Could you imagine completing the daily duties of your job and out of nowhere an Angel of The Lord appears in front of you surrounded by a bright light? That’s exactly what happens to these shepherds in Chapter 2 of Luke. The shepherds of Bethlehem during this time protected and cared for the temple flock. This is the same flock that lambs were pulled from to complete temple sacrifices for sin by Old Testament Law. Little did they know that the Angel which stood before them was about to tell them how to find the greatest sacrificial lamb of all time, Jesus Christ!

In verse 9 it says that the shepherds were “terrified” when they first saw the Angel. The Angel then calms them by telling them not to be afraid and presents them with the gospel. He lets them know that he has GOOD NEWS that will cause GREAT JOY for ALL the people. He tells them that, “a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, The Lord.” He then gives them specific details of how they will “find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.” What stuck out to me as I was reading these verses is the fact that the Angels never had to give these shepherds an order to go see Jesus in the manger. Just by the Angel sharing the good news of our Savior with them, the shepherds “hurried” off to find Joseph, Mary, and the baby in Bethlehem. The same good news of the Gospel that turns so many hearts towards God today, did the same things to the shepherds over 2,000 years ago!

Once the Angel of the Lord’s promise had been fulfilled and they had seen Jesus laying in the manger just as described, they immediately began to spread the news that had been given to them with others. Verse 18 says that “all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” The gospel traveled the same way then as it does now. When we have an encounter with Jesus in our lives, it should drive us to share the good news with as many people as we possibly can!

In verses Luke 2:8-20 we see four things take place with the shepherds. They receive the good news, have an encounter with Jesus, share the news with everyone, and then glorify and praise God for all that they have seen and heard. My question to you today is, how are you sharing the good news with others this holiday season? In what ways are you putting yourself and your family in a position to encounter Jesus? Are you making time to glorify and praise His name for all that YOU have seen and heard?

Reflection:

• Carefully examine your life through the lens of the last few questions in this devotional.
• What are some ways we can be intentional to change those areas where we are weak?

Family Application: Luke 2:8-21

Author: Amy Stampley

In this part of the story of Jesus’s birth, an Angel appears to the Shepherds in the field to tell them that the Messiah has been born. At first they were afraid, but after the Angel told them he brought them good news of great joy, they rejoiced and were no longer afraid.

After this, the shepherds rushed to go see this special baby. The Bible tells us that Mary was treasuring up all the things that she was hearing in her heart. How exciting do you think it was for her to hear other people being told of the importance of her baby just as she was told? The Bible says that she was treasuring up these things in her heart and thinking about them. Have you ever had something so amazing or exciting that you had to pinch yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming? I think this was probably a “pinch me” moment for Mary to take it all in.

• Prayer: Dear God, thank You for giving us the gift of Your Son. Renew in us excitement to worship at the news of Jesus’ birth just like the shepherds did that night. You are such a loving Father, and we praise Your everlasting name. Amen.