Shepherds Hear Amazing News! (Luke 2:1-18)

The sheep on the fields outside Bethlehem were all sound asleep.  It was dark, but they were not afraid.  They knew their shepherds were watching over them.  The night was chilly and the campfire felt good.

“Do you see what I see?” one shepherd suddenly asked.

“Yes,” another shepherd responded.

The first shepherd pointed to the sky saying, “Look at the light in the sky!  I’ve never seen anything like that before. I’m really scared.”

The angel in the sky reassured them, “Don’t be afraid.  I have good news that is meant for everyone all over the world!  A baby has been born tonight.”

With shock and surprise in their voices, the shepherds all said at nearly the same time:  “A BABY?”

”Yes,” the angel replied.  “A baby has been born. The most important baby in all the world has been born.”

Puzzled, the shepherds looked at one another.  Then one of them said, “IMPORTANT baby?”

“A very SPECIAL baby,” the angel said.  “He is a Savior.”

Still frowning in wonderment, the shepherd asked: “A Savior?  Can this be true?”

“It’s true,” the angel replied.  “He is in Bethlehem right this very minute.  He is in a stable – all wrapped up and tucked in – lying in a manger.

Shading his eyes with his hands, a shepherd asked the others: “Do you SEE what I see?”

As they also shaded their eyes with their hands, the other shepherds all replied at almost the same time: “YES!  The sky is full of angels!”

The shepherd asked the others: “Do you HEAR what I hear?”

“YES!” they all responded at almost exactly the same time.

The angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

“The angels are praising God,” the shepherd said.  “I’ve never heard anything so wonderful!”

The shepherds all fell on their knees to the ground in worship.  The angels in the sky disappeared.  The light disappeared.  It was dark again.  It was quiet again.

The shepherds looked at each other and then back up to the sky and then back to each other.  Finally one of them dared to softly speak, “I wonder if it’s true?”

Another replied, “It MUST be true!  An ANGEL told us!  There’s only one way to be sure.  We must go RIGHT NOW to Bethlehem and find out.”

They hurried as fast as they could to the village and found Mary and Joseph.  Jesus lay snuggled in the manger’s straw.  They went in quietly, knelt down and thanked God for baby Jesus.  When the shepherds left, they told everyone they met that Jesus, the Savior of the world, had been born!

SUGGESTED SONG:  “Glory” from Mary Christmas album.