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. -- Luke 2:9 –11 (ESV)

There are few things as exciting as the birth of a child. Most parents mark it down as one of the greatest memories of their life. We want to let people know. We post about it online. We send out announcements. We hold parties. It's a life-defining moment in so many ways.

When that child is the offspring of someone important or famous, this excitement takes on another dimension. Even people outside of family and friends are celebrating and want to know the details.

So it's not surprising that for one very special and unique child a grand, joyous announcement was made. It wasn't mailed out, but it was broadcast across the night sky to some unlikely shepherds and they could not wait to pass along the news to everyone they met.

This week we examine the Joy of the Shepherds. Take a few minutes to read back through the very special birth announcement there.  Consider why it was so joyous and what that joy propelled the shepherds to say and do.