"Bedtime Bible Stories"

From the Book of Luke,
Chapter 2, Verses 8-19

High on a hill overlooking Bethlehem there
were some shepherds watching over their
sheep. They had to make sure no wild
animals attacked the sheep during the
night.

As they sat there, all of a sudden a bright light
glowed out of the sky. The shepherds were terrified! They
looked up at the light and saw. ..an angel!

The angel said to them, "Don't be scared! I have
come to tell you some wonderful news! The Messiah has
been born tonight in Bethlehem! You will find the baby
wrapped in a blanket and laying in a manger! "
Suddenly, the sky was filled with other angels.
They were all singing, "Glory to God in the highest!"
A few minutes later, all of the angels had
disappeared, returning to heaven. The shepherds looked at
one another, too astonished to speak.
Finally, one of them said, "Come on! Let's get
down to Bethlehem and see for ourselves this wonderful
thing the angels told us about!" They weren't the least bit
afraid about leaving their flock unprotected. They knew
the angels wouldn't let anything happen to them.
They ran down to the village and had no trouble
finding Joseph, Mary and the baby. The baby was
wrapped in a blanket and Mary had placed him in a
manger, just as the angels had told them.
The shepherds told everyone they saw what had
happened. All who heard the story were astonished.