"God Came Near"
(Written by Max Lucado)
The noise and bustle began earlier than usual in the village.
As night gave
way to dawn, people were already on the streets. Vendors were
positioning
themselves on the corners of the most heavily traveled
avenues. Store owners
were unlocking the doors to their shops. Children were
awakened by the
excited barking of the street dogs and the complaints of
donkeys pulling
carts.
The owner of the inn had awakened earlier than most in the
town. After all,
the inn was full, all the beds taken. Every available mat or
blanket had
been put to use. Soon all the customers would be stirring and
there would be
a lot of work to do.
One's imagination is kindled thinking about the conversation
of the
innkeeper and his family at the breakfast table. Did anyone
mention the
arrival of the young couple the night before? Did anyone ask
about their
welfare? Did anyone comment on the pregnancy of the girl on
the donkey?
Perhaps. Perhaps someone raised the subject. But, at best, it
was raised,
not discussed. There was nothing that novel about them. They
were, possibly,
one of several families turned away that night.
Besides, who had time to talk about them when there was so
much excitement
in the air? Augustus did the economy a favor when he decreed
that a census
should be taken. Who could remember when such commerce had
hit the village?
No, it is doubtful that anyone mentioned the couple's arrival
or wondered
about the condition of the girl. They were too busy. The day
was upon them.
The day's bread had to be made. The morning's chores had to
be done. There
was too much to do to imagine that the impossible had
occurred.
God entered the world as a baby.
Yet, were someone to chance upon the sheep stable on the
outskirts of
Bethlehem that morning, what a peculiar scene they would
behold.
The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine,
dung, and sheep
reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay
scarce. Cobwebs
cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt
floor.
A more lowly place of birth could not exist.
Off to one side sit a group of shepherds. They sit silently
on the floor,
perhaps perplexed, perhaps in awe, no doubt in amazement.
Their night watch
had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and
a symphony of
angels. God goes to those who have time to hear him -- so on
this cloudless
night he went to simple shepherds.
Near the young mother sits the weary father. If anyone is
dozing, he is. He
can't remember the last time he sat down. And now that the
excitement has
subsided a bit, now that Mary and the baby are comfortable,
he leans against
the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. He
still hasn't
figured it all out. The mystery event puzzles him. But he
hasn't the energy
to wrestle with the questions. What's important is that the
baby is fine and
that Mary is safe. As sleep comes he remembers the name the
angel told him
to use ... Jesus. "We will call him Jesus."
Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests
on the soft
leather of Joseph's saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by
wonder. She looks
into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At
this point in
history, the human being who best understands who God is and
what he is
doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can't take
her eyes off him.
Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She
remembers the
words of the angel. "His kingdom will never end."
He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and
red. His cry,
though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing
cry of a baby.
And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being.
Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of
sheep manure
and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a
stable, through the
womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.
She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your
journey!
This baby had overlooked the universe. These rags keeping him
warm were the
robes of eternity. His golden throne room had been abandoned
in favor of a
dirty sheep pen. And the worshiping angels had been replaced
with kind but
bewildered shepherds.
Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God
has visited
their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he has
just sent God
into the cold. And the people would scoff at anyone who told
them the
Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of
their village.
They were all too busy to consider the possibility.
Those who missed His Majesty's arrival that night missed it
not because of
evil acts or malice; no, they missed it because they simply
weren't looking.
Little has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?
"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be
born, and she gave
birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
placed him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And
there were
shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over
their flocks
at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the
glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel
said to them, 'Do
not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will
be for all the
people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to
you; he is
Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a
baby wrapped in
cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of
the heavenly host
appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to
God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'
When the angels
had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one
another,
'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord
has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and
Joseph, and the
baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him,
they spread the
word concerning what had been told them about this child, and
all who heard
it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary
treasured up all
these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds
returned,
glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard
and seen,
which were just as they had been told." Luke 2:6-20
(NIV)
One starlit night
One couple in distress
One shabby stable
Only one place to rest
One group of shepherds
One night long ago
One angel's message
Only one place to go
One Wiseman's journey
One king did they seek
One Son of David
Only one child so meek
One reason for coming
One goal on earth's sod
One death that redeems
Only one way to God.
(Myra Dye)
"Suddenly a great company of the
heavenly host
appeared with the angel, praising God
and saying,
'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his
favor rests.'"
Luke 2:13-14 (NIV)
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