At Christmas, we often set up beautiful nativity scenes in our homes. They look peaceful and clean, and they make everything feel warm and special. The truth is that most of them are not very accurate. If we wanted them to be realistic, we would have to include the smells, the dirt, and the mess of animals right there in our living rooms. We would probably need something to recreate the smell of cows and sheep if we were really trying to capture what it felt like to step into that moment. We also like to set the wise men right beside the manger, even though they did not arrive until later. They still belong in the story, so we include them.
What matters most is this truth: we are part of the story too.
When the angel came to announce the birth of Jesus, the message did not go first to kings or religious leaders. It went to shepherds. There was a reason for that.
God Sends the Message to the Outskirts
The shepherds were not respected people in their time. They lived on the edges of society. People avoided them. They were considered unclean and untrustworthy. They could not even testify in court because their word meant nothing. That is who God chose to send His messenger to first.
Jesus does this all throughout His ministry. He shows up for the outcast. He cares about the people on the outskirts. He draws near to the forgotten, the overlooked, and the pushed aside. He goes to the people no one else wants to deal with. That is who He chooses.
So if you have ever felt like nobody cares, then you are exactly the kind of person Jesus is looking for. If you feel invisible, ignored, or unwanted, Jesus sees you. He cares about your mess. He cares about your story.
Jesus did not just die for the whole world in a general way. Jesus came for you. He died for you. He stepped into your life personally.
Shepherds, Sheep, and the Smell of Real Life
There is a reason people did not like being around shepherds. They smelled like sheep. Anyone who has ever owned a dog knows exactly what this means. We love our pets, but we do not love that smell. The wet dog smell sticks to everything. You touch the dog, and you go wash your hands. You hold them, and suddenly you want to change your clothes.
The reality is that when you are around animals all the time, you start to smell like them. Shepherds lived with sheep. They worked with sheep. They slept near sheep. They absolutely smelled like sheep, and it was not pleasant.
Nobody was bottling up “eau de sheep” and selling it. That smell was something people tried to avoid.
That is who the angel went to.
Think about how powerful that is. God did not choose the people who looked the cleanest. He did not choose the ones with the best reputation. He did not choose the ones with influence. He chose the ones nobody wanted to be around.
Why God Chose the Shepherds
One reason God chose the shepherds is simple. God chooses the people that no one else chooses.
If you were the last one picked for the kickball team growing up, God is choosing you to be on His team.
God chooses the overlooked. God chooses the rejected. God chooses the forgotten.
Another reason is that Jesus often calls Himself a shepherd. Scripture uses that picture again and again. We are like sheep. We do not see very well. We get scared easily. We get hurt quickly. We wander. We need someone to guide us. We need someone to protect us. We need someone to lead us.
Jesus offers Himself as our Shepherd because that is exactly what we need.
Jesus Comes Into the Mess
The angel’s announcement was the greatest announcement ever made. A baby has been born. The Savior has come. Jesus is here.
He did not come into a spotless palace. He came into the mess. He came into the dirt. He came into the smell. He came into the brokenness.
He came to people whose lives were wrecked.
If you feel like your life has been wrecked, that is why this is good news. If you feel like things have happened to you that you cannot undo, that is why this is good news. If you feel like you have made choices that changed the course of your life, that is why this is good news.
Jesus came right into that mess.
God Turns Messes Into Messages
This is the heart of the Christmas story. God wants to turn your mess into a message.
He wants to take the hardest parts of your life and redeem them. He wants to take the things that have happened because of you and to you and bring glory out of them. There are things in our lives that we cannot fix on our own. There are places we cannot heal by ourselves.
But when we give it to Him, He steps in.
When we understand that He cares for us, when we believe that He came into our mess, when we let Him change us, He takes what was broken and turns it into something beautiful. He uses our story to tell His story.
That is the miracle of Christmas. Jesus is not afraid to use you. Jesus is not ashamed of your past. Jesus is not intimidated by your mess.
He came for you.
Practical Applications for Everyday Life
We can stop pretending we have everything together and bring our real, messy lives to Jesus. We can believe that being overlooked does not disqualify us but actually draws the heart of God. We can start seeing our pain, our past, and even our failures as places where God wants to work instead of hide.
We can choose to trust that Jesus is close to us, even when we feel forgotten. We can allow Him to turn what we are ashamed of into something that gives Him glory. We can tell our story, not because it is perfect, but because it shows how powerful His grace really is.
If you are looking for a church near me where you can be real, be known, and be loved, we invite you to join us at New Vision Church Fayetteville GA. We gather for Sunday worship every week at 10 AM at 479 Inman Road in Fayetteville, GA. We also look forward to offering a 5:30 PM service resuming in 2026 at 193 Johnson Avenue.
You do not have to clean yourself up before you come. You do not have to hide your mess. You belong here, and we would love to worship with you.