The Shepherds and the Scandal of Divine Hospitality

When God wanted to announce the birth of the Messiah, who got the invitation? Not the religious authorities or political leaders or wealthy elite. God went straight to the shepherds—the people considered too unclean for temple worship, too untrustworthy for legal testimony, too marginal to matter. Their inclusion wasn't an afterthought or an act of charity; it was a declaration that God's hospitality is scandalous, consistently choosing those whom human systems exclude. The shepherds' story reveals that God doesn't just work through the unexpected—God prefers the overlooked, the marginalized, the people who know most intimately what it means to need good news. As we prepare for Christmas, their story challenges us to examine our own guest lists and discover what radical welcome might look like in our lives and communities.