And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
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.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. | Luke 2:8–18
Do you remember our last lesson about sin? We learned that all of us are sinners and we all should be punished. God does what is right and sin must be punished.
But God does not want to punish us. God – the holy God – loves us even though we are very sinful.
You remember how he saved Noah, in the ark. That is a wonderful story. God was good to Noah. But the most wonderful story in all the world is the story of how God saves us.
Do you know what He did to save us? He sent His Son, His very own Son, to take the punishment for us. God punished our sins in Jesus when He died on the cross. And now we, if we believe in Him, do not have to be punished for sin at all!
The Bible tells us how Jesus came to earth as a little baby, who was born in Bethlehem. His mother, Mary, laid Him in a manger. A manger is a box that cattle eat from.
On the hills outside of Bethlehem, some shepherds were watching their sheep that night. Suddenly they saw a very bright light. It was light from heaven. It was a bright angel coming down!
The shepherds were terribly frightened. But the angel told them not to be afraid. He said, “I have good news for you. Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!”
That was wonderful news! Long, long ago God had promised to send a Savior. And now the Savior had come!
Then the shepherds saw a great host of shining angels in the sky. These angels sang, “Glory to God!” The shepherds stood there, looking up and listening to the wonderful song. Nobody had ever heard such a choir of angels before.
When the angels went back to heave, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem. They saw the Savior there, the baby Jesus. And they were very, very happy.
Jesus lived on earth about thirty years. He did many good things. He healed the sick. He made the blind see. He went everywhere doing good.
And then – He did the most wonderful thing of all. He gave Himself to die on the cross for us. He died on the cross to pay for all our sins. He took the punishment we should have had.
Oh how good God is! How He loves us! He sent His son, Jesus, to die for us. And how Jesus loves us! He was willing to go to the cross for us.
And now God gives eternal life to all who believe in Jesus. We will live with Him forever and ever, to love Him and serve Him, and to be happy – always happy.
Something to talk about
- Why did the angels sing when Jesus was born?
- What did Jesus come to do for us?
- Why does God love us?
- How much does God love us?
Memory verse
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. | Luke 2.11