While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
all seated on the ground,
the angel of the Lord came down,
and glory shone around.
“Fear not,” said he, for mighty dread
had seized their troubled mind;
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring
to you and all mankind.
“To you, in David’s town, this day,
is born of David’s line
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord;
and this shall be the sign:
“The heav’nly Babe you there shall find
to human view displayed,
all meanly wrapped in swaddling clothes
and in a manger laid.”
Thus spake the seraph, and forthwith
appeared a shining throng
of angels, praising God, and thus
addressed their joyful song:
“All glory be to God on high,
and to the earth be peace;
good will henceforth from heav’n to men
begin and never cease.”
Nahum Tate, 1700
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
God chose shepherds. The announcement of the Savior’s birth wasn’t made to the king, to the governor, to the scholar, to the priest, the merchant, or even to the notable. It was made to regular guys, overlooked and excluded by the rest of society. That in itself is a message of hope for all of us. The message of salvation is to us and for us. Let’s make sure we respond with as much wonder and enthusiasm as the shepherds.