*Day 24 - The Shepherds*

Yesterday we read about Jesus’ birth. This is what happened next:

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹ And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. – Luke 2:8-21.

The shepherds in the fields were surprised by an angel who told them about the birth of Jesus. They were terrified… we probably would have been too. When they heard the great news of Jesus’ birth, they went to see the Messiah, who was lying in a manger.

The shepherds were so excited that they went and told everyone about Jesus’ birth!

The greatest gift those shepherds would ever receive, is to know they had seen the Messiah. They wanted to share that with others. Jesus in the greatest gift we can give to others.

This Christmas, what are you giving? Are you giving the people around you the greatest gift they could ever receive? Do they know Jesus? Do you?

The shepherds likely knew the prophecies from the Old Testament where God promised to send a Messiah to save His people and become their King. The shepherds understood the importance of this event and knew that because of it, things would never be the same.

History was forever altered because of the birth of Jesus, and so was your life. The Shepherds believed because they had the testimony of Old Testament Scripture to confirm what the angels told them. We can also believe because we have confirmation in the completed Word of God. I implore you to make the decision to accept Jesus Christ and follow him. It is so important, that your life depends on it.

I encourage you to be like these shepherds. Be so excited to know Jesus, that you want others to know him too. Their eternity depends on it. Jesus came into the world to live and die for you and me. That’s a gift worth sharing.