“Would you?”
There are a plethora of Christmas-related movies. One of my favorites is The Nativity
Story. While the overall movie
is well done, it is one particular scene that helps it rise to the top of my
list. That is when the shepherds, who
have heard the good news proclaimed by the angels, hurry to Bethlehem to see
this miracle child. A grizzled, old
shepherd comes to kneel at the side of Mary who is holding the baby Jesus in
her arms. The shepherd shakingly and
slowly extends a trembling hand toward Jesus; Mary holds Jesus out closer to
him.
God continued to surprise the Jewish people time and
again throughout salvation history. He
surprises by his unimaginable actions, like parting the Red Sea, so the
Israelites can cross by dry land into freedom.
He surprises by choice, like when He unexpectedly chose prophets like Amos. “Amos answered Amaziah, “I am not a
prophet, nor do I belong to a company of prophets. I am a herdsman and a
dresser of sycamores, but the LORD took me from
following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people
Israel.’” Amos 7:14-15
Sending choirs of angels to the shepherds in the
hillsides of town is so like God. A
quick partial list of famous herdsmen in the history of Israel includes:
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joseph the dreamer, and David. It’s hard to understand why the Israelites
never caught on to the reality that shepherds were a class of God’s own
heart. Instead, they get surprised over
and over again when a shepherd is chosen for great things in serving God and
the nation.
Even in our own little nativity sets I’m going to
guess that most people set the shepherds at a distance and outside the stable. I think it’s natural to us that is where they
would be. But there is something in our human
nature that argues against that. It is
the fact that babies attract people to them.
I was the youngest of nine in my birth family. Since I was the youngest, being around babies
was not part of my life experience. When
Jacob, my oldest son, was born the nurse wrapped him in a little blanket and
held him out to me. “Do you want to hold
him?” she asked. I may have said something,
I don’t remember, but I do remember holding out my arms and having her place
Jacob there. I brought him up to my
face, kissed him, and cradled him tightly to me.
By the time that the shepherds arrived at the stable I’m
certain that Mary and Jospeh’s fingerprints were all over him. I envision that shepherd approaching the baby
just like in the movie. But if I would
have written the scene, Mary would have asked him, “Would you like to hold him?” All babies instill love in the world. Their mere presence stirs our hearts and
draws us near to them.
Soon, we will celebrate again the surprise coming of
our Savior as a tiny infant. In prayer,
place yourself in that stable. Mary is
looking at you. She has a question: “Would
you like to hold him?”
Merry Christmas
His Peace <><
Deacon Dan
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