A Christmas Story

Here is a story that I used as the main part of a Christmas Eve sermon:

He had noticed the man and woman out there when he had brought the scraps out for the animals. It was one of his many duties as a servant at the inn. The place was as full as it could be which, he found out, was why that man and woman had to sleep in the stable. He had a lot of work to do with so many people staying over but he was curious about this couple. He could sense that something was going on. So after emptying the bucket and tending the animals he paused for a while, back in the corner behind one of the big cows.

The stable was not very big and it was cramped with the animals. It smelled like dung and sweat and damp straw. There wasn’t a lot of light either but he could see the man and woman huddled together over in the far corner. They looked exhausted and scared. It was quiet, except for the soft sounds of the animals. He always thought the stable was a peaceful place and it was particularly calm on this night. At the same time, there was a certain energy and sense of something mysterious there.

And then he heard a whimper and the cry of a baby. It surprised him and it startled him. He saw it now, nestled down in the straw of the big manger. It was wrapped tightly in dingy strips of cloth. He hadn’t noticed it before because it was so small and who would expect a baby in a stable.

The woman picked the baby up and calmed him like only a mother would. She held him for awhile until he fell back asleep and them she tucked him back into the straw.

Then some shepherds came rushing in, all dirty and smelly, like most shepherds. They were all worked up in a commotion about something. They were talking over each other and babbling about angels and bright lights. He crouched down a little behind the cow. He didn’t like shepherds that much and he was pretty sure they were talking nonsense. Shepherds weren’t very smart anyway. Finally when they had caught their breath they told the woman that an angel had come to them and had told them to come here and find a savior, the Messiah. The woman took all this in and there was something rather matter of fact about her response.

Eventually the shepherds left and the stable was calm and peaceful again.

Looking out from behind this cow that baby didn’t look much like a savior. He was nothing more than a common baby—dirty and crying with his poor parents. If he was the Messiah then why hadn’t the great teachers and priests come and announced it. They were always reading those prophecies about the one to come. Why didn’t the king come to honor him? He might expect the Messiah to show up in the temple or a royal palace, but here in the stable of this dumpy inn? No, he sure didn’t look like much of a savior.

The child lay there, swaddled tightly in those bands of cloth, his arms and legs bound close to keep him calm. The manger was made of thick, sturdy slabs of wood. They were worn around the edges, but strong. They reminded him of the thick timbers that the Romans used to nail up criminals. He had seen a crucifixion once. The criminals were dirty and kept crying out. Their arms and legs were bound so that they could not move them. It was a horrible thing to think about so he tried to focus on something else.

He examined the rocky walls. The stable was like a cave and it reminded him of a tomb. One time he had to help place the body of a wealthy man in a tomb. It was cold and dark and small, sort of like this stable. It sent a chill up his spine to think about that dead body.

It was strange that he would be thinking about such things like crucifixions and death on this night. Especially as he stood there so near to a brand new life and the innocence of a baby; but somehow on this night, in this humble stable, as he witnessed this baby and the shepherds and heard of angels and the Messiah, those sad thoughts were there, hanging in the back of his mind like a shadow, or a premonition.

He wondered who this child was. On one hand he seemed to be nothing more than a peasant baby, dirty, crying and already living a hard life in the manger. On the other hand there was something different about him. All those things the shepherds had said. They seemed pretty convinced and excited and how could they make up such a story. And this child did seem special in some way. It was as if he had some great past behind him, even though he was only a few hours old.

He wondered about these things but he couldn’t stay there in the stable all night. There was much to do in the inn and his master would soon come looking for him. So he quietly left and went back to his work, but he kept thinking about that baby. He kept thinking about what kind of life he would live. What would he do? Would he really be a savior? What child is this?