Luke 2:8-14

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

¹⁴ “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Jesus is born! Time to announce the news. The first to hear are “shepherds living in the country”. The news of “great joy” is that “Christ the Lord” has come as “a Savior” for “all people”. Not just all His favorite people. Not even all good people. But all people. This is the will of God, to save all (cf. 2 Peter 3:9).

Perhaps it is not surprising considering the manner of His birth that the news is first told to shepherds, rather than princes and kings. We’re beginning to catch on to the lowliness that will characterize Jesus’ life, contrary to our conceptions of God. Likewise, the shepherds would have expected to find “Christ the Lord” in some glorious set up, hence why the angel needed to warn them that He was in a “manger” (that is, an animal feeding trough).

But then there is glory. The shepherds were surrounded by the “glory of the Lord”. And the angels sung “Glory to God in the highest”.

Glory permeates the news of the birth, suggesting an important truth. The incarnation, God entering humanity as Jesus, was not contrary to His divinity. He didn’t lower Himself despite being God. He lowered Himself because He was God.

Commentators have explained that a possible translation for Paul’s description in Philippians 2 of the incarnation is “Christ Jesus, who—precisely because he was in very nature God—did not consider equality with God to be ground for grasping . . . ” (more on this).

God doesn’t have to be like this. His first priority could be Himself. And maybe such a god would still be glorious. Perhaps. But here we see God more interested in saving others than comforting Himself (after all, laying in a feeding trough is probably uncomfortable). Not disinterested in self, just more interested in others. It sounds offensive to God’s glory and supremacy, I know. But it is this selfless character that makes Him all the more glorious. That is why when then angels witnessed this truth (since even angels struggle to understand God’s character; cf. Rev. 12), they sung “Glory to God in the highest”.