The God of the Underdog
We have all heard the story of David and Goliath many times. It is the original underdog story. A young man against a grown man. A shepherd against and warrior. A harp player against a sword-player. And we root for the underdog don’t we.
But maybe the real impact of this story is not that we choose the side of the underdog, but that God does. The very beginning of the David’s story, he is the underdog. He is the youngest and overlooked son of Jesse after-all. But that is who God chooses.
The Christmas story is a continuation of the underdog story that began with David. Bethlehem itself was a backwoods town, small even among the settlements of the people of Judah. Mary was not chosen for her influence or prestige. Joseph came from the line of David, but so far down that line that Matthew and Luke don’t trace it back to through the same people.
God is the God of the underdog, the overlooked, the seemingly insignificant. This is good news for the lot of us. The baby this Christmas does come for all people, but first he comes to the underdog, to the least, to the lowly. This is the good news of great joy for all people. Praise be to God!