The new born baby lay quietly in her arms. Joseph freshened the bed of straw and changed the mat they rested on. It has been a long journey since that day last spring.
Last spring, Mary remembers. That was when the angel of the Lord came to visit me. Since then my life has been so full. Gabriel surprised me that day. I had never seen an angel before and there he was. All shiny and bright. Yes, I was afraid. Until He said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end.”
“But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” I remember asking Gabriel.
“He will be called the Son of God. Nothing is impossible with God. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will over shadow you. He shall plant the seed in your womb.”
“Let it be as you have said,” I told him. I didn’t know what was in store for me from then on.
Since that day my parents did not believe me, Joseph almost divorced me, I have been talked about and have been shunned. The towns people think I am immoral and when I tried to tell my friend this is the Son of God in my womb, she called me crazy. I couldn’t tell anyone. Sometimes I just wanted to run away forever and hide.
Well, I did run away for a little while. I went to Elizabeth and Zacharias’. Gabriel told me that Elizabeth was having a baby too. She is much too old to have a baby she must be in her 60’s. 65 years old, I think. And Zacharias???? He is too old, too.
That was a long walk by myself. I walked a little with some nice people but most of the time I walked alone. Just thinking. Except for the time the ‘Doctor’ walked with me. I don’t know why I told him I was pregnant but I did. He said he wanted to help me. He said it would be too hard for a single mother to raise a child alone in this day and age. He said if I would crush these herbs and take them with water all my troubles would be over. Abortion????? Is that what he was telling me???? I am so glad I did not listen to him. He is so wicked.
When I finally got to Elizabeth’s house she spoke very loudly and said I am blessed among women and blessed is the baby I was carrying. She called me the ‘mother of her Lord’. Her baby, John, jumped for joy in her womb when he heard me at the door. We had such a fun time while I was there for 3 months. Elizabeth and I talked and talked as we got her baby’s bed and clothes ready.
It is so wonderful and such an awesome responsibility to be entrusted with this child. I am weak and sinful. “You see that, God? Who am I to be carrying the ‘Savior of the World’? I need a savior.”
Well, I had to go home sometime. I was beginning to show when I got back to Nazareth. My face was rosy and I could not quit smiling. It didn’t take long for Mom and Dad to figure it out. They were angry with Joseph. Nothing I could say would change their minds. Dad wouldn’t let him in the house and he didn’t know what was going on. Finally, I was able to meet him in town and told him why dad wouldn’t let him come over. I saw the hurt in his eyes. He had so many questions. He knew he wasn’t the father. Who is the father? His heart was broken. How could I have done this to him? Is this what I did while I was away for so long?
“No, Joseph.”
He is a good man and he wanted to keep me out of the public so he started to write the divorce papers. He didn’t want to say adultery because they would stone me. He went to sleep one night when Gabriel appeared to him, too. Gabriel told him the truth. He said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home with you. The baby she is carrying is from the Holy Spirit.” Then Gabriel reminded him of the prophecy, “that a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which means God with us.”
Since that day Joseph has protected me and has done everything imaginable to make this time as wonderful as possible. He made the most beautiful little baby bed and we have clothes ready for Him and Joseph made a special rocking chair for us. Everything is ready. At home. In Nazareth.
We had no idea that Caesar Augustus would make us come to Bethlehem… now… to register for the census? We carried only the bare necessities for the baby and me. We have some swaddling clothes but no bed for any of us. My baby is to sleep in a manger? Where the animals eat? How can this be? The animals watch everything. They seem to know this baby is special.
Joseph is making everything as nice as can be. The straw smells so sweet and is soft to lie on…. It is finally quiet here. The town people have begun to go to bed. I’m glad. We are all so tired.
“Jesus, Immanuel. God with us,” Mary muses. “In my arms.”
Mary whispers to the baby as she gently rocks him. “Look, Joseph, he is so perfect. Ten tiny toes and ten tiny fingers. He is perfect. His tiny lips look like rose buds. His dark eyes seem to see us.” Tears fall on the tiny hand that she kisses. “How can we rear the Son of God? How can we do all of this, Joseph?”
Suddenly there is a commotion outside the door of the stable. “Joseph, see what is going on.” Joseph returned to say, “There are shepherds here to see the Christ child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. They say the angels told them as they were watching their sheep in the fields tonight.”
“Let them in, Joseph. They have heard and believed.”
