Day 4
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Luke 2:9-11
We can guess that the sight of an angel must be scary since nearly every time an angel shows up in the Bible - as they did to Mary, Joseph, and many others - the first words the angels say are, “Do not be afraid.”
The verse above says that the shepherds were terrified. Can you feel their hearts pounding as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing, hearing, and experiencing?
It may have taken a moment before they realized the angel was there with a message of Good News from God that Jesus’ birth was for all people - both the Jewish nation and everyone else. The shepherds didn’t need to be afraid. It was time to rejoice!
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:13-14
Consider
- How do you think you would have responded to an angel sharing this news? Write a prayer to God to express your feelings.
- Gather any art supplies you might have and draw, paint, color... what you imagine the shepherds saw that night.