The Birth and the Shepherds Visit
WHO ARE WE?
We left the inn where the Innkeeper had
cursed us and aimed a kick at Huckle. We didn’t know where to turn or look so
we walked back to where the sheep had been penned. It had gotten so much
colder.
Huckle saw another shepherd he knew and
walked toward him. Suddenly the two were in a fight, shoving each other and
swinging their shepherd crooks.
Muckle and I ran over to stop the fight when
suddenly a powerfully intense light blazed on us, a light so forceful we dove
to the ground to try to escape. The man who Huckle fought ran away as fast as
he could.
We squirmed like ants under the intensity and an Angelic voice said:
“Fear not!” We lay still and the light moved up above us but shone on us. We
sat up.
“I bring you good news of great joy for all the people...” and the
brilliant light moved high into the sky. We knelt.
“For unto you is born a
Savior, Christ the Lord” and the light beamed downward “and you shall find him
wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
And a huge choir of Angels sang
“Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men of goodwill.” And
suddenly they were gone but the light shown a path for us.
We stood, dazzled and shaken.
“We must follow the Star!” said Muckle.
WHY ARE WE HERE?
We went toward the light and
wound up back at the Inn. Huckle’s expression changed to anger and his eyes
flashed toward the Inn. I grabbed his shoulders and looked into his face
directly and said, “Fuggedabout the Innkeeper, we’re here for the baby!” He
nodded meekly.
We made our way around back and a radiance
illuminated the stable. “Hullo there!" Muckle shouted and an old man
stepped out of the stable. “Who are you?" Joseph asked holding a walking
stick in a defensive gesture.
“Shepherds are we.” I said.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
“It is God’s son we would find out.”
Said Huckle.
"What do you want?!” he asked,
“We bring gifts.” Said Muckle.
“Enter then.” Said the Joseph. “Here is
the child you seek to find.
We entered only slightly, lay down our
crooks, doffed our caps, bowed our heads and knelt as the Holy Presence was
palpable and filled us with awe.
I took a half step forward holding out
my wool to the mother who smiled. “I bring this wool that thy mother may make
thy bed full-soft and keep thee warm.” The child seemed to smile as well and my
heart was moved.
Muckle moved in and lifted a bottle of
milk. “I bring thee this milk.” The woman took the bottle. “When he hungers it
may stay his weeping.” She nodded.
Huckle pushed in on the other side of
the cradle. “I bring thee King this lambkin white wherein thou mayest much
delight!” Joseph took the lamb. Huckle reached in and the baby touched his
finger. His face changed and he smiled.
WHAT DO I WANT?
His mother sang to us: “Shepherds, I
thank you for your gifts and offerings. God grant you sustenance and keep from
every harm your sheep.”
We rocked the baby for a while, heard
him coo. Then he got fussy, his mother picked him up. We slowly backed out into
the darkness. We re-dressed for the cold and our dark lives with a growing
warmth in our hearts.
“Hey, lads, how has it befallen thus”
quietly mused Muckle, “that He is born where none can guess?”
“In such poor place to see the day.”
Added Huckle thoughtfully. “It was so cold I could see his breath.”
We stood and silently considered the
stable, the star and the child.
“And it’s He who will the whole world
rule and sway!” said Muckle.
“This baby brings God’s peace to all
mankind.” I said,
“Yes,” said Huckle. “And He touched my
finger. He touched me.”
After a few minutes we slowly started
to move away.
“In the morning we will tell this the
Mayor!” I said as I put on my gloves.
“They’ll not believe what we report!”
said Muckle.
“They will of us make mock and sport!”
said Huckle.
“Maybe this Child is born in such a
poor and lowly station so that people may learn to live in humble fashion...
learn to share with others in the same way that the Lord has freely shared this
Child with both rich and poor and on us all had compassion.”
© Copyright
2014, Jean W. Yeager
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