Why does God like us common folk?

Obviously, the first person to see the Christ child would have been Mary, his mother. Who would have been next? Perhaps Joseph. But let’s pretend that it was widely known that the baby was none other than the eternal God himself? I’m certain that in that case the waiting line may have reached the full 6 niles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. I can see the religious leaders pulling rank to squeeze in just outside the stable door. The prosperous would be in their expensive carriages trying not to notice the “less fortunate.”
       So who was “first?” In our gospel harmony (Jesus, In His Own Words) we read about those who would be favored to see him first. ”There were some shepherds out in the open fields. caring for their flock at night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and told them that a baby had just been born, who is the Messiah” (p. 14). It was a glorious moment, complete with a heavenly entourage singing praises to God. The shepherds left immediately for Bethlehem and upon arriving at the stable they went inside and . . . There he was – the promised baby lying in a feed bin. Isn’t it interesting that God chose some humble shepherds to be the first in line? Unknown by the leadership, but honored by God.
       It is good to be reminded now and then that God evaluates many aspects of life on a totally different basis than we do. If the story had taken place today – and we could tell it like we wanted to – it wouldn’t be shepherds that were chosen, but achievers. In our culture the achievers live in more expensive homes, drive better cars, eat out at better restaurants and have friends from the same high level in society. But it didn’t happen that way. Once Jesus had left Nazareth, his contacts were primarily with ordinary people, not the rulers of the day. He taught the crowds and if there were any high level clerics around they would be found at the distant edge of the crowd. In becoming man, Jesus humbled himself and in carrying out his responsibilities here on earth his time was spent with ordinary people, not the self-important priests in the temple.
       I’m not suggesting that ordinary people in and of themselves are somehow superior, but that the high and mighty have often sacrificed their integrity by choosing to pretend that they are someone more important than they are. There are probably many reasons why Jesus decided to mingle with the kind of people he did, but one is that he simply felt more comfortable with those who shared a common outlook on life (speaking of ordinary customs and things). The reason I like Jesus’ choice of the common man is that I am one, Were Jesus an internationally known musician, I would love to hear him sing/play, but I might feel uneasy in a conversation. It’s the old “birds of a feather flock together syndrome:” Jesus became one of us, not one of them.  So that makes it a lot easier for me to chat with the Creator of the universe. He’s a close friend!