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Isaiah 40:9-11 9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Luke 2:8-20 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Good News of Great Joy
I want you to know you have Erin to thank for this sermon. I was wondering about what I could preach about between Christmas and Epiphany. I seem to always preach the same thing. Erin said, “Shepherds.” Wow, I never thought of doing that! Good idea, Erin.
Of all the people God could of announced Jesus’ birth to he chose shepherds. God could have chosen political or religious leaders but instead he chose shepherds.
Let’s consider the role of shepherds in the Old Testament. Many of the great fathers of our faith were shepherds. Abraham was one. So was his son Isaac and Isaac’s son Jacob. Moses was a shepherd before he became the leader who brought the Israelites out of Egypt.
A shepherd was responsible for leading, protecting, and caring for a flock of sheep or goats. This role required vigilance, courage, and a nurturing spirit. Shepherds guided their animals to safe pastures, guarded against predators, and ensured a consistent water source. In the broader scriptural narrative, “shepherd” also became a metaphor for leadership and pastoral care. The image underscores attributes of diligence, compassion, and watchfulness-central themes woven throughout Scripture.
Consider the 23rd Psalm, written by King David who was himself a shepherd before he became king. It begins, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”. King David then goes on to poetically describe God as the shepherd who cares for his people like a shepherd cares for his sheep.
Messianic prophecies also incorporate shepherd imagery. In Isaiah this morning we heard this about God, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
This imagery is also prevalent in the teachings of Jesus, who refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10:11, saying, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” We see this image of Jesus every Sunday in our Shepherd Window. This tender image sets the stage for the fulfillment in the New Testament, where Jesus embodies the caring shepherd who knows each sheep intimately.
From the earliest pages of Genesis to the teachings of Christ and the apostles, shepherds hold a uniquely exalted role in biblical history. Their responsibility to guide and protect reflects not only an everyday job but also an enduring spiritual blueprint. This shepherd theme can be seen throughout Scripture, shining light on divine leadership, loving care, and a call for humankind to find rest under the watchful eye of the Good Shepherd.
Luke tells us that on the night Jesus was born, the first people to hear about it were shepherds—out in the fields, doing their jobs, watching their flocks by night. That detail matters.
Because before we hear what the angels say, before we see the glory of heaven, Luke wants us to notice who God speaks to first. God chooses people who were ordinary, overlooked, and considered unimportant by society. You don’t have to be special for God to use you.
Our passage this morning is not just about what happened on the night Jesus was born. It is also about what kind of God we have, what kind of Savior has come, and what kind of response this good news calls for from us today.
After considering all this is it really a surprise that the news of Jesus’ birth came first to the shepherds? Let’s go to that night with the shepherds. Luke begins: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Imagine it with me, the sheep are settled down, asleep for the night. It’s a quiet time, a time to rest. It’s a dark time, there are no lights out in the countryside. Perhaps they were sitting by a fire.
And suddenly, an angel of the Lord appears, and the glory of the Lord shines around them. This is a reminder that God often shows up when we least expect Him, in places we least expect Him to be. God does not wait for ideal conditions. He enters real life—late nights, exhaustion, routine, and responsibility.
The stillness of the night was broken by the sudden appearance of an angel, illuminating the surrounding area with its radiant glow.
Understandably terrified, the shepherds were initially filled with fear. Sensing their terror, the angel sought to calm them with reassuring words: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Notice who the good news is for: all the people. Not just the shepherds, not just Israel. Not just the righteous. Not just the powerful. All people.
These individuals, who were simple caretakers of flocks, found themselves at the heart of one of the most monumental events in Christian history.
What followed was a message of great joy and significance. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Notice carefully how the announcement is worded. “has been born to you”. The birth of Jesus is not just a historical event to be admired. It is a personal gift to be received. The Savior is not born near you, or for someone else, but to you. This is where Christmas becomes more than a celebration—it becomes an invitation to all of us.
To recognize this child, the shepherds were given a sign: they would find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. As if this revelation wasn’t astounding enough, the solitary angel was soon joined by a multitude of heavenly hosts. Together, they praised God, declaring peace and goodwill towards humanity.
God’s plan of salvation is now fully in motion. Peace is not just a feeling—it is a reality being established between God and humanity through Jesus Christ.
This peace does not mean the absence of conflict in the world. It means reconciliation with God. It means restoration. It means wholeness. The angels praise because what humanity could never do, God has now done in sending a savior. God has bridged the un-crossable divide between humanity and God.
The shepherds’ initial fear transformed into awe and wonder. Presented with such a profound proclamation, they were faced with a decision: to continue with their duties as if the night were ordinary or to venture into Bethlehem and witness the truth of the angel’s words.
Their choice would further entwine their simple lives with a story that would be told for generations to come. Following the angelic revelation, the shepherds were left with a profound sense of urgency. Their once-routine night had been transformed into an extraordinary occasion.
The shepherds say: “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.” Notice their response. They do not dismiss the message. They do not wait for confirmation. They do not debate theology. They take action, they go.
Moved by the angel’s message, they resolved to set aside their immediate responsibilities and journey to Bethlehem. Their desire was simple: to witness firsthand the truth of the angelic proclamation. As they approached the town, the shepherds would have been acutely aware of their surroundings. The stillness of the night, the distant sounds, and the soft glow of lamps from homes would have painted a serene picture, but their focus was singular. They were in search of a child, not in a grand residence or the palace of a king, but in a humble manger.
God could have announced Jesus with spectacle and force, but instead He reveals His Savior in humility. This tells us something essential about the nature of God’s kingdom. God’s greatness is revealed through humility.
God’s power is revealed through weakness. God’s glory is revealed through love. If we are only looking for God in strength, success, and spectacle, we may miss Him altogether.
Faith in Scripture is rarely passive. When God speaks, faithful people move. The shepherds leave their flocks—something risky and possibly costly—to seek the Savior. And when they arrive, they find everything exactly as they were told. They find Mary, Joseph, and the newborn child, just as the angel had described. The scene was one of simplicity, devoid of the trappings of royalty or divinity, yet filled with a profound sense of significance. The shepherds, in their humility and earnestness, were the perfect witnesses to this moment. Their hearts, open and receptive, allowed them to fully embrace the magnitude of what they were seeing. Having seen this, they were then faced with a new decision: how to respond to this encounter and what role they would play in sharing this news with others.
Upon witnessing the newborn child and recognizing the gravity of the moment, the shepherds were filled with a newfound sense of purpose. The magnitude of what they had seen and the angelic message they had received compelled them to share the news with others. This wasn’t just any birth; it was the birth of the Savior, and the implications were vast.
After seeing the child, the shepherds spread the word about what they had been told. The first evangelists in Luke’s Gospel are shepherds. Not the Pharisees, not the religious leaders. Not the powerful Romans. Just people who encountered Jesus and told others what they saw.
The shepherds, once caretakers of flocks in the quiet hillsides, began to relay the story of their celestial encounter and the subsequent discovery of the baby in the manger to those they met in Bethlehem. Their earnest accounts, free from pretense and filled with genuine wonder, captured the attention of their listeners. And everyone who heard was amazed—not because the shepherds were impressive, but because the message was.
Here were shepherds, simple men of the fields, entrusted with one of the most important announcements in history.
Their role as messengers underscores the broader theme of unexpected choices and the elevation of the humble. In sharing the news of the Messiah’s birth, the shepherds affirmed the angel’s message and demonstrated that the essence of the story—its hope, joy, and significance—could be carried and conveyed by the most unassuming of individuals.
But now I have a story with a different version of that night. The story is about a shepherd who was a youth on that first Christmas night. Now he is old and as his grandson sits on his knee he recalls that night, “A long, long time ago, when I was little more than a boy, I was out on the Judean hills one night with some other shepherds, keeping watch over the flock. And an angel of the Lord came upon us and the glory of the Lord shone roundabout us. And we were very afraid. But the angel said, “fear not… Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. You shall find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” When he had said this the old man’s lips quivered and ceased to move and there was silence. Then the grandson turns and looks with wide, puzzled eyes into his grandfathers face and says, ” But, grandfather is that all? What did you do when you heard the good news? Was what the angel said really true? Was the Christ child ever really born?” The old shepherd sadly shakes his white head and answers, ” I never knew. I never went to see. Some say that it is all a myth. Others say they found in Him, the light of God and the power for life. But for me I could never be quite sure. Because I never did go to see.”
Don’t be the one who didn’t go. Don’t be the one who didn’t see. I know none of us can actually go but I’m talking about going in your heart. Reach out to Jesus, He is there and He is waiting. Explore again the joy that is open to us when we reach out to Jesus. Don’t just affirm the facts but know Jesus in the deepest part of your heart. Let His presence drive all doubt away and fill you with His joy.
This Christmas, we are invited to be like the shepherds:
Come to Jesus. Receive His peace. Go and share the good news.
Because the Savior has been born—and that changes everything.