“For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
 Luke 2:11

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In this Sunday’s message, Pastor Brittany Smigielski invites us to slow down and behold the Christmas story again not as something familiar or sentimental, but as good news that restores worth. Christ’s arrival declares value over those who have been overlooked, labeled, or pushed to the margins. On that holy night, God entered the human story and spoke identity, dignity, and belonging over those who believed they were nearby but not in. The birth of Jesus announces that no one is too far outside to be invited in.

God enters human history intentionally

• Often through the most unlikely people and places.
• In Luke’s account, shepherds are the first to receive the announcement of Christ’s birth.
• These were men considered unclean, socially untrustworthy, spiritually overlooked people pushed outside the city, allowed to be nearby but not fully in.
• Iit is to them that the angel proclaims, “Fear not… I bring you good news of great joy for all people.”
• While the world defines “good news” as power, victory, or status, God’s good news is different.
• He announces His arrival not to the elite or influential, but to the lowly and marginalized.
• The King of Kings chooses outsiders as the first witnesses of His coming, proving that His kingdom is for all people.

Shepherds were given a sign

• God personally invites them into the very city they were excluded from, allowing them to behold Christ the King.
• In that moment, their identity is restored and their souls feel their worth.

Scripture reveals God’s careful design:

• The same shepherds who raised lambs for temple sacrifice are the first to see the Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world.
• Jesus later identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd.
• Placing Himself not among the powerful, but among those on the outside.
• The shepherds didn’t just hear the good news; they responded.
• They went, they saw, and they testified.
• The light of Christ broke into the darkness then and continues to break into dark places now.
• You are not defined by the labels placed on you. In Christ, you are redeemed, known, and invited to belong.

Discussion Questions

• Where are you still believing a label instead of the good news God speaks over you?
• What does it look like for you to move from hearing the gospel to responding like the shepherds did?
• How is God inviting you to step out of the “nearby but not in” space and fully come into His kingdom?