The nativity was, frankly, a strange scene. Whether Mary gave birth in a cave, a stable, or the lower room of a small home is debated. But who showed up is not.

The Lord of the universe entered the world surrounded by an adoptive, working-class father; held by a nervous but faithful young mother; and stared at by a band of startled, exhausted shepherds. No nobility. No dignitaries. Just ordinary, overlooked people.

Ancient birth stories for kings never read this way. Royalty always received choreographed crowds and ceremonial households. No one would invent a Messiah welcomed by shepherds; it’s too improbable. And yet that’s exactly the point.

The people around Jesus at His birth revealed something essential about His kingdom: He gravitates toward the poor, the marginalized, and the unseen. He does not climb social ladders; The God of the universe descends them.

And the people we surround ourselves with often reveal how we see ourselves.

Social climbers need others to step on or step over.
Carefully curated live emphasize the safe and the impressive.
Jesus, however, chose the misfits, the outsiders, the ones who didn’t belong anywhere else. That was the kingdom He is building.

So if you feel like you don’t fit—if life this year has left you on the margins—the good news of Christmas is stunningly simple: To Christ, you belong.

Then consider, what is one way you may associate with the marginalized this Christmas?