“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

If you think about it, this piece of the Bible in Luke 2: 8-15 tells us pretty much for sure that the first Christmas was not in winter, not in snow. Israel has much the same climate as Southern California, and shepherds are not out in the fields during winter. They are in the field during spring. More than likely, the real birth date of Jesus is in the spring, perhaps around Passover. That’s just my opinion, but it makes sense to me.

So, whatever time of year it is, there they are, those shepherds, out beneath the canopy of stars in the great outdoors. Dark. It is usually quite dark in the great outdoors, in the field, at night. VERY dark, if there’s no moon. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, with no warning… WHAM!…

“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.”

Oh yes! Greatly afraid. Can you imagine the shock? Real angels are not fluffy things of the imagination. They are powerful created beings. It would take just 3 of them to destroy the earth, according to Revelations, as I read it. I would think that this particular appearance, with the ‘glory of the Lord’ accompanying, would be nearly overwhelming. The angel understands the effect in them that he is causing, because…
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