Shepherds in the Night

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” — Luke 2:10

That night, in the fields near Bethlehem, there were shepherds. They were living out in the fields, taking turns to keep watch over their sheep in the dark.

Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood in front of them, and the glory of the Lord shone all around them, bright as day. The shepherds were terrified!

But the angel said, “Do not be afraid! For I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the city of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly the angel was joined by a huge crowd of angels, a whole army from heaven, filling the sky and praising God. “Glory to God in the highest,” they sang, “and on earth peace to people on whom His favour rests!”

Then the angels went back into heaven, and the night was dark and quiet again.

The shepherds looked at each other. “Let’s go to Bethlehem,” they said, “and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about!”

So they hurried off into the town. And there they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger, just as the angel had said.

Isn’t it interesting who God told first? Not the emperor in Rome. Not King Herod in his palace in Jerusalem. Not the important priests or the clever teachers. God told the news first to shepherds, ordinary working men out in the fields at night.

And how would they know which baby? Lots of babies were born in Bethlehem. But only one was lying in an animals’ feeding box. That was the sign.

After they had seen Jesus, the shepherds couldn’t keep quiet. They told everyone what the angel had said about this child. And everyone who heard it was amazed.

But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It had all happened just as they had been told.

The promise kept: The angel called Bethlehem “the city of David” (Luke 2:11). A thousand years before, the shepherd boy David had been chosen as king in Bethlehem. Now, in the same town, shepherds came to see the King from David’s family who would rule for ever.

Read it in your Bible: Luke 2:8–20

Glory to God in the highest! Thank you, God, for the good news of great joy: that a Saviour has been born, Christ the Lord. Help me to tell other people about Him, like the shepherds did. Amen.