The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 2: The Shepherds and the Angels

Introduction

Day two brings us to Luke 2:8-20, where the angel brings the Good News to the shepherds. What a privilege it was for those shepherds, some of the poorest people in society, to be some of the first people to know of the Saviour's birth. No matter our standing in society, God's grace is available to all of us.

How would you respond to this multitude of angels appearing to you? How would you respond to their message?

The shepherds went with haste down to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and Jesus lying in a manger just as the angels had said. Having shared what the angels told them with those present, they returned to their flock, glorifying and praising God for what they had heard and seen.

Assembling your stocking

Today's stocking is pretty straight forward. For instructions and pictures on assembling the stocking, its trim and ribbon, please visit the post for Day 1.

You'll need to start with cutting out your templates - feel free to add more sheep or angels if you would like! There is a smaller sized angel template in stocking no. 22 which will help you fit more in.

The most fiddly part will be the shepherds crook. I find it easier to just cut a thin strip of felt and stitch it down into my desired shape. Felt is quite tricky when it's thin as it will come apart when you stab it with a needle, so give your self time to do this - it might take a few tries! You could of course just embroider a crook onto the shepherds.

I use black thread to give the sheep a head, and I use a gold thread (mine was just a cheap plasticky thread which is a nightmare to work with) for the angel. My template includes suggestions on how to give the shepherds, sheep and angel (under no. 7) some detail.

Once you've attached your characters, go ahead and assemble the stocking.

You can watch a brief video of this stocking being assembled on my Facebook or Instagram.

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