And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.“

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.“

And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. (Luk 2:8-16 NAS)

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds. Herding sheep was an honorable profession in their day, maybe the only profession.

Jacob, on his death bed, told Joseph, “God has been my shepherd all my life to this day.”

King David was a shepherd, and he claimed the Lord was his shepherd.

But by the time Jesus was born, shepherding had fallen to the bottom of the social ladder. Shepherds were considered unreliable and could not testify in legal matters. They were generally considered to be cheats and liars. Worst of all, they were considered unclean and were barred from entering the temple. They had no access to God! And that was ironic because shepherds provided many of the temple sacrifices.

What, then, is the significance of the appearance of the angelic host to the shepherds? The angels could have appeared over the temple in Jerusalem and announced their message to the rich and powerful. They could have appeared to Herod. But, no, they appeared to a bunch of very lowly shepherds.

Why?

The angel who first appeared told them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for ALL the people.” Jesus did not come to be the savior only of the rich and powerful, the privileged, and the few. He came to be king and savior of ALL. From the bottom to the top. Starting with shepherds.

When the shepherds went to the stable in Bethlehem, they had immediate access to God for the first time in their lives.

The birth of Christ is also truly good news to you and me. Whatever our station in life, be we ever so poor and ornery, we have access to God through Jesus, our Savior and King.

I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
for poor ornery people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.