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Of course, you know the story of the baby Jesus born in the manger. But what about the others involved? According to Dan Darling, author of the new book, The Characters of Christmas, there are a number of misfits, outcasts and ordinary people who play a pivotal role in the birth of Christ. What can we learn from Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, and the shepherds? What important thread in God’s grand plan of redemption does the story’s villain play?  What is significant about the role of the angels?  Dan is the Vice President for Communications for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and serves as Pastor of Teaching and Discipleship at Green Hill Church in Tennessee. He’s the author of several books and frequently contributes to publications from Christianity Today to USA Today. As Dan says, the Christmas story is one of reordering—of a new kingdom and a new king. And there’s much we can discover from the ordinary people who are swept up in the plan of God.   Dan is on the show today to share more about these individuals in the Christmas story and the central figure they point to at the center of it all. Jesus—the one, as Dan says, whose birth, life, death and resurrection change everything.  Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.