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…” Luke 2:8

In the few days leading up to Christmas, I’d like to focus on what the angel of the Lord said to various people in the Christmas story.

Shepherd boys were watching their flocks. The work wasn’t particularly difficult but the responsibilities were great for mere boys. They were the Keeper of the Sheep. Typical night. Watching the sheep below and the stars above, horsing around with one another, dreaming. Typical boy stuff. This is where it gets interesting. An angel of the Lord appeared AND the glory of the Lord shone around them. I don’t know what the glory of the Lord looked like back then but it got them all shook up.

Then the angel said, “don’t be afraid.”

Oh, ok. Just like that. No problem. Wait, what? You do realize what just happened and what we just saw, and you’re telling us not to be afraid?

It’s probably how it went down in their minds. The angel of the Lord must have been sooo comforting that they hung on his every word. They might not have realized it right away but they were privy to a history-changing event. In fact, THEY played a small part in the history-changing event. Millions of people a year would read of their account.

Mere shepherd boys on an ordinary night?

Don’t be surprised if at some point and somewhere in your life God uses you for something much larger than your own life.