When we have good news, we want to tell someone, don’t we? We call our family members and close friends, and we might even post something on social media to co-workers, neighbors, and others we know.

God was no different! Here is His announcement of His Son’s birth:

⁸ 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. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

(Luke 2:8-20, English Standard Version)

Notice that God did not announce His Son’s birth to the religious or political leaders of the day, but to the disinherited, uneducated, lowly, unnamed shepherds in the region.

Imagine someone whom you deeply respect but have never met comes to you personally and tells you some great news. You have no idea how this person found out about you, much less that they know your name.

And so it was for the shepherds.

Think about it for a bit – God announces the birth of His Son, the One who would become the Great Shepherd of their souls, to like-minded individuals, the shepherds who watched over their sheep flocks.

Shepherds were not considered trustworthy, and thus, not allowed to testify in court. And yet, God entrusted them with the news of Messiah’s birth, and the hope of peace on earth.

Just as the angel had said, they found Jesus in the manger.

God knew these shepherds by name, and knew they could be trusted with His news, so He told them first.

That, my friends, is love.
And that is a great reason to worship, giving glory to God, just as the shepherds did so many centuries ago.

Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased,
~kevin