One of the things Dr. Luke emphasizes in the Gospel he’s writing is just how much Jesus loves the poor, the outcasts, and those on the fringes of society. The Gospel is good news for the poor, because you don’t need any social status to receive grace. Grace is the great equalizer. Only those who know they have nothing to their name can behold the riches of grace. Wealth can fool us into thinking we’re something. The poor already know their need for grace. Jesus’ coming turns the world upside-down by grace. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
I read this quotation from our own D.L. Moody this week and thought I’d share it with you. “Jesus came from heaven down to earth. He left all grandeur behind Him, He passed by palaces and thrones—to be born in a manger! He was born lowly, that He might raise men up to God. The poor have a friend in Jesus. If no one else loves them, He loves them. He came to give them liberty, to proclaim to them the gospel of God’s grace.”
As Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20).
Friends, Christmas is about grace. And grace means we’re loved, more than we know!
