Can you imagine the Christmas story without angels and shepherds?
That’d be like ordering a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and only getting the jelly or a S’More without a marshmallow. Sure, it’s still food… but something’s missing.
Jesus is the reason for the season — absolutely. But the angels and shepherds remind us that God never misses the details. They reveal something about His heart.
The Holy Meets the Humble
Let’s start in Luke 2:8-16 — it’s the part of the story we all know and love. Whether it’s your grandpa reading it by the tree, Linus on TV, or the pastor on Christmas Eve — this is the mashed potatoes and gravy of the Christmas story.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
Now, think about who’s in that story: angels and shepherds.
The holy and the humble. Heaven and earth.
Angels….radiant, majestic beings that stand in the presence of God.
Shepherds ….ordinary, smelly, hardworking folks just trying to get through the night shift.
And God brings them together. Why?
Because He’s showing us something about Himself — and something about who matters to Him.
Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The first people to hear the good news weren’t kings or priests. They were shepherds — the overlooked, the forgotten, the everyday people. Because the message of Jesus has always been for ordinary people who are willing to listen.
Jesus Was the Messenger….Heaven’s Word in Human Form
The Greek word for angel is “angelos”….it literally means messenger.
So yes, angels are messengers from God… but Jesus was the message and the messenger.
When He stood up in the synagogue in Luke 4:18-21, He read from Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
That’s the mission. Jesus came to proclaim — to speak freedom, healing, blessing, and favor.
He didn’t come to start a religion….He came to reveal the heart of God. To remind us that God desires relationship!
And family….if we’re followers of Jesus, that same Spirit and that same message lives in us.
We’re not just supposed to believe the message; we’re supposed to become the message.
God came in the flesh, then came in the Spirit to fill us so that we could experience all of who he is and help others to experience the same thing.
People should experience the love and presence of God through us.
Because when Jesus came to earth, Heaven came close….and through us, Heaven still does.
Jesus Was the Shepherd — The One Who Stays With Us
Now, not only was Jesus the messenger…He was also the shepherd.
In John 10:11, He said:
“I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
Shepherds lived with their sheep. They slept near them, walked with them, protected them, and knew them by name. Jesus does the same for us.
He doesn’t love us from a distance — He walks among us.
He knows your name. He knows what keeps you up at night. He knows your scars, your fears, your hopes. And He still calls you His own.
Psalm 23 takes on a new power when you read it through the eyes of Jesus:
“The Lord….Jesus….is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”
He leads. He restores. He comforts. He’s with us in the valley, not watching from the mountain.
This is how well he knows us…Psalm 139:1-18…he is aware of our every thought, word and action, he knows our birth and death, he is always thinking of us, and so much more
The Holy Became Lowly
This is the heart of Christmas.
The angels represent the holy. The shepherds represent the lowly.
And in Jesus…the holy became lowly.
John 1:14 says it perfectly….
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The God who created everything stepped into our world — not to condemn us, but to walk with us, to save us, to show us what love really looks like.
Philippians 2:8–11 says
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He humbled Himself, even to death on a cross.
But that wasn’t the end. God exalted Him….gave Him the name above every name.
And one day, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess — just like those shepherds knelt that night, and the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest.”
Bringing It Home
Family, the story of the angels and shepherds reminds us:
– God’s message is for everyone.
– God’s presence is for the humble.
– God’s heart reaches to where we are.
If Heaven could come down to a field outside Bethlehem, it can come to your home, your workplace, your pain, your family.
And maybe this Christmas, God’s still looking for people humble enough to listen — and bold enough to share His message.
– The angels proclaimed it.
– The shepherds received it.
– Jesus lived it.
Now it’s our turn to carry it….The angels proclaimed Him to be good news of great joy for all people
Let’s be a people who bring Heaven close — because that’s what Christmas is really about.
Remember, Christmas is not just this time of year, but Christ being with you is….always