It was just another night.
I was out in the hills, doing what I always do—watching the sheep.
The air was cold, the wind sharp.
The fire was small, the night was long.
That’s what life feels like sometimes, doesn’t it?
Cold. Lonely. Like nothing will ever change.
I’d got used to it—the quiet, the shadows, the sense of being forgotten.
Shepherds like me, we’re not much in the world’s eyes.
We’re out there on the edges, invisible to most people.
But that night, God saw us.
The sky burst open with light.
An angel appeared, and I was terrified.
But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”
Good news for all people. Even shepherds. Even me.
The angel told us to go to Bethlehem, to find the Saviour—a baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger.
And when the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest,” I knew something had changed.
God hadn’t forgotten us. He had come to us.
So we went.
And there he was, just as the angel said—a tiny child, a fragile life, a promise fulfilled.
Life isn’t easy out in the fields.
The storms come, the nights are long, and sometimes, it feels like no one sees you.
But if God can see a shepherd, if he can come to us in our cold, dark fields,
He can come to you, too.
The angels’ song was for you as much as it was for me:
"Peace on earth, goodwill toward men."
Tonight, that peace is yours.
Prayer
Loving Shepherd of our souls,
You come to us in our loneliness, our fears, and our weariness.
Just as you sent angels to the fields that night, send your peace to those who feel forgotten, unseen, or overwhelmed.
Remind us that your love reaches into every corner, even the darkest and coldest places.
May your light guide us when the night feels long,
And may your presence bring us hope that we are never alone.
In the name of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we pray. Amen.
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