Tonight (Glory to God) is the song that features the shepherds, and in many ways it became the opening song of The Gift; the title we gave to the whole set of songs that make up that Christmas collection.

When we think of the shepherds, it’s easy to romanticise them as gentle figures watching their flocks under a starlit sky. But in reality, in their own time and culture, shepherds were looked down upon. They were considered the lowest of the low. These weren’t men tending their own sheep; they were hired hands, caring for someone else’s flocks. They owned no land, had no real social standing, and were often treated as outcasts.

And yet, when heaven broke into earth on that first Christmas night, it was to them that the angels came. Not to the royal palaces, not to the government officials or the religious leaders, but to a group of rough, weary shepherds out in the fields.

That’s a profound message at the heart of Christmas: that God reaches out to everyone, especially to those at the bottom of the heap. The birth of Jesus isn’t just good news for the powerful or the privileged; it’s good news for all people.

That’s what I wanted this song to express; the wonder that the glory of God came first to the forgotten and the overlooked. The song begins with the shepherds’ astonishment and ends with their praise, echoing the angelic words:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.”

The Christmas story begins in a field, among the humble. It’s a reminder that the light of heaven still shines into the darkest, most unlikely places, bringing hope to all.