The Shepherd Boy's Gift

Last night, I attended a Live Nativity in Folsom, which has additional (Free!) showings tonight, tomorrow night, and I believe on Sunday night as well. The entire theatrical production was spectacular, very touching, and well-done. But while I enjoyed the Christmas hymns a messages, there was only one moment during the half-hour showing that touched me deeply enough to make me cry.

The show was a brief retelling of the Christmas story, as found in Luke, which, of course, included having shepherds come to see the Babe in the manger. One of the shepherds in the live nativity was a child, who had a sheepskin wrapped around himself for warmth, but when he saw the Holy Child, he laid the sheepskin in the manger for a blanket.

It was such a simple gift. It wasn't especially valuable or ornate, like the wise men's gifts, but it was special and important in its own way. For one thing, it had a little bit of symbolic significance, giving a lambskin to comfort the Lamb of God. For another thing, it was so practical. Jesus may have been cold, and I'm not sure exactly how comfortable it is to sleep in hay. Giving Jesus the lambskin blanket must have made Him more comfortable than He had been. And comfort is part of what made this gift so touching. In giving Jesus the lambskin blanket, the shepherd boy gave up some of his own comfort, which, in many ways, is symbolic of the gift Jesus gave us.

Jesus left His home in heaven, to walk among mortal men as a mortal man, before the days of electricity, sanitation, or even running water. He gave up a great deal of comfort to spend a lifetime in discomfort, solely for our benefit. Because of His selflessness, we now have what the Apostle Peter called "the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).

And that's not all. Jesus gave His life for us, sacrificing Himself as a sacrificial lamb, as payment for our sins. Through the agony of the Atonement and Crucifixion and the power of the Resurrection, Jesus Christ made it possible for all of us to overcome our sins and gain peace despite all our ailments. In other words, Jesus subjected Himself to intense discomfort so He could bring peace and comfort to us.

I am so thankful that that wonderful production included that special moment in which a humble shepherd boy gave that heartfelt gift of love and comfort to the Christ Child. May we each look for ways to love and serve others in similar ways, and be willing to sacrifice a small measure of our comfort, if necessary, to give comfort to others. Our gifts may be humble and simple, like the boy's sheepskin, but they may also touch hearts in ways that fancier, more valuable gifts never could.