上帝看顧卑微
世界轉眼不看之處，正是上帝矚目之地。
世界逃避之事，正是上帝教導之理。
世界拋棄之物，正是上帝揀選之人。
儘管這事在地上不引人注意，在天上卻受到千倍的榮耀。倘若一位天使從天降下，贊美你和你的善工，難道你不會認為這贊揚勝過全世界的贊美和榮耀嗎？你還會覺得自己所受的卑微和藐視尚且不配得到這般贊賞呢。如今，天堂里所有的天使都不能抑制自己的喜悅。他們爆發出贊美，讓田野間貧苦的牧羊人聽到。他們講道、頌贊、歌唱。他們傾倒出那遠超度量的喜樂。這又是怎樣的榮耀啊？伯利恆所有居民的喜樂，以及地上所有君王貴族的榮耀加在一起，能否與這喜樂和榮耀相比呢？不能相比！那不過是污穢和憎惡而已。人若思想天上的喜樂和榮耀時，就再也不願思想地上的喜樂榮耀了。
看啊！上帝是怎樣榮耀那些遭鄙視的人和易受藐視的人啊！在此，你可以看到上帝的眼目投射在哪裡？在低賤卑微之處！正如書上說：「他坐在基路伯上，眼望著極深之處。」 是的啊，天使也不向什麼君王顯現，而向那些無知平民，向這地上最卑微之人顯現。天使們怎麼可以不對祭司長和耶路撒冷城裡的學究說話呢？畢竟，這些人整日都談論著上帝和天使呀。不，貧苦的牧羊人，在地上一無所有的人，他們必須配得接受天上盛大的恩典和榮耀。
上帝完全摒棄了處高位者！我們卻瘋狂地追求虛空的高位，以為在天上也受尊崇。我們不知道上帝只看顧深淵。結果是：我們自己不斷地走出上帝的視線，以至於他在深淵之中再也看不到我們了。
這些話語已足夠激勵單純的人思考了。各人都當努力思想！這話語就是純火，如果將它存放在心，這話語將溫暖人心，正如我們在耶利米書23:29節中讀到：「耶和華說：『我的話豈不像火。』」 所以，我們看到，上帝之道的本質就是教導我們理解上帝和他的作為。上帝之道的目的就是表明：世俗的生命沒有價值。因為上帝並沒有按照這種世俗的生命而活。他的生命並不擁有什麼貨物、尊貴、和權能。上帝不紀念這些，也未提及這些，而是反面教導，「愚拙」行事。
世界轉眼不看之處，正是上帝矚目之地。
世界逃避之事，正是上帝教導之理。
世界拋棄之物，正是上帝揀選之人。
儘管我們不喜悅跟從上帝的工作，不願意捨棄貨物、榮耀、和生命，但是事情必然如此發生和發展，不會改變，因為上帝不會教導別的，不按他法行事。上帝不會跟從我們的方向。我們必須遵循上帝的方向。無論甚麼人鄙視上帝的話語，和降生為人的作為，也不願從其中得安慰，他就得不到拯救。
如果上帝不是如此卑微地降生，如果天使們不單向窮苦的牧羊人發出情不自禁的喜悅，那麼上帝要怎麼做，才能更喜樂地表明上帝恩待世上所有低微、遭輕視之人呢？——馬丁路德（AE 52:13-14）（《講道集》）
Even as it is disregarded on earth, it is highly honored in heaven, and indeed a thousand times more. Suppose an angel from heaven praised you and your works, would you not consider it greater than the praise and honor of all the world? You would feel you could not bear enough humbleness and contempt for it. Now, what sort of honor is it that all the angels in heaven cannot contain themselves for joy, that they burst forth giving poor shepherds in the field a chance to hear them, that they preach, praise, sing, and pour out their joy beyond measure? Can the joy and honor of all the people of Bethlehem, indeed that of all kings and lords on the earth, be compared to this joy and honor? It is nothing but filth and abomination, of which nobody likes to think when he contemplates this joy and honor!
Behold, how richly God honors those who are despised and apt to be despised of men! Here you see where his eyes are turned: into the depths and low places, as it is written: “He sits above the Cherubim and looks into the depth or the abyss.” Then, too, the angels could not find any princes or potentates, but only unlearned lay people and the lowliest of all the folk on earth. Could they not have addressed the high priests and the learned men of Jerusalem? After all, they talk a lot about God and the angels. No, poor shepherds, who were nothing on earth, had to be worthy to receive such great grace and honor in heaven. How completely does God spurn that which is high! And we only strive madly and frantically after vain heights, lest we be honored in heaven; again and again we step out of God’s horizon, so that he might not see us in the depths, the only place where he looks.
Let this be enough of an incentive for contemplation on the part of simple people. Let each one strive by himself! All words are pure fire, they warm the heart, provided a person keeps them there, as we read in Jeremiah 23[:29]: “My words are like fire.” As we see, it is the nature of the divine words to teach us to understand God and his works; their aim is to show us that this life is nothing. Since he does not live in accordance with this life and does not own goods, honor, and power of this temporal life, he has no regard for them and he does not speak of them, but teaches only the reverse, and acts “foolishly”: he looks at that from which the world turns away, teaches those things from which the world flees, picks up what the world casts aside. And although we do not like going along with such actions of God and do not wish to give up goods, honor, and life in this manner, yet that is how it must be. For it cannot be changed; God teaches and acts in no other manner. We must take our direction from him; he will not take his direction from us. Also, whoever disregards his word, his deed—the nativity—and his consolation, certainly has no good sign of salvation in him. How could God have demonstrated more pleasantly that he is gracious to all those who are lowly and despised on earth than by this lowly birth, from which the angels derive joy and which he reveals to none but the poor shepherds? （AE 52:13-14)(Sermons)
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