The Angles said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10, ESV
It’s easy to miss how ordinary the moment was.
When the angel announced the birth of Jesus, the Messiah wasn’t revealed to kings, scholars, or spiritual elites. Heaven didn’t interrupt a temple service or a theological debate. Instead, God showed up in a field—at night—to shepherds who were simply doing their jobs. Watching sheep. Working the night shift. Living their lives.
They weren’t praying for a sign. They weren’t fasting or waiting expectantly in holy anticipation. They were just… being faithful in the middle of normal life. And that’s where God chose to speak.
This matters.
Israel had been waiting for the Messiah for generations. The religious leaders knew the prophecies. The super-spiritual had their systems and expectations. Yet God bypassed all of that and entrusted the announcement of salvation to blue-collar sheep herders—the kind of people society often overlooks. Luke is quietly telling us something profound: the Christmas story is not reserved for the impressive. It’s for all the people.
And “all” really means all.
This is the heart of love—the theme of this final week of Advent. Love that moves toward people, not away from them. Love that does not require performance, polish, or perfection. Love that shows up right where people are.
On this Christmas Eve, many of us are still busy—finishing preparations, managing family dynamics, carrying unspoken worries, or simply trying to make it through the day. Life hasn’t paused just because Christmas arrived. And yet, that’s exactly where God meets us. Not once everything is quiet and holy, but while we’re watching our flocks—doing the thing, showing up, getting through the day.
Luke 2:10 reminds us that Jesus came for shepherds and scholars, the joyful and the weary, the confident and the unsure. He came for those who feel close to God and those who feel far away. He came for the person who feels forgotten, and for the one who looks like they have it all together but doesn’t. You are not outside the “all.”
This is love: God seeing humanity—messy, broken, distracted—and choosing to come anyway. Emmanuel, God with us. Not God waiting for us to get it right, but God stepping into our ordinary lives with extraordinary grace.
Tonight, as we celebrate Christmas, remember this: the good news of Jesus wasn’t announced in a palace. It was announced in a field. And that means there is no place you can be—physically, spiritually, or emotionally—where God’s love cannot reach you.
A Response for the Week:
As you move through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, pause for a moment in the middle of whatever you’re doing. Whisper a simple prayer:
“Jesus, thank You for coming for all—thank You for coming for me.”
Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you see others the way God does: with compassion, dignity, and love. This is how the Christmas story continues—through us.