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

What would you do if you were outside at night and suddenly a bright light was shining all around you and an angel of God stood before you? As I said yesterday, you would probably be speechless just like the shepherds, but something else even more amazing and wonderful was about to happen. The Bible says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” After the angels went back into heaven and things became peaceful and quiet once again, the shepherds said, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made know unto us.” They hurried as fast as their legs would take them and found the baby Jesus lying in a manger just as the angel had said. The shepherds were so full of joy that they told everyone about seeing God’s angels and the message they had received from heaven. People really wondered about the things the shepherds told them and even Mary, the Mother of Jesus, thought about these things in her heart. Even after the shepherds returned to their sheep, they could not stop praising and glorifying God for all the things they had seen and heard. Now, here’s the question I asked you to think about yesterday: “What is the most important part of this story about the shepherds celebrating the birth of Jesus?” There are probably many good answers to that question, but I think the most important part might be what the angel said to the shepherds. The angel said that “the good tidings of great joy” was for all people, and “all people” includes you and me. I want to always celebrate the birth of Jesus with joy in my heart just as the shepherds, don’t you?