Are you in VIP? - Day 21

What if the first people to hear the greatest news in history weren’t the powerful or the polished, but night-shift laborers with calloused hands and dusty clothes? We step into Luke 2:8–14 and discover why heaven’s choir appeared to shepherds first, and how that choice overturns our assumptions about worth, access, and belonging. No velvet rope. No cover charge. Just an open invitation to joy and peace that meets us exactly where we are.

We share a candid story about chasing VIP status and the moment the illusion cracked, revealing how easily image becomes a gatekeeper. That experience becomes a mirror for the Christmas story: God bypassed social rank to reach people who had nothing to prove and nothing to polish. 

Join our 25-day Christmas devotional journey, read along with the scriptures, and let peace interrupt your pace. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs the reminder, and leave a review to help others find a welcome worth hearing.

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Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whip

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Series Context
• 0:45 Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8–14
• 1:41 The VIP Metaphor Introduced
• 2:04 South Beach VIP Story
• 3:15 Shepherds And God’s Invitation
• 4:27 Prayer And Closing Encouragement
• 5:06 Devotional Series CTA And Sign Off

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hello, hello. This is Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast. Welcome, welcome. This year I'm bringing my 25-day Christmas devotional to life in a new way. Beginning on day 11 through day 25, each devotional entry now has a matching mini podcast episode, a simple 8 to 10 minute reflection designed to help you slow down and truly sit with the story of Jesus' birth. Each episode clearly follows the same day as the written devotional, so day 11 in the book is day 11 on the podcast and so forth. My hope is that these daily audio reflections make the journey to Christmas feel even more personal, peaceful, and meaningful. Thank you for being here. Let's go. Are you in VAP? Episode 88, day 21. Key passage, Luke 2, 8 through 14, and it says, And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, people and on earth, peace to though to those on whom his favor rests. So like I said, are you in VIP? Have you ever walked past the VAP section and wished you could sit there or walk past the first class area on a plane on your way back to your coach seat, wishing you were there up there instead? I think we've all been there as well as me. I remember my early twenties. I used to go out to nightclubs in South Beach all the time. I had a good friend who was a club promoter, so we always got into the VIP area. One night I had a group of girls with me, and they wanted to add two more girls to our group so we could come in together to the VIP area. My promoter friend looked at me and said, and I'll never forget this, Jess, what do they look like? I remember responding like, huh? What does that matter? And he said again, Jess, I need to know what they look like so I can get them in. That was the first time I had ever heard something like that, and it completely blew my mind. I decided not to go out that night. Instead, we went to a restaurant that had great music and an amazing atmosphere, and we had the best time. After that experience, I barely went out anymore. I had to really sit with what I had just realized. And so many of the places I'd been going in the past years, everyone looked like they were belonged to a magazine cover. And it it made me take a step back. And the reason I share this in a Christian devotional about the birth of Christ and the shepherds is this when the angels came to announce the birth of Jesus, they didn't go to kings or rulers or people of status, they went to the shepherds. And you have to remember, shepherds were at the bottom of the workforce at that time. They weren't well, they weren't well paid, they were often overlooked and considered beneath many others. Yet the angels came to them first. That tells us something powerful. There is no VIP with God. There is no one better than another based on appearance, wealth, or status. None of that matters. Later, Jesus himself would be described as a shepherd, watching over his flock, which is us. God loves you exactly where you are. You are always welcome to worship Jesus and celebrate his birth. There's no VIP rope, there's no cover charge, there's no need to look like a vogue cover model. Everyone is welcome, always. We are all part of Jesus' story, his birth, his life, and his flock. How amazing is that. Right? To God be the glory. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for the study of the shepherds. Father, thank you for loving us unconditionally and accepting anybody into your kingdom. Jesus died for everybody. It doesn't matter your wealth, your status, what you look like. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and you celebrate Jesus' amazing birth. Father, we love you and we thank you so much for all these amazing nuggets within the Gospels. And we love you and we praise you, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening. This episode is part of my Christmas devotional series inspired by my written devotional, 25 Days Till Christmas, a scripture-filled journey preparing our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I invite you to read along and reflect on his story in a deeper way. Details in the show notes for the written devotional. And it also says in Scripture, glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill towards men. Luke 2, 14. And don't miss the next reflection in this Christmas series by subscribing to the podcast to continue walking through God's Word this season. And a little bit about me. I'm Jesse Morgan, wife, mom, and devotional writer and podcaster who loves sharing biblical encouragement and the hope we find in Jesus. Till next time, Jesse Morgan signing off.