Luke 2:11-12 He Came To Get Messy

Today, in the city of David a Liberator has been born to you! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority! You will know you have found him when you see a baby, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a feeding trough.

Observation
The Jews had been promised a King that would come a liberate them. An Angel appears to the shepherds proclaiming that such a redeemer had come. Can you imagine the scene? It is dark, a messenger appears, shouts the incredible news that The Lord is here, the angels sing...you are listening and watching in amazement as the messenger of The Lord describes who has come, and then he says you will know you have found him when....you see a palace and a child wrapped in silk and other fine linen? No. How about when you see a huge crowd gather around a small child, surely everyone has been invited to the birth of Christ. We shepherds are the outcasts, so there must be a great crowd. No.
The Angel says you will know you have found Him, when you see a baby wrapped in a blanket lying in a feeding trough. What? A baby lying in a feeding trough is the Liberator?
As much as the King of Kings finding his bed in a feeding trough is strange, it is just as strange that this heavenly event would happen upon shepherds in a field. But God wanted the Shepherds to know that Christ was their King too.

Application
From the beginning Christ has been willing to dive into the biggest of messes. No place and no one so dirty, He takes them all. In that society the shepherds would have been classified some of the biggest messes around, but not to the King of Kings. He not only embraces them, but gives them an invitation to come, that has never happened before or since.
Still today, Christ beckons us to bring him the mess. In fact, He beckons us daily. For me this is a great reminder that Christ is not intimidated by my mess; He wants me to bring it to Him.

Prayer
Father, thank You for diving into my mess. When I'm tempted to conceal my junk, please remind my heart who You are, so that I can bring it all to You. I love You!