– The Shepherds – December 2007 –
I had a sweet experience with the scriptures early on Sunday morning, December 2, 2007. I was enjoying a fast, which always mellows a soul and creates a receptive spiritual mood. I had recently read in the Ensign about a sister who had a tradition of reading the 24 chapters of Luke during the 24 days of December that lead up to Christmas day. I had decided to do that same thing, and was reading Luke 2 on December 2. I had read this story of Christ’s birth many, many times, but the spirit enlightened my understanding to a new truth. As I read about the shepherds and the role they played in the birth, I realized that they filled the important role of testators and witnesses to the sacred birth of Christ. After they themselves went to the manger and viewed the Savior, they didn’t just return to their flocks. They went out and proclaimed the birth of Christ to those “abroad”, to anyone who would hear their message. The scripture leads us to the knowledge that they bore testimony of what they had seen and heard. What had they heard? That their Savior had been born, who is Christ the Lord. They testified of Christ hours after his birth. As I read that morning, I tried to imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt. The scriptures also say that the shepherds returned to the manger after they had witnessed of Christ to others.
This experience was a sweet revelation to me and I learned spiritual things that I had not realized before. It was also a testimony to me that no matter how many times we have read a particular passage of scripture, there are still new and enlightening things that the spirit can reveal to us. I am grateful for times of closeness to the Lord such as occurred on that wonderful December morning.
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