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The Gift of Faith

Luke 2:8-20
By Harold Dinsmore, M.Div.
© 2007 Harold Dinsmore

We remember from our time together last week that we discovered that the gift of the Magi was actually a reinforcement of the true gift coming down from God the Father in heaven. Remember the verse we covered? “Thanks be unto God for his indescribable gift.” II Corinthians 9:15. Well, this morning we are going to continue the Christmas story and discover a second gift I believe is associated with Jesus’ birth. The Wise Men brought the gift of love to mind. God’s perfect gift of love….and today the shepherds bring to light the gift of faith.

Now an interesting twist to this historical story becomes evident as you study the background of the nation of Israel and its relationship to the shepherd. Everyone knew what a shepherd was, what he did and what his tools of the trade were. In fact, in most families, the shepherding task usually fell to the youngest boys of the family. However, if a farmer had a large flock, of course more shepherds would be required. King David, remember, had his roots grounded in the life of a shepherd. So what is the twist I mentioned? Well, I think the twist involves a verse from the book of Psalms that is most intriguing to me. Turn with me over to the book of Psalms 79:13. “Then we thy people, the flock of thy pasture, will give thanks to thee for ever, from generation to generation we will recount they name.” As I read this verse, I thought about Israel being God’s sheep….his flock.

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