The Story of Shepherds Celebrating the Birth of Jesus, Part 1 (Luke 2:9-20)

Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus every year on Christmas day, and we really should celebrate because it was a very wonderful thing that God did when he sent his Son all the way from heaven down to this earth to become our Lord and Savior. Baby Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and the Bible tells us about a very exciting thing that happened on that first Christmas. Shepherds were taking care of their sheep at night and keeping them safe from wild animals. Everything was probably peaceful and quiet, but all of a sudden the shepherds become very frightened; in fact, we could say they were almost scared to death. Do you know why? The Bible says, “the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” The angel then talked with the shepherds and told them not to be afraid. Here’s what the angel said, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” What would you do if you were outside at night and all of a sudden you saw an angel of God, and there was a bright light shining all around you? You would probably be speechless just as the shepherds, but wait, that’s not all that happened. Tomorrow, we will share the rest of the story. Until then be thinking about your answer to this question, “What do you think is the most important part of this story about the shepherds celebrating the birth of Jesus?”