The Shepherds Tell the Good News
Month 1: The Word Became Flesh · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 2:15–20
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him. 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 they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.
Memory Verse
“Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!”— Luke 2:11 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Exodus 36–38
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 27 of 365 — the people give willingly to build the place where God will dwell.)The Heart of It
The moment the angels left, the shepherds didn't sit around debating whether they had really seen what they saw. They said, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass." And they hurried. Then they saw baby Jesus with their own eyes. After that, they "made widely known" everything the angel had told them (). These were the lowest workers in society. Shepherds couldn't even serve as witnesses in court. Yet God made them the very first missionaries. They simply couldn't keep the good news to themselves.
That is what love looks like when it meets good news. It shares. Imagine you found the cure for a sickness everyone you loved was dying from. You wouldn't keep it secret. You'd tell everyone. Loving others means we don't hoard Jesus. We point people to Him. And notice who told it. Not the priests. Not the kings. It was ordinary, overlooked people. You don't have to be important, or grown-up, or good with words to tell someone about Jesus. You just have to have met Him and love them enough to share. The shepherds went back to their fields "glorifying and praising God." Telling the good news made their own joy bigger, not smaller.
Around the Table
The shepherds were SO excited about baby Jesus that they ran and told everybody! We can tell people about Jesus too.
Let's do it: Cup your hands and "shout" quietly, "Jesus is here! Come and see!"
The shepherds were simple, ordinary workers. And God chose them to tell the news first. You're never too small to share Jesus.
Let's talk: Who is one person you could tell about Jesus this week? What would you say?
Shepherds couldn't even testify in court. Yet God made them the first to spread the news. The good news is shared best when it overflows. They simply "couldn't help" telling it.
Let's go deeper: What holds you back from telling friends about Jesus? And how does loving them change the way you see that fear?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's the best news you ever couldn't wait to tell someone?— The shepherds felt exactly that way about Jesus!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
If the Gospel writers were inventing a tale, they would never have made lowly shepherds the first witnesses. In that culture, that detail would only weaken a made-up story. Embarrassing, unflattering details are a mark of honest reporting, not legend.
For Dad · Go Deeper
There's a quiet apologetic and a discipleship lesson woven together here. The "criterion of embarrassment" points to authentic history. Making lowly shepherds the first heralds is exactly the kind of detail no one would invent. But the lesson for your family is about the natural overflow of grace. People who truly meet Jesus talk about Him. Not from pressure, but from gladness. The most powerful evangelism training your children will ever get is watching their dad speak of Jesus warmly and naturally. At the dinner table. With the neighbor. In the car. We share because we love, not to win arguments. So ask yourself this. Do my kids hear me delight in Jesus out loud, or do they only hear me correct them quietly?
Draws on: Michael Green, Evangelism in the Early Church.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for the good news of Jesus. Make us bold. Make us loving. Help us tell the people around us about You. In Jesus' name, amen."
Good news is meant to be shared. Loving others means pointing them to Jesus.