Shepherds and Angels

Luke 2:8-20

Our true story comes from a part of the Bible called the Gospel of Luke. Luke loved Jesus and wanted others to know and love Jesus, too. And the word gospel means “good news!”


We begin on a starry night in a field a long time ago. There were shepherds in the field taking care of sheep. What sound does a sheep make? “Baa!”


While the shepherds were taking care of their sheep, something amazing happened. 


All of a sudden, an angel appeared in the sky! The shepherds were so surprised! “The angel spoke to the shepherds and said: “I bring you good news that will give great joy to all people!”


Then the angel said: “Jesus, God’s Son, has been born! And Jesus has come to be EVERYONE’S friend forever!” Wow! That is good news! Because that means Jesus wants to be MY friend forever and YOUR friend forever!  That IS good news worth celebrating! 


Then the whole sky filled with angels celebrating! They praised God and said: “Glory to God in the highest!”


After the angels shared the good news, the shepherds had so much joy, they ran to see Jesus! 


When the shepherds saw baby Jesus lying in the manger, the shepherds knew they needed to share the joy that Jesus gave them with EVERYONE because Jesus came to give everyone joy!


Jesus gave the shepherds joy, and Jesus can give you joy, too, because Jesus came to give the whole world joy! THAT is the good news we are celebrating! So, when anyone asks you, “Who gives you joy?” You can say, “Jesus gives me joy!”






Bible Paraphrase: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” —Luke 2:10, ESV

Text Truth: Jesus came to give the world joy.



Family Devotional

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.
—Luke 2:8-20

In our Bible Story, God sent an angel to tell the shepherds that His Son, Jesus, had been born. Then the sky filled with angels praising God! The shepherds had so much joy they ran to see baby Jesus! Then they ran to tell everyone in town about Jesus so those people could have joy too! Jesus came to give the world joy. That means Jesus gives me joy, and Jesus gives you joy!

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” —Luke 2:10, ESV

In our Bible story, the angel told the shepherds the good news about Jesus! So, with your family, take a piece of paper and make a list of people you can tell the good news about Jesus. Have each family member write down the name of a person they can tell about Jesus. And make sure they write their name next to the person they can tell.

Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, say, “Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to give every person in the world joy. That is such good news! Help us tell (read the list your family made) that Jesus loves them, and He wants to be their friend forever. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

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Some story illustrations are in the Public Domain.

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