Today is the fourth of four Sundays of Advent, a liturgical season that dates back to the fourth century, when it was observed as a period of fasting and preparation for new Christians to be baptized at Epiphany. The period was also known as St. Martin’s Lent, a time of prayer, preparation, and penance. By the sixth century, the Roman Church linked Advent to the coming of Christ, and it developed into a season of preparation for Christmas and the anticipation of the Second Coming. Rev. Ann Lantz is the pastor of the Estes Park United Methodist Church.

The night the shepherds encountered the angels began like every other night.

Cold air. Dark hills. The familiar sounds of sheep settling in. Shepherds were used to quiet.  They were used to watching while the rest of the world slept. If there was wonder to be found, they certainly were not expecting it in the fields.

And then, there was a bright light. Not the gentle light of a sunrise, but a sudden, overwhelming brightness that shattered the darkness. Luke’s Gospel says, “The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”

Terrified may seem like a strange way to begin a story about love. But often, that is how God’s presence arrives. It interrupts our routines, unsettles our fears, and then reveals something deeper.

The angel’s first words were not instructions or explanations. They were simple and urgent. “Do not be afraid.” Those words echo through the entire Advent story. Spoken to Zechariah. To Mary. To Joseph. And now, to the shepherds. Each time, God’s arrival begins by calming fear.

What is especially striking is who receives this message. Not kings or priests. Not political leaders or religious authorities. The message comes to shepherds, people who lived outdoors, smelled like their work, and were considered unclean and unimportant by society’s standards. If anyone ever wondered whether God noticed them, it was them.

And yet, the glory of God appears not in a palace, but in a pasture. That tells us something essential about the heart of God. God’s love seeks out ordinary people in ordinary places. It does not wait for perfection, status, or approval. It arrives right where people are.

So if you have ever wondered whether your quiet routines, daily work, or unseen efforts matter, this story answers that question. God sees you. God comes to you. God loves you.

The angel announces “good news of great joy for all the people,” and at the center of that good news is love. A love wide enough to include everyone. A love that reaches shepherds and strangers, workers and wanderers, the faithful and the fearful alike.

In a world still shaped by fear, fear of difference, fear of change, fear of loss, the angel’s message remains deeply countercultural. Do not be afraid. God’s love is for you, and for everyone else, too.

When we take that message seriously, the world begins to shift. Walls soften. Love begins to take root in places we did not expect.

The shepherds’ response is just as remarkable as the angel’s message. They do not hesitate. They do not overanalyze. They simply say, “Let’s go to Bethlehem.”

When love breaks in, the faithful response is to move toward it.

And what they find is not majesty or power. Just a baby, wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger. Two exhausted parents. The smell of hay and animals. No throne. No fanfare.

And yet, this is where fear gives way to love.

The shepherds become the first witnesses to God’s love made flesh. They tell everyone what they have seen. Then they return to their fields, the same hills, the same work, but they are not the same people. Love has changed them.

As Christmas draws near, this story invites us to look for God not only in candles and carols, but in the ordinary moments of our lives. In kindness offered. In grief shared. In people too often overlooked.

The angel’s message still echoes. Do not be afraid. Love has come. Love is still coming. And when we live as though that is true, we become part of the song that began on a dark hillside so long ago.

Estes Park United Methodist Church, 1509 Fish Hatchery Rd., Estes Park, Colo. Worship is at 9:45 a.m. on Sundays. All are welcome. Inclusive. Open-hearted. Fully affirming because every person is a beloved child of God.