I once had the opportunity to see Her Majesty the Queen. It was a very warm day in London, and I remember clearly watching her carriage drive through the gates of Buckingham Palace on its way towards the State Opening of Parliament. Before the Queen, another carriage with the Imperial State Crown had already headed for Westminster. With all the pomp and ceremony, it was just as I had expected.
Jesus’s own people were expecting a monarch. A great King who would come and free them from the oppression of the Roman Empire under which they lived. Then, finally, came the news that the King has been born—the Messiah—not in a palace, but in a stable with the animals. Not only that, but he gathered around him tax collectors, fisherman, sinners; those who were disregarded by society.
