The Shepherd's Gift

I’m a huge fan of nativity scenes and have one very special one that I display every Christmas. Like many sets, this one features a little lamb, presumably a gift from the shepherds to baby Jesus. We often hear about the wise men’s gifts, but the shepherds gave a gift as well. It wasn’t a lamb, though, although they may have given one and the Bible doesn’t record it.

The shepherd’s gift. The first gift was one that was given to them - the chance to hear and see the wonderful news about Jesus' birth. Shepherds were often looked down upon as nobodies. They did one of the dirty jobs. Who would think to include them in a royal birth announcement? Yet, not only did God let them know about Jesus, he did this through his own heavenly messengers.

Now remember that there had not been any revelation from God for Israel for four hundred years. And suddenly angels appear to a group of shepherds. This was huge! And they took notice. The Bible tells us in verse nine of our key chapter that the shepherds were terrified at first, but they believed the angels. Leaving their flocks, which was also a big deal, they went and found Jesus, like the angels said they would.

The shepherd's gift was composed of many things: Their instant belief in what the angels said. They didn’t question it; they went. Their adoration; they worshiped. Their witness; they told others. They realized what they had just witnessed was life changing and they had to share it. People took notice and “were amazed.”
All of us have received gifts from God. When we believe, worship, and witness, we are giving back to him in the most significant way possible, just like those seemingly insignificant shepherds.

Dear Father, as the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” I sometimes struggle to describe what it actually is. I can be afraid like the shepherds were. Please enable me to believe, worship and witness, giving you the greatest gift possible, in return for your indescribable gift. Thank you!

Throughout this day: What is one way you can give back to God today, by believing, by worshiping and by witnessing?

Here is a song about the shepherds.
TrueSong - The Shepherd's Song (Official Lyric Video)