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.

Luke 2:8-9//

God comes in our darkest hour when we least expect it.

Psalm 109:1

My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent. //

Even the saints from scripture struggled with God’s silence at times. Their solution was to pray to God about His silence!

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Luke 2:51//

Mary treasured all things from Jesus, even those she didn’t understand. May I do the same.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:13-15//

The angels appeared out of nowhere, but the shepherds likely saw them go into Heaven; a foreshadow of how our Savior would appear and then ascend into Heaven. His announcement and departure mirroring one another.

Psalm 108:4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.//

God shows His love through His faithfulness.

Psalm 108:1 My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.//

Steadfast hearts are worshipping hearts.

Luke 1:29

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

The shepherds were terrified when Gabriel appeared, but Mary thought of this as a greeting. When we think God will work in our lives, we are less likely to be terrified of what will happen.

Luke 2:9

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.//

Note it wasn’t just the angel that appeared to them; the glory of the Lord surrounded them. They were literally encompassed by God’s presence.

Psalm 106:12-13 Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.//

We need to wait for God’s plan to unfold and remember His faithfulness in the past.

Luke 1:3-4

With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.//

Part of the Gospel message is that extremely educated people investigated the events of Jesus’ life, and found all to be true and accurate.