Most people in the Western world are at least aware of the Gospel. They may or may not know that the word literally means "Good News" and they may or may not believe that Jesus was good news. But to shepherds out at night, a part of a people that had been waiting centuries for the Messiah?
The fact that an army of angels told them not to be afraid and that they had good news was probably a relief as well as a cause for excitement among the shepherds outside of Bethlehem on the night of Jesus' birth. God's promise to bring a Messiah was finally being fulfilled. And while the new covenant wouldn't be finished until Jesus died and came back to life, the fact that God eradicated the old covenant is indeed, good news.
Sometimes good news comes in bad packages - like losing your job or moving to another country. An army of angels appeared to the shepherds that night, and they probably thought that God was going to punish them for some wrong of Israel's. Terrifying. But no, losing you job gives you an opportunity to get a new, better one, moving to a new country means you get to learn a new language and meet new, incredible friends.
And throughout all of it, God tells you "don't be afraid, this is just the next step."
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