| They were almost into town. Soon she would be
settled in a comfortable bed. She slumped forward, leaning on
the head of the patient donkey. Soon it would be over. Soon
she would bear the Christ Child. Soon. Soon.
Luke 2:14 – "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Historical setting:
Time: Around 4 B.C.
Place: Bethlehem
Persons: Joseph, Mary,
and the Shepherds
Scripture: Luke 2:7-20
Relief flooded Joseph's mind as he and Mary
approached the usually quiet, but now bustling little town of
Bethlehem. Clouds of dust swirled around them as their fellow
travelers whipped their tired donkeys, urging them to go
faster. Groups of weary and irritated travelers pushed and
shoved their way to the hostels in order to find
accommodation.
Joseph prodded his patient donkey to pick up her pace, all
the while keeping his eye on Mary, slumped as far as she could
on the neck of the donkey. He must soon find a place
for the night. He had tried at inn after inn, with the same
response. "Sorry Sir, but we are full." "No room. No room."
The words throbbed in his head. Desperate and discouraged, he
lifted his eyes to the heavens. The Son of God soon would be
born. He had to find place for Mary to lie down. He
entered yet another inn and was given the same answer: "Sorry,
sir. The last room has been taken." As the dejected Joseph
left the inn to join Mary, waiting just outside, he heard the
innkeeper calling after him. "Wait Sir. I do have a stable at
the back of the Inn. It isn't much of a place to bed down your
pregnant wife, but it is all I have to offer. You are welcome
to stay there for the night."
And so it was that Mary "brought forth
her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and
laid him in a manger…" Christ was born. Joseph
looked down on his wife and newborn Son. He sent up another
prayer to the heavens. How thankful and proud he was to be the
"step father" of the Son of God.
~ ~ ~
Shepherds in a nearby field, who had watched the hordes of
travelers pouring into Bethlehem a few hours earlier, had now
settled back into their usual routine. They weren't surprised
at the number of visitors to their quiet town. They knew about
Ceasar's decree and about the taxing. But on this still night
something seemed different. Well, it was just their
imagination. They built their usual fire to ward off the
deepening coolness of the night. They began their usual tales,
told to pass the dark and lonely hours. Their sheep slept
quietly nearby. But something was different. It was
unusually dark. The only light to penetrate the extreme
darkness was the glow of their small pit fire.
Suddenly the sky burst into brightness. The shepherds
looked up. "And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about
them: and they were sore afraid."
An angel! That meant they would die. Everyone knew that if
you saw an angel it meant you would die. The Shepherds were
terrified. They huddled together, hugging one another... But
wait! The angel began to speak: "Don't be afraid. I have
brought you good news."
"Good news! What good news?" These unspoken words spun
around in the minds of the awestruck shepherds.
"Behold I bring you good tiding of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
The shepherds fell apart from each other, staring up into
the heavens. The whole sky lit up. Beside the one Herald
Angel, stood a myriad of other heavenly bodies. Awestruck, the
humble shepherds listened. "Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
The shepherds had never heard anything so glorious.
They were spellbound. They were speechless. They stood gazing
up at the sky… But now the angels were gone. They were alone.
What did it all mean?
For the next few minutes the shepherds didn't speak. They
were lost in their own thoughts. During their long night
watches they often talked about the rotten world. Some of them
related stories of their childhood how that their parents had
told them that someday a Redeemer would come to take them out
of their miserable life. Someday a King would come to relieve
them of the tyranny of the Roman Empire. Someday. Someday.
Someday.
Then one of the older shepherds spoke: "Let's go. Let's
leave our sheep in the care of the Most High and go and find
this wonderful thing that has come to pass."
All at once the other shepherds agreed. They picked up
their staffs and started down the hill into the now-quiet town
of Bethlehem. Following the angels' directions, they found the
stable. Quietly entering, they saw Mary and Joseph and the
Baby lying in a manger. With heads bowed, they worshiped the
Lord God of Heaven who had sent their Redeemer. With simple
faith they believed that He was the promised Deliverer that
the world had waited for so long.
The shepherds, silent and humbled left the stable. But as
they went back to their flocks they glorified God. And they
didn't keep this good news to themselves. They spread the word
to everyone they came in contact with. Many who heard the
shepherds' tale scoffed. Many just wondered. After all, who
could believe simple shepherds? They were forever fabricating
stories. What else did they have to do as they sat on the
hillsides looking after a bunch of dumb sheep?
Mary heard of the shepherds' stories too. As she sat
rocking her Son, she silently praised God that He had chosen a
simple country girl to be the Mother of God's Son. She praised
God that He had sent simple shepherds to be the heralds of
this Good News. She praised God for giving her a simple
carpenter to be her husband, to love her and protect her,
despite the scandal that had spread. She silently praised God,
and she kept all these things and locked them away in her
heart. Some day she would think of them again.
~^*~^*~^*~^*~^*~
© Helen Dowd Continue
with Study 6 - Senior Saints Seek The Savior
|