Don’t you just love nursery windows at the hospital? A new baby that is taken to meet family and friends is held, cooed over, and adoringly held. Every baby is precious, a new life to join the souls of this earth. There was no nursery window, no baby shower, no maternity ward with fresh clean blankets to wrap the baby in.
Here at the stable, Mary and Joseph have gone through the process of birth. The stable animals are still there, Bethlehem is a busy place that night. I would imagine that by now Joseph has cleaned up the mess of the birth, perhaps Mary has gotten some sleep, and even fed the baby. Looking at this new baby, God’s son come in human form would have been an amazing moment.
Then, there are shepherds that come to visit. Not the most likely of baby shower guests or maternity ward guests gathered there. As instructed, the shepherds went, and there they “found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger,” (Luke 2: 16). I wonder what they talked about, was it in hushed whispers or glorious hosannas, did they try to do anything to help Mary and Joseph or were they completely overawed by what they had experienced and didn’t have a thought left. We do know that the excitement of the events of the time had not worn off, did not dull down – instead the shepherds “spread the word” and told people what had happened. Everyone who heard was amazed by what they heard.
It really is an amazing story. Have you shared it with anyone? Have you allowed God to share it with you?
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