Greetings, in the name of the Holy One, who gives life to the earth and everything on it. Peace be with you.
My name is Shiphrah. I have been a midwife since I was very young - about 30 years. My mother was a midwife and so was her mother and hers before that. I was named Shiphrah because of one of the famous midwives who helped prevent a genocide when our people were slaves in Egypt long, long ago. I was told that we midwives must never forget the courage of Shiphrah and her friend Puah. They risked their lives to save the boys. We midwives are called to risk our lives to save babies any time we need to.
A woman almost always needs someone to help with the birth of a baby but those brave midwives lied to the Pharaoh’s soldiers and said the Israelite women were very strong and their babies were already born by the time they arrived. If the moms said the baby was a girl, and she was already all clean and wrapped up, or said that she had already gone to visit her grandparents who were the midwives to argue! That’s what they told Pharaoh’s agents! All that was left to do was to look after the mother. Some midwives followed the law and smothered the boys or made sure they never drew breath. I can’t see how a woman could do that to a healthy baby, especially a midwife, but Shiphrah and Puah stuck to the vow they had made, like we all still do, to do everything possible to have a healthy mother and baby no matter what! They were very brave.
But enough about that - Im talking about what happened when I was a young midwife. It must have been one of my first births I attended on my own. When we give a young expectant woman advice we tell her to stay close to home as her time draws near. A first time mom, especially, needs someone that knows what they are doing to help her - and not her husband - (hah, that’s why we tell them to go out and find water and boil it - it gets them out of the way especially if they have to go and carry the water. That’s usually women’s work. But I think some of them are glad to have a job that does not involve what we do!!!! )
This time though, this couple HAD to travel. They had come a long way. Riding a donkey over a rocky road is never easy at the best of times but when you are expecting it must be very hard. I would never do it, I would never advise it!
They were not on some young lovers last gasp at fun and freedom before the baby arrived - they had no choice - you probably remember the great census of Caesar - EVERYONE was ordered to go to the place of their ancestors to be registered. I don’t know why they did not send men out, like they send those awful tax collectors, to register everyone. I don’t know why the dad could not just go to a stall at the market and say, “my name is John and my wife is Sarah and by the time I get back we will have a child!” That would have been the simple way! Maybe they just liked being difficult .... anyway Bethlehem was just INSANE.
Bethlehem is one of those great places to come from. Do you know how many people say their ancestors come from Bethlehem? T’ousands and T’ousands . There must have been some villages with nobody left in them- there were so many in Bethlehem! I’ve heard that even Jerusalem was not as bad!
So there my mother and I were, glad to be at home as our ancestors were from Bethlehem so we did not have to travel. My dad was out working overtime at the stables behind the inn on the main street, trying to find places for all those donkeys and feed them, I suppose - when the stable boy that helps him, came running in - just ran right in, without knocking, he was all out of breath and so excited he could not speak. It took us a couple of minutes, some breathing exercises, and a big cup of water to get him calmed down enough for him to be able to say anything. He told us that there was a young couple at the inn and well I could tell from what he said that the woman’s water broke and then the young woman‘s husband got so excited he almost lost it. I’m so glad my dad was there - he and my mom have 7 children - he is pretty calm in a crisis - so my dad sent the stable boy to fetch my mom who is a midwife, she is the one who trained me. I guess he thought we would both come.
But my mom was really sick and she looked at me and said, “you can do it this time Shippy (that’s what she called me, before I had my own babies, “Shippy”). I went and got her pack from the hook by the door - it didn’t contain much but a sharp knife to cut the cord, some bricks I could warm in the fire if I needed them, a few herbs for pain, a sponge to wash the baby, a basin and a couple of rolls of clean swaddling bands (like these). You can imagine how cramped a baby has been for the last months before birth - and then the poor little mite is thrust into a cold room (or cold as far as the babe is concerned) No wonder they cry so much! So we swaddle the baby; Mom taught me that it makes the baby feel safe. They look so cute too - all bundled up.
Anyway, back to my story.
Back then I could run as good as any boy so it was not long before we were back at the stable. Yes - the stable. Not the inn! Along the way I was told that the inn was chock full, (I should have known) there were people sleeping on the tables in the restaurant, and in the courtyard. The innkeeper “kindly” let them stay in the stable. I suppose he did the best he could. They probably couldn’t afford a room anyway. There are no off-season rates during a census!
As soon as I got there I stopped for half a minute, and said a prayer as I surveyed the situation. I always pray before I deliver a baby.
Then I got busy. My dad was pretty good at knowing what to do to be helpful. He had some fresh straw brought in and tied the animals as far away as he could. He had a cloak spread on the floor and a huge jar of water - and some was boiling on a fire outside. Dad must have put the husband to work!
Well my mom taught me that first babies usually take their time but this baby made himself known very quickly - in no time at all sweet babe was wrapped in the bands of cloth and he was happily nursing. What an appetite he had. When he was done he slept in the cow’s manger. Good thing the cows couldn’t reach it. I don’t think a cow or donkey would try to bite a baby but you never know. When I was getting ready to leave I asked the man what the baby’s name was and he said, “Jesus.”
Hymn: 69 “Away in A Manger”
Like I said I’ve been to quite a few births with my mom and most times you have to beat the relatives away with a stick - all eager they are to see the new baby - this time with the couple being from out of town, I was sure they would be able to rest for what was left of the night but - was I surprised.
Suddenly some local shepherds, some of them friends of my brothers and uncles came in all exited - if you want to know the truth they were acting just like that stable boy - they were so excited - finally I got a sensible story out of the oldest one - Jacob - according to him they were minding their own business out in the fields, looking after sheep - taking turns getting some shut-eye when the sky lit up like the stars were on fire and they swore they heard angels - angels - whole mobs of them, like we are told in the scriptures happened long ago.
Apparently this baby was special - that’s what the angels said, so special he is going to change the world. - well the mom and dad said it was ok so I let them in to see the baby and they fell all over themselves as they said hello and told the angel story and then they left, before any of the sheep woke up and wandered off and got killed by wild animals, I suppose. If you asked me, back then, I would have said that they had drunk too much cheap wine to keep warm.
Now, I’m not so sure.
Hymn: 74 “What Child Is This?”
I keep a little scroll you know. Just like my momma did with all the babies names in them and the moms and dads names and I look at this list from time to time. I see a young couple in the streets these days with their own little tykes and I can say, “I delivered all of them.” It doesn’t take long, it seems, for the babies to start having their own babies! I must be old, saying the stuff my mom used to say!
Every so often I’d hear stories about Jesus - it’s a small world you know. First the stories were of him as a normal boy, with skinned knees and bringing home bugs and frogs and other treasures for his mom to admire, always curious and thoughtful. Then as a maturing young man. I was glad he had managed to survive. There weren’t many his age who did. Oh, yes I should tell you about that. How could I forget THAT!
Quite a while after those shepherds left some really odd looking characters arrived on camels and they did not talk about angels, they talked about following a really bright, unusual star. Anyway they talked about Jesus being the “King of the Jews,” BUT as they were trying to track Jesus down they made a really big mistake, a really stupid mistake, if you ask me. They really weren’t all that bright, for star followers. Then again they were “from away” and didn’t realize how things worked in the Roman Empire. They actually went to King Herod’s palace to ask him - “where will the new king be born”, and of course, he’s always watching his back and they got him all worried and he ordered a massacre of the boys about the right age.
There was no hiding of THOSE little tykes - all the Shiphrahs and Puahs in the world could not save them. The soldiers got almost all of them - but Jesus escaped. I just don’t know how a man can kill a defenceless child but they did, many times. I look at my list from that time and I am very, very sad. But THAT family just up and went in the middle of the night - to Egypt, I heard. It wasn’t the first time children of Israel have found refuge there! I don’t know how they knew they that they had to flee, but they did. God was with them. Of that I am sure.
I don’t know when they came back from Egypt but the next story I hear about Jesus is when my family and I were in Jerusalem for Passover. We tried to go every year but sometimes just didn’t make it. Babies come even at Passover time.
Well, a day after almost all the pilgrims left town the whole place got in an uproar because one family has lost its 12 year old boy. There weren’t many kids his age around and I recognized the three of them instantly. He had kind eyes like his mom and he was so helpful, like his dad. Seeing them brought back the memory of that night.
You know how it goes - the parents thought he was with his cousins. The cousins didn’t know the parents thought that! But at bedtime when they expected him at his own tent they realized he wasn’t with anyone! They went back to the city and looked and looked, and looked. Do you know where they finally found the child ? He was in the temple discussing religion with the teachers, like he was a grownup - and they weren’t just humouring the lad till the parents showed up; I heard they were very impressed with his insight.
When I saw them all together hugging - and weeping tears of joy, in the midst of the scolding he got, it was as if the night in the stable had been just days ago, and not years. Do you know what it like to be so cross with a child and at the same time so much in love and relieved that he is ok? Of couse you do. I knew it was not the last I’d hear of him.
Over the years I have had a lot of time to reflect on that stable born baby and what made the birth different - other than the obvious!
hahaha I just thought of something funny. You know what my mom used to say to my brothers when they ran into the house and left the door swinging wide open. “Close the door, were your born in a barn?” If young Jesus was like my brothers he could have turned and said to his mom, “Now that you mention it, Mom, I was.” What else would a kid say!
I think that for the most part Jesus was a normal boy, full of the old scratch as my gramma used to say. He probably liked scaring the girls with those frogs and bugs he would find and getting all dirty in the mud after a rain. I think he was good in school and learned his Hebrew. I think he helped his mom and dad a lot at home. I heard that he turned into a fine carpenter.
I’ve talk to a lot of people who know him well - he is a regular guy but he doesn’t buy into the status quo. He memorized the scriptures like all boys his age but he takes them seriously, he really believes that God loves him, and everyone else, and he is so close to God he tells people that God is his father and can be theirs - Joseph must have been a really good dad.
The way he treats women is awesome too. He does not believe they should always be in the kitchen cooking or out fetching water - I knew one man who said that one afternoon he even talked to the women next door as if they were valuable and had great spiritual insights - now let me tell you, that is certainly not usual. We are not allowed to have anything to say when it comes to the Synagogue.
He does not seem to be afraid of the Romans, he isn’t an anarchist for certain, he’s respectful but he does not quake in his sandals when a soldier walks by.
He talks about love, not all sticky and honey like but like a cold cup of water or a loaf of good bread - something to really fill your belly. He talks about a love that goes out of its way to help and even risks life for the other.
He wants people to follow up their good wishes with real help - he knows some people have so much and others have so little. I could see that when I delivered babies, how some young couples had so little - and even as a child I knew you can’t live on love for very long. And the way some of then men treated their wives, some of them didn’t even have love! They think its her fault when she has a girl but what would we do if all the babies were boys! Think about it!
Jesus grew up in a real family, he had a big heart and he paid attention. The neighbours said that when he was old enough to go off by himself he spent a lot of time in the wilderness praying - meditating - like the prophets we read about in the scriptures - I’m told he still does.
He wants people to take their faith seriously - he wants it to mean something to how they live from day to day.
I hear stories about him from time to time - he’s got a little group of followers now - 12 - I think are official but there are lots of others - he and the 12 have no home - they just wander around and rely on people’s hospitality. That takes a lot of trust.
I wonder if he will have more trouble with the Romans - he’s getting so popular and they don’t like that. I hope nothing happens to him. After all he has been through, surely the God of live would not let him die?
Surely not?