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And We Beheld His Glory

by Nancy Merical

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14 KJV

Five miles north of Jerusalem, in a Bethlehem inn, the owner of the small establishment called out his wife's name. "Yes, Jerome?" Sarah answered from the head of sharply-inclined stone steps. Jerome's startingly-blue eyes softened. He pulled subconsciously at a large ear.

A young couple waiting at the register glanced up to see a tall, stately woman bending over the balustrade. A linen head covering, slipped down her back in the task of cleaning, revealed sleek dark hair pulled severely back from a smooth olive forehead, shining strands rolled into a bun at the nape of her slender neck.

"Is that vacant room in order, Sarah?" Jerome asked. The innkeeper's short, stocky frame and carrot curls were a noticable contrast with his wife's statuesque bearing and dark coloring.

"Just finished with it, Jerome," Sarah replied, descending the stairs. She carried a trailing bundle of bed clothing, stripped from the straw mats and ready for laundering. Woven woolen blankets, dyed in vibrant vermilion, indigo, and saffron plaids, hung airing over the upper rail.

Fearful his wife might trip over the tangle of cloth, the innkeeper hurried to relieve Sarah of her cumbersome load, worn sandals slapping a sharp rhythm back down the stone steps and over the tiled floor toward the laundry. The man and woman smiled at each other, warmed by Jerome's solicitous care of his wife. "This little family needs a room for the night," Jerome said, nodding at the couple.

Breathless from her work, Sarah tugged her wayward ocher scarf over her hair and stepped to the registry to welcome the strangers. A baby! she wondered with delight, noticing the wiggling bundle escaping soiled swaddling bands, snuggled in the mother's arms. She also noticed the weary expressions of the travelers.

"Here," Sarah offered, holding out her arms. "Let me care for your child while you refresh yourself at the courtyard well. Jerome," she yelled, "will you please bring some washing cloths and soap from the laundry while you're in there?"

Jerome returned with the requested items, handing them to the grateful husband. The couple plodded outside into the crisp night air, leaving their baby in Sarah's competent care.

"Oh, Jerome, isn't he sweet!" Sarah crooned as the infant's eyes, dark as raisins, opened, and a tiny hand gripped her finger. "Isn't he the most beautiful baby you've ever seen?"

Jerome chuckled, a broad smile shoving dimples into ruddy cheeks, brightening his eyes to azure. "You say that about every child you see, Sarah," he teased. In spite of his joviality, Jerome knew how desperately his wife longed for a child. The sight of her lovely patrician face, bent over the baby, sent a bittersweet pang through his heart.

Sarah lifted her head, looking into her husband’s eyes, smiling at his remark. In spite of the smile, her soft brown eyes misted with tears. "Sarah!" Jerome admonished with a gentle whisper, touching her forehead lightly with his lips. "Someday it will happen. Just give it time."

Time! Sarah thoughts were anguished. It's been four long years now! When Jerome had first taken Sarah as his bride and brought her to the inn, she had an eager impatience for a child. In time, that eagerness turned to despair as her friends bore their first, second, and some even third and fourth offspring. Being the loving woman she was, Sarah rejoiced in her friends' fertility, but envious disappointment lingered beneath her joy.

Sarah didn't want to feel envy — really rejoiced with her friends, and loved their children deeply — but each new birth only served to drive her sorrow deeper.

Returning from the well, cheeks and hands bitten crimson, the couple thanked Sarah for her kindness. Grudgingly, she relinquished the baby to the mother’s arms. Jerome's heart went out to his wife. Sarah was a good woman, well-loved by everyone in their small town, especially the children, and by all the customers making regular stops at the caravansary. The hungry look in Sarah's eyes didn’t escape Jerome as her gaze followed the travelers up the stone steps.

Jerome appreciated the constant stream of sojourners looking for rest in his little inn on the outskirts of Bethlehem. The activity kept Sarah's mind off her sorrow. Energetic and outgoing, she reveled in the bustle as the travelers came and went in steady streams on journeys to and from larger towns. Sarah especially loved the children. Her days were never too busy that she couldn't afford to spend time with them.

Please, God, Jerome pleaded, let it happen soon. If anyone deserves her dreams coming true, it's Sarah. She'll make a wonderful mother when her time comes. He shook his head in despair. If it comes, he amended.

I hope you enjoyed this opening chapter of my novel. The novel is finished and waiting for an interested publisher.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen" II Corinthians 13:14 KJV

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