A Donkey and a Birth.

The door  burst open and the cool night air filled the room.  I was immediately awakened from a deep sleep. As my eyes adjusted to being awake I saw two people standing in the moonlight at the door making sense of the scene before them.  A young woman-- just a girl maybe 14 –pregnant—breathing heaving and softly weeping

, sniffling about wanting her mom.   Behind her-there was young man a little bit older but with that look of “I have no idea what I am doing”  on his face.

What were they doing in my barn?

Quickly they threw themselves on the bed of straw at my feet slowly catching their breath.  The curled up --scared but in one another’s arms.  They spoke about a long journey from Nazareth— they spoke of getting up in few short hours reporting to the officials to register for the census. The young man couldn’t believe how crowded Bethlehem was— he had never seen so many people. They were just glad to have a place to lay down.  

Before long though a wave of pain hit the young girl- wave after wave  of incredible pain kept coming---- it  didn’t take me long to realize she was in labor . 

It went on like this for quite some time, but all I wanted was a good night sleep.  I had a long day ahead of me.  I did not know what tomorrow would bring-- it might be pulling a plow through the hard rocky soil under the hot desert sun-- Lord I hoped not—it might be carrying packages upon my back to go to market many miles away.

Just as I was dozing off another noise startled me—I kicked over the water bucket -- the chickens at my feet went flying into the rafters,  - the cow softly chewing his cud began to moo.  It took me a moment to recognize this new noise but then I realized it was a baby—crying—it had broken the stillness  and chaos had erupted in the barn. His  Mother tried to quiet the animals —dad grabbed a barn blanket to wrap the  new born infant in -They  placed him there in my feeding trough.  

As I looked down at the new born baby—I began to think of my many children over the years—the hope I had for each of them that-- they would be happy and fulfilled and lead meaningful lives.  I then remembered the one that I lost—the birth had taken longer than all the others, and when it finally happened there was nothing not a noise or a breath-- I nudged the foal, but nothing—not life this time.  Times like these can be so hard I thought—we want  to feel the joy but sometime the sadness simply envelops us.   

The baby  began to settle, his mother fell into an exhausted sleep and finally the barn seemed to return to bit of normalcy.   I looked down at this beautiful baby born, a full head of dark, black hair—I wondered about his life— where would he go and what would he do, who would he become? 

Shortly before dawn –the rooster had already begun to stir when there was excitement  again at the door.  Again it burst open this time several young men –I could smell them before I realized who they were—shepherds from the fields—nobody like shepherds, I thought. 

What were they doing here? Shouldn’t they be in the fields tending their flocks.  Why had they interrupted my barn?

A bit of commotion as they all began speaking excitedly—talk of angels filing sky—talk of announcement that to them a savior was born — to them shepherds—they had walked over the hills and through the woods— drawn by an invisible force to this place-- they had to see this savior—they had thought the savior might have been in castle, or in the house of a rich man so they were a bit perplexed here at my barn, but they knew in their heart of hearts this was the place.

The man called Joseph began speaking of dream he had had—of this baby- the one in my trough who would be  named  Emmanuel—meaning God with us.

At that moment I remember my master one day speaking in the market about  the prophets old and one in particular that  he called Isaiah-

And how Isaiah spoke of a speaking about  a messiah who would come, one who would come  to  save the people.  Isaiah had said the messiah would be a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, an Everlasting Father,  and a Prince of Peace.

Was that this baby— was this the mighty God with us—was that this baby the Prince of peace—the shepherds said it was, Joseph had dreamed that it was—I thought this is no place for God to be born.

Perhaps this baby, this god would go to places we would never believe God would Go—perhaps this baby this son of God would love people, like the shepherds who the world said were unlovable--- perhaps this baby would be born  go into places that were as dark and dank and foul as my barn. 

And in that moment a joy began to well up within me—cause I thought maybe this is just the God our world needs.  Not a god on a lofty throne inaccessible, but  God down here with us in the darkness of the stable.

My  heart began to sing—may all people who hear my story have their hearts sing as mine did that night—may they look into the face of that baby and feel the joy that I did knowing that God is with us.  May they look at that baby and realize that no matter how dark the world gets there is an answer to that darkness.   

That is my story—the story of a one night in my barn a long time ago—when a baby was born and nothing would ever be the same.