Good News of Great Joy

READ

The shepherds weren't on anyone's guest list. They were the guys you avoided at parties—if they even got invited. They smelled like sheep. They lived outside the city. They were considered unclean by religious standards and unreliable by legal standards. They were nobodies in a society obsessed with status.

And God chose them first.

Let’s take a moment to read Luke 2:8-20:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 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. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

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.”

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.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

REFLECT

While religious leaders slept in their beds and Roman officials rested in their palaces, God's birth announcement went to a night-shift crew watching sheep on a hillside. An angel appears—not gently, but with the glory of the Lord shining around them. The shepherds are terrified. Of course they are. This isn't a peaceful candlelight service; this is divine glory breaking through the darkness like a supernova.

But the angel's first words are: "Do not be afraid." That's always God's opening line when He shows up, isn't it? Because the natural human response to encountering the divine is fear. But God doesn't want fear. He wants relationship. So the angel immediately follows with: "I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."

Good news. Great joy. For all people—not just the religious elite, not just the politically powerful, not just the wealthy. All people. Including shepherds. Including you. Including me.

Then the angel delivers the message: "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." It's the announcement the world has been waiting for, wrapped in three titles: Savior (the one who rescues), Messiah (the promised one), and Lord (the ruler of all). This baby in a manger is all of this and more.

And then—because apparently one angel isn't enough to contain this kind of joy—a whole army of angels appears, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Heaven can't keep quiet. The angels can't keep it together. It's like the universe itself is throwing a surprise party, and the shepherds get front-row seats.

When the angels leave, the shepherds don't hesitate. They don't say, "We should probably finish our shift first" or "What will people think?" They go immediately. They find Mary, Joseph, and the baby, just as they were told. And after seeing Jesus, they become the first evangelists—spreading the word about what they'd seen and heard.

Here's what gets me: these shepherds experienced good news that caused great joy, and their immediate response was to share it. Not because they had training or credentials or seminary degrees. They shared it because joy like this can't be contained. Good news demands to be told.

Think about the last time you experienced really good news—an engagement, a clean health report, a new job, a birth. Could you keep it to yourself? Of course not. You texted everyone. You called your mom. You posted about it. Good news creates momentum that pushes outward.

The gospel is the ultimate good news: God loves you so much that He became one of us to rescue us. That's worth shouting from the rooftops—or from the hillsides where shepherds work.

The question is: have we let this good news become old news? Have we heard it so many times that we've lost the wonder? The shepherds had one encounter with the angels and they couldn't stop talking about it. We have access to the living Christ every single day, and sometimes we stay silent.

Maybe this Advent, we need to see the gospel again with shepherd eyes—as breaking news, not background noise. As great joy, not just nice thoughts. As something so good we can't help but share it.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.

• Who in your life needs to hear the "good news of great joy" that you've experienced in Christ?

• What has caused the gospel to feel like "old news" to you, and how can you recapture the wonder of it?

• What would it look like for you to respond to God's good news with the same immediacy the shepherds showed?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the good news of great joy that You first announced to unlikely shepherds and still announce to unlikely people like us. Forgive us for the times we've let this incredible news become routine or boring. Reawaken our wonder at Your love. Give us the courage and joy of the shepherds to share what we've experienced with others who need to hear it. Amen.