5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”
We choose this day to remember the birth of Jesus. In Jesus both the small and the great are seen. I know this is not what this verse in Revelation is talking about, but it is Christmas day after all! And I need to say something about His birth. Jesus came for small and great alike. In the entourage that greeted his birth were small and great. The shepherds to whom the angels came and sang the news were among the least in the world of their day. The profession of shepherd was assigned to those who had little or no stature in their world. How much intelligence does it take to watch sheep? It is not like they are trained, circus performing sheep! They were like our modern security guards. (If you are a security guard, please don’t get offended.) Their job is to watch. Most of the time, nothing happens. Most nights it is boring and monotonous. How much trouble can sheep get into in the middle of the night? But it is to shepherds that the message comes that the most important birth in history has happened, and they get to be witnesses of this event. The small are the first to get a glimpse of this baby with an understanding of His position in the world as Savior. But the great are involved in his infancy as well. Wise men from a distant country have understood from an event in the night sky that this baby would change the world. They travel in hopes of presenting their wealth to Him as a token of their understanding of His life. Today we would call these men Nobel laureates and award them the prize for science. They were among the great of their world. They had enough wealth and prestige to travel for several years on their own dime. They were brilliant scholars having studied the great literature of many cultures and languages. But more than that, they were able to cull from their great knowledge God’s plan for humankind. Their learning did not become an excuse for ignoring the call of God on their lives to leave their country and travel to a small town in Israel to present gifts to an infant. Both small and great will be among those worshiping in heaven, because status means nothing to God. It is our heart that matters, a heart that is tender to Him. So whether you are small or great today, bow before Jesus and offer your worship.
The Arnold Journey 