WATCHWORD:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” Isaiah 7:23
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. Luke 2:1-7
Meditation:
One Christmas Day
I heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
The poem (or song) was written in the middle days of 1860s, the awful recovery from the final ravages of the Civil War were beginning to play out and our nation was was still dealing with its wounds. Then the voice of hope came through the pen of Longfellow, and published in a popular magazine. Hope had long been in short supply, now it had a chance, through the Bells of Christmas.
[An original Christmas story, my gift to all on the Watchword network. May it bless all those with whom you share — by Stan Escott]
Ezbon and the Lamb
His name was Ezbon, son of Gad, and he had been a shepherd just over a year. It was his thirteenth birthday and, at his celebration of the age of responsibility, his father had entrusted him with 10 sheep, and told him the story of his family, that included shepherds and kings, even the greatest king, David. He learned about the patriarch of the family, Jacob, who was his great, great, great, great grandfather and his great grandfather’s eleven brothers, who were his great, great, great, great-uncles. All were wonderful shepherds, caring for countless numbers of sheep, over hundreds and hundreds of years, a family tradition that had been handed down from one generation to the next, to his own father. Now, he would continue the tradition.
Yes, Ezbon was a shepherd. The little flock of sheep his father had given him, a year ago, had, at last count, grown to 25, including a newborn lamb he now held in his arms. So, in his mind, his flock was not so much small as it was growing. His shepherding had been rewarded. His goal now was to move his flock to the lush pastureland west of Jerusalem, near Bethlehem.
For several weeks, he had grazed his flock on the hillsides between Jerusalem and the nearby town of Bethlehem of Judah. He had heard that it was the time of the Census, ordered by the Roman emperor, and all people were required to be recorded and pay the tax. Now, from where he was standing above Bethlehem, he watched as families and individuals filed into the town, some were riding camels and donkeys, but most were on foot. Then, sometime later, having completed their registrations, they returned the way they had come, heading back to their homes.
Ezbon waited patiently for several days, to avoid the crowds. He hoped, once he went into town, he could get his supply of food, enough to last him over the coming weeks. So, finally, late one afternoon, he led his little followers into a small holding pen, and, cradling the trembling bundle in his arms, headed into the town, below. He had little money, several silver coins, but he hoped to use the lamb as barter to restock his food supply. He wanted to get some dried fish, a measure of pita bread, a small skin of wine, and maybe some fruit or olives. The little lamb struggled, then settle back into his arms.
So, this is Bethlehem, he thought, as he approached the village. There were still some people in the streets, but the crowds had thinned out and, there, up ahead, he saw several shops. As he started toward one of the shops, he heard a cry, the cry of a baby. He didn’t think much of it. Once again, the little lamb struggled in his arms, and as he settled the animal, he, again, heard the cry of a baby. This caused him to turn and look around. Then, he saw, just over there, a shallow cave in the hillside that was used as a stable. Flickering lanterns illuminated a small family.
Ezbon stepped toward the stable and, as he watched, he saw a newborn baby being wrapped in cloths, and then placed, lovingly, in a manger. The mother smiled and nodded to him, and, out of curiosity, he edged closer to the manger, and looked down at the baby, swaddled and resting in the trough. He thought the baby was smiling at him. What a comforting thought!
Then, as he was about to step away, he looked at the lamb in his arms and the baby in the manger, a strange thought came upon him: three newborns! Newborns, yes, but three? He looked around the stable, and beyond. No, there were just the two newborns, here.
But the thought persisted, three newborns. Where? At that moment, he became aware of a building sense of happiness and peace, he had never felt before. Tears of joy streaked down his cheeks. Why, he thought? As he gazed at the newborn baby, laying in the manger, smiling up at him, he did not need an answer. It didn’t matter, why. He knew in his shepherd’s heart that something very special had happened, was happening, to him. To him!
The baby in the feed trough was the long-awaited Messiah. Yet, for Ezbon, unschooled in such things as he was, he could only acknowledge the infilling of love that made his heart full and spilled from his eyes. Yet, the young shepherd boy knew he was blessed beyond his understanding. In gratitude, he took the lamb from his arms, and, kneeling, laid it, gently, beside the manger, a gift for the Lamb of God.
How long Ezbon knelt there in the glow of that moment, he didn’t know. He became aware that he was wasn’t alone. There, behind him, were two other shepherds from the high country, also kneeling. Strange, he thought, what are they doing here? Yet, they too, were caught up in the joy of this moment. He knelt there for a while longer, then, without a word, he quietly rose, looked once more at the baby and his mother, then turned and, reluctantly, left the stable.
It was dark now when he returned to the holding pen and his charges. His flock knew his voice, and so they slowly followed him back to the hillside and, then, settled in for the night. From where he was now sitting, Ezbon could look down into the little town of Bethlehem. He gazed at the night sky and noticed an unusual sight, one star was so much brighter than all the others, and it seemed to shine on the town below. What a beautiful sight!
The young shepherd boy yawned, stretched out on the grass and considered all that had happened and marveled at the sense of peace he felt. As he surrendered to sleep, his last thought was of the baby, there in the manger, and the smile that seemed to fill him with love. It was then he realized, with a warmth from within, that he was the third newborn. Amen.
© 2020 Stan Escott
Closing Prayer:
Thank you God for sending Your Son on one glorious night to be born a virgin, to live a perfect life and to die on the cross for my sins. Thank you that he rose from the dead three days later and that this Christmas and every Christmas we can celebrate the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Amen.
