But Mary was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly behind the bales of hay could be heard some loud moans and groans. Evidently Mary was in labor.
Soon the doctor arrived dressed in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck. Joseph, with a look of relief on his face takes the doctor straight to Mary, then starts pacing back and forth. After a few moments the "doctor" emerges with a big smile on his face.
Bethlehem - May 2000 - The excitement was building. We were standing in
the Shepherd's Fields just outside of Bethlehem. We were ready to go into
the Shepherd's Caves and sing Christmas Carols. Some members of the tour
group had done it with me on previous trips. For others, it was their
first time - but everyone was excited. Bethlehem... Christmas Carols...
Shepherd's Caves... Who wouldn't be excited?
We had always done it. We had always sung carols in the caves. Why?
Because once you do it, you're never the same. After my first time, I was
never the same. So, I had planned it so that everyone else could
experience it, too. My plans were about to be fulfilled. We would sing
Christmas Carols inside the Shepherd's Caves in the hills of Bethlehem.
There was a problem. It was crowded. The year 2000 had bought more groups
than ever to Israel. The Shepherd's Caves were full! We waited... and
waited... No groups were leaving the caves. Our time was growing short.
We were about to miss out on the chance to sing Christmas carols in those
caves.
I was disappointed. I knew what a blessing our group was about to miss. I
expressed my disappointment to God. "God, we've always sung in the caves.
No one is ever the same after they do! We have to do it, Lord. We've
always done it that way. If we don't, our group will miss out on the
blessing of Bethlehem. Can't you work it out to open one of the caves for
us?"
None of the other groups left the caves. We didn't get to sing carols in
the Shepherd's Caves. Disappointed, I led the group to the top of the
hill - to a small chapel called "The Chapel of the Angels". We would sing
there - but I knew it wouldn't been the same. It couldn't be, because we
had always done it only one way.
Once inside the "Chapel of the Angels", we started singing carols. Most
of the group had tears in their eyes as we sang "Silent Night". For them,
Christmas already had a new meaning.
A MIRACLE - Then, it happened. A group from Germany entered the chapel.
While we were singing "Silent Night" in English, they started singing it
in German. Two other groups entered as well. There were now four groups
singing Christmas Carols. Every time I started our group in a song, we
were joined by an "International Choir" singing in German, French and
Spanish!!! There was not a dry eye in the chapel. Everyone called it a
"Christmas" miracle.
I almost missed out on that "Christmas Miracle" - me, the "spiritual
leader" of the group. Why? Because I was so intent on doing it the way
we'd always done it. If we didn't follow the same traditions of Bethlehem
that we'd always done, I just knew that we wouldn't be blessed.
What about you? Does God have a special blessing or a miracle for you
this Christmas? If you're so intent on making sure that you follow the
same traditions, that you do exactly the same things that you always do
each Christmas, you may miss out on a special blessing or a Christmas
miracle.
Two thousand years ago, the people of Bethlehem were doing things the way
they'd always done them. People were working, shopping, visiting and
worshipping. Due to the census, extended families from far-away places
had returned home and were visiting with their friends and families -
swapping gifts and memories. In the midst of their traditional way of
doing things, God preformed the greatest miracle of all - the birth of
his Son, Jesus Christ.
With the exception of some shepherds, the introduction of God's Son
almost went unnoticed. Don't miss out on a miracle this Christmas just
because "We've never done it that way before".
----Reprinted from Daily Wisdom. Contributed by David Langerfeld
(dlangerfeld@HarrisburgBaptist.org)
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