Luke 2:8–20: the angelic reveal

Today, the birth of a baby is often announced on social media, accompanied by carefully chosen photos of a joyful mother cradling her newborn in a comfortable setting. In contrast, an image  of Jesus’ birth would likely stir empathy for a child brought into the world under such stark circumstances. Mary gave birth in a dark, dirty place and laid her infant son in a used feeding trough—hardly the kind of scene that would attract “likes.” But in that humble moment, “God stepped into the warm lake of humanity. Without protocol and without pretension.”