Luke 2:8-20

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,

    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Jesus was born in the obscurity of an animal pen in the little town of Bethlehem. In the busyness of the census crowds, few noticed.

But God revealed it to some unlikely people: shepherds in the fields nearby. And he revealed it with some fanfare - a mighty army of angels.

Shepherds did not have a good reputation. They were rough and dishonest. It is no wonder that they were terrified when confronted by an angel! But is this not what Mary had sung about? God lifts up the lowly. These shepherds discovered that God had not forgotten them. They were given one of the greatest privileges of all time - the first to visit Jesus. And they were transformed by it. If they were far from God prior to this, they left the baby telling everyone they could find and glorifying and praising God.

They repeated over and over again, to all who would listen, what the angel had said to them. This child was the Saviour, the Messiah, the Lord. His birth is good news. They had met their Saviour.

God cares about the lowly.

But not only them. Note that the angel proclaimed that Jesus' birth was good news of great joy for all people. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. God wants all people to be saved.

It is just that, so often, it is the lowly who know their need and who respond. The rich and powerful tend to think they do not need God. God responds to those who are humble enough to cry out for help.

For Reflection

1. Does the knowledge of God's gift of a Saviour cause you to celebrate with dancing and singing and an overflowing heart? Why or why not?

In my humble opinion, this carol expresses the reality of Christmas better than so many others. Look up the words and ponder them.

Day 8 of our journey included a photo of modern Bethlehem taken from one of the sites said to be the shepherds' field. Have another look at that.

Can you imagine the village of Bethlehem on the far hill and the shepherd's tending their sheep and being shocked by the appearance of the angel, on the near hill? Can you imagine them making the journey to the village and rushing back all excited?

As a family, retell that story the way you think it would have been.

Dear Father, we thank you that you love all people and want everyone to be saved. We thank You too that You care about the disadvantaged and those who suffer injustice. Please help us to be humble and to understand how much we need You.

In Jesus' name, amen.