How unusual is it that Jesus was born in a messy place with messy people all around him? We would expect a royal child to be wrapped in silk, lying in a golden crib, living in a fabulous palace, surrounded by important people.

Why a stable, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger?

Because there is no place he will not go! There is no thing he will not do. There are no depths he will not descend in order to bring God’s power, love, grace, peace and presence to anyone who will have him.

“This will be a sign to you,” the angel says… “You will see God in a messy place.”

And this is good news to us because we’re messy people. We live in a messy world.

So the angel says, “Here’s the good news. Here’s the good news of Christmas. Our God is not afraid of a mess. The God who was born in a stable and laid in a manger will come right in the middle of your life no matter how messed up it is.”

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Today we’re going to look at how unusual it was that Jesus was born in a messy place with messy people all around him.

We’ll start reading in Luke 2 if you want to turn there.

Luke 2 starting at verse 8

There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

They weren’t all calm, cool, and collected when this happened. “Oh, look, guys; there’s someone in the sky.” It wasn’t like that.

No, they were freaked out. They hadn’t seen the Christmas cards yet; they didn’t know how this was supposed to happen.

And the angel makes this announcement:

Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

The angel said to the shepherds, “Don’t be afraid. I bring you Good News!… Great Joy!… which will be for all people everywhere.

Today in the town of David a Savior is born!

And this Savior is The Messiah!

He’s the King!

He’s the Lord!

He’s the one this world has been waiting for.”

And then the angel says this intriguing thing, “Here’s the sign… here’s the tip-off, here’s the dead giveaway that will enable you to recognize the real deal when you see him.”

And if you’re a shepherd, you most likely expect this sign’s going to be pretty impressive.

If this is a royal child you’re expecting the angel to say you’ll recognize the baby because you’ll find him wrapped maybe in silk and lying in a golden crib and living in a fabulous palace because that’s how kings do it in this world.

But the angel doesn’t say anything like that. The angel says, “You’ll find this baby born in a barn, wrapped in rags, lying in a feed trough.”

It’s a very ironic thing because in our day when we see nativity scenes, they always looks so neat.

People in the nativity scene look perfect. Their hair looks great and their robes look ironed and clean.

But in the actual barn where Jesus was born, it wasn’t that way. Because a barn is a messy place.

I’ll guarantee you when Mary found out that’s where she was going to give birth to her baby, she didn’t say to Joseph, “Hey, they’re giving us the stable, sweet. This is kind of a neat, quaint way to give birth.”

No one washed out the barn with soap and water ahead of time.

It looked and smelled the way barns always look and smell.

It was not a nice place to have a child.

And when the shepherds showed up in the barn, they didn’t bring a big increase in class to this event.

Shepherds don’t buy their clothes at Nordstrom’s.

They’re not known for hygiene.

To be a shepherd was not a very exciting career. There was not a lot of prestige. There was not a lot of status in being in the shepherding business.

Think about it, shepherds don’t even get the great costumes in Christmas programs. The Wise Men always get the great costumes.

Shepherds ate with the animals.

Shepherds slept with the a