A Legend for Christmas

              Merry Christmas! I share this simple story by an unknown author to remind us again that the Son of God became flesh and lived among us.

              An old legend tells of a boy whose father owned an inn in Bethlehem in Judea about 2000 years ago.  The year that boy was nine years old, Caesar Augustus passed a law that a census be taken and every citizen had to go back to his place of birth to be counted.  Since many people had come from Bethlehem over the years, the small city became very crowded and the inn filled with travelers.

              For a week, the boy hardly had time to think.  When his father didn’t have him feeding and caring for animals and carrying bags of goods for the visitors, his mother had him running to the marketplace to pick up extra food or serving a need for one of theirs guests.  During this time the father was grumpy, the mother cross.

              “Hurry, boy!” the father would complain.  “Can’t you see there are five more donkeys to feed after this?”

              “Get out of my way!” the mother would holler. “Can’t you see I’ve got to put this bread down and empty the oven before the rest burns?”

              One particular evening, after supper, the boy escaped to the stable to get away.  The quiet was consoling.  It was pleasant to feel the warmth of the animal bodies; it was comforting to stroke them, talk to them and feel the animal respond with slight tremors under his hands.  Feeling contentment from the animals, the boy was suddenly startled when a young couple came in seeking shelter.  It was obvious the woman was in pain and her husband was being as helpful as he could.

              Stepping near, the boy spoke, almost apologetically, “Is there anything I can do?”

              “Oh, would you?” the husband answered, his eyes wide with fear.  “My wife is going to have a baby.  We are strangers in town . . . from Nazareth.  Do you know a midwife?  Can your mother help?  I must do something quickly.  My wife is going to have a baby . . . soon!”

              Suddenly, the boy was busy again.  He pushed animals around to make room for the couple.  He scurried to get a bale of fresh hay opened and spread to make a resting place for the mother.  He ran to find the local midwife to help the father deliver the baby.  He brought some leftover lamb, a bit of fruit and some water from his mother’s kitchen to nourish that new parents and then waited silently back among the animals for the baby to come.

              A son was born.  The boy noticed the midwife needed to attend to the mother as the new father was totally engrossed speaking softly and tenderly to his wife.  Stepping forward, the boy said very meekly, “Ill . . .I’ll be glad to hold the baby.”  Taking the newborn, the boy was overwhelmed by the great joy and deep peace he felt when he looked down at the child wrapped in swaddling clothes, cradled in his arms.  It was a sensation he would never forget.

Soon he heard rustling at the stable entrance.  It was a group of shepherds.  The boy quickly returned the baby to his mother and stood in awe as the shepherds told of seeing an extremely bright star in the heavens and being surrounded by the most beautiful music proclaiming the glory of God.  The boy watched as the shepherds bowed before the child.  Just then his mother called to him.  She needed him in the kitchen.  Reluctantly, he left.

Bright and early the next morning, the boy was back in the stable, clearing stalls, feeding animals and bringing food and water to the new parents, hoping to hold the baby again.  They were all surprised to see three richly dressed men step into the stable.  Astonished, the boy watched as they too bowed to worship the baby and left gifts in ornately carved boxes.  These events, coupled with the joy the boy experienced whenever he was allowed to hold the baby, convinced him that, indeed, this was a special child.

After that, the boy spent every moment he could with the child and his parents until one day, the father said they must leave.  “The child is in danger,” the father said.  “I must take this baby and his mother to Egypt for protection.” With tears in his eyes, the boy watched the young family travel down the road until the dust closed around them in the distance.  The boy knew that the baby was a special child with a special destiny.  Thirty years, later, when an adult, the boy met a man he instantly knew was the grown-up child he had once held in his arms.  The man was Jesus of Nazareth; the boy was Thaddeus and he became a disciple of Jesus.

May you have a joy Christmas celebration and a bright, healthy and happy New Year.