Yancey, Jesus, Chapter 2

In chapter 2, the author explains in ample detail how humble were Jesus' beginnings, according to the Bible.
Christmas cards tend to sanitize the whole business, constrained as they are to be bright and pretty and cheerful. Lots of gold and glitter appear on Christmas cards, and those that mention Jesus at all say nothing about his purpose. He came to die - an idea that is offensive from square one. Once again, Jesus himself can be lost in our popular conceptions of him.
Now anyone who has witnessed a real birth knows they are messy. A one-minute old baby is not all that cute, and there's no reason to believe Jesus was either. Add in the smell of the animals and a lot of glitter falls off your picture of the incarnation.
Jesus was also (to make matters worse) in considerable danger from Herod and others when he was born. As soon as the powers-that-were got wind of the newborn king, they wanted him out of the way. (Eventually, they did kill him, of course.) Add to that the weakness of his current condition, and you can see the danger.
Yancey relates four attributes of God, highlighted in the Christmas story, which were not presented as divine virtues before this point, but would be forever after, at least by Christians. These words are humble, approachable, underdog and courageous. He treats each in detail.
Again, the world, even many Christians, are given a picture of God which will surprise and even shock them. How is the God of Christmas different from what society expects? How is he different from what you normally expect?