out like our prime minister and search for the important to take on important tasks
  • God attaches importance to building his kingdom
  • and if you’re building God’s kingdom, you’re important
  • the president of your company, if he’s not building God’s kingdom – he’s not important
  • the prime minister of the country, if he’s not building God’s kingdom – he’s not important
  • but you, if you’re building his kingdom, you’re important
  • even in God’s kingdom, you’re probably not going to be a Billy Graham or a Chuck Swindoll or a Max Lucado
  • but you’re you, and you’re important to God
  • LESSON NUMBER TWO: SOMETIMES GOD’S WORK GOES ON 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 remember fantasizing about what it would be like if that key ring actually did have a key to the throne room of Buckingham Palace
  • whenever I traveled to London, every time, I would stand outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, wondering what it is really like behind those walls
  • this past summer, I paid my sixteen pounds and gained access to Buckingham Palace
  • and I walked through the state rooms
  • all of a sudden I entered one room and realized that I was in the throne room of Buckingham Palace, standing a few feet away from the throne of Queen Elizabeth
  • nearby where 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 began to sell a doll in the form of the baby Jesus
  • it was advertised as being unbreakable, washable, and cuddly
  • it was packaged in straw with a satin crib and plastic surroundings, and appropriate biblical texts added here and there to make the scene complete
  • but it didn’t sell
  • the manager of one of the department stores panicked
  • he carried out a last-ditch promotion to get rid of those dolls
  • so he put up a huge sign outside his store that read:
  • JESUS CHRIST-
  • MARKED DOWN 50%
  • GET HIM WHILE YOU CAN
  • you know, the tinsel and tarnish has just about done this
  • it’s tried to mark Jesus down and make him insignificant
  • and it’s so easy to miss him
  • but Jesus is here this morning
  • he perhaps is not what you expected
  • he uses the insignificant things of the world and comes in the most unexpected places
  • the son of God leaves his home, he’s born a homeless person in a temporary shelter, he identifies with the homeless all throughout his ministry, he’s buried in a borrowed grave, and, yet, through his death and resurrection, he enables all wandering people to recapture a sense of home in this life, recapture a sense of belonging, a sense of security, a sense of optimism and, beyond that, he promises a permanent home in heaven forever.
  • if you know this Christ and you’re sure of it, don’t let this Christmas time pass without worshipping God for the gift of his son that makes home possible wherever you are
  • make sure you worship God in a profoundly personal and authentic way for making you significant
  • and for the rest of you who have never known this Jesus, why don’t you get to know him this morning?
  • why don’t you mark this morning as the morning that you came became significant in Christ?
Darryl Dash

Darryl Dash

I'm a grateful husband, father, oupa, and pastor of Grace Fellowship Church Don Mills. I love learning, writing, and encouraging. I'm on a lifelong quest to become a humble, gracious old man.
Toronto, Canada