In the late fall of 2006, I awoke one morning after having a very vivid dream. It was so powerful, I had to write it down. That Christmas, as our family gathered on Christmas Eve, I read the story to them as one of my Christmas gifts that year. It’s been 12 years since I first wrote these words, but I thought I’d share it with all of you this Christmas Eve of 2018.

A Shepherd’s Christmas Story

“Welcome… Please come in; you must be Benjamin’s friend. I am his brother and a shepherd like him. Welcome to our home. This is Mary, my wife. It’s Mary who works to put this gathering together every year; my part is to tell the story.”

“Did you see the man that just left as you were arriving? His name is Luke. He is writing a story about the good news and wanted to know what had happened in Bethlehem. I told him about that part, but you’ll hear the rest of the story in a few minutes.”

It was always a great time when family and friends came. Although many had heard the story before, more were always invited each year. The shepherd had to be cautious, because he knew that the Roman government would not like what he was doing. Even so, he realized that this was something important to do. There were things that he had seen in his life that needed to be shared. Once he was gone, he wanted others to remember.

“I think everyone is here now, so let’s all gather for prayer. Mary just gave me the signal that the food is ready”

“Father God, bless this food and this time together with family and friends. May your hand be upon us and may the story that I share be pleasing to you. Protect your chosen nation, the one that you brought out of Egypt so long ago. Teach us today about your wonderful plan for all of our lives. Amen.”

The meal was simple and enjoyed by everyone. But it was the fellowship of family and friends that nourished them even more. Many attending lived several days travel away and this was the only time each year that they saw each other. They came to hear the story.

The shepherd stood and everyone knew it was time. The small room in the house became very quiet as he gathered his thoughts and began the story.

“This is the story of my life. It is also the story of another man. He changed me and I hope he will have an impact on you as well.”

“It all started many years ago, as I was working the flocks at night. I was learning about shepherding from my father, who believed that a Jew must earn the right to tend the flocks during the day. It was easy work most of the time; the sheep would bed down as the sun set and would sleep most of the night. The only thing we really had to worry about were wolves. And then only when it was a new moon. But even that had changed a few months before. A large star had appeared right over Bethlehem and the night sky was as bright as day.”

“Then one special night, suddenly an angel appeared in our midst. It happened so quickly; we all thought we would soon be dead. But in a voice that we felt more than heard, he told us to be calm. He had not come for us, but to tell us of a wonderful event. A baby had just been born in Bethlehem and this baby was the Son of God! And the baby would be found in a stable lying in a manger! Then around the angel appeared many heavenly creatures singing praises to God and blessing peace on earth to all men to whom God is pleased. In an instant the angels were gone.”

“I knew exactly what we had to do. We had to go to Bethlehem. We left the youngest of our group to watch the sheep and the rest of us went to town to find the manger. When we arrived, we were surprised at what we saw. In the stable with all of the animals around, we found the mother and father and a baby. The mother’s name was Mary, just like my Mary. She was so young. She looked at me with both joy and sorrow and I didn’t understand what that meant until many years later. The proud father, Joseph, told me the baby’s name was Jesus. As I approached the manger, I was filled with the need to hold him; me, who had never held a new-born before. And in the instant that I touched him, something changed. Just as the angel told me, I believed that this baby would save the world, but I didn’t know how or why. I looked over in amazement at Mary. She smiled and nodded at me, knowing what I was thinking.”

“The other shepherd boys and I left the stable committed to tell the world what had happened. Some listened and believed, but many did not. After several days we became discouraged and went back to our lives tending sheep. It would be 30 years before I would see Jesus again. I often wondered if I ever would.”

The shepherd paused a moment to wipe tears from his eyes. It was obvious that he had a close and personal relationship with this man called Jesus. The family and friends waited and listened as he returned to the story.

“I first saw Jesus again when he came to our synagogue and performed a miracle. He healed a sick man. I got to the synagogue just as he departed and I followed him that day. He went to the home of one of his friends and healed a woman. Late in the day, many people were arriving at the house with all kinds of ailments and diseases. I saw Jesus heal them all.”

The shepherd went on to tell about the many times he had watched Jesus and had seen his power. The miracles and teachings he witnessed were amazing.

“It would be about three years after seeing him in the synagogue that I heard Jesus had been arrested by the Romans. I decided to go to Jerusalem and see him, because I knew that he would save the world and he would break their chains and save us all. But when I arrived, it was too late. I was told Jesus had been taken to Golgotha to be crucified. As I rushed to the site, the sky went dark and it was difficult for me to see. When I finally got there, I found him on a cross, bloody and barely alive. I tried to walk up to get close to him, but the Roman soldiers kept me away. Tears were streaming down my face. How could this happen? How could I have been so wrong? I fell to my knees and as I did I heard him say: ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit?’ …And then he just – died. Jesus, the one who I knew would save the world.”

“I stayed there and wept for hours; even after they took him away to be buried. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. The next couple of weeks were a blur. Finally I realized there was nothing more for me in Jerusalem, so I started back home.”

“I was a broken man and I wasn’t sure what I would do when I got home. The life of a shepherd seemed empty to me now. I felt like God had played an evil trick and was punishing me – and not only that, I was mad at God. Jesus was my savior and now he was gone.”

“I stopped on the road to rest for awhile, my head spinning from thoughts of his death, when a group of men walked by. One of them stopped, looked down on me and said, ‘Why are you so sad? I thought you believed in me?’ I looked up and saw the face of Jesus. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The one who would save the world was standing right in front of me. How was that possible? How could he be here? I saw him die.”

“Then Jesus reached down and took my hand. All sorrow and pain left me and I smiled at him as I got up. I walked with him and his disciples for the rest of that afternoon. He told me that he would be leaving soon to be with God the Father and that everything would be alright. I finally understood that he didn’t come to save us from the Romans, but from our own sin.”

“What God foretold through Isaiah has come true. ‘For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.’ God’s Word became flesh. He was born many years ago on this day of the year. He lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose again to prove that He, Jesus is the Son of God.”

“So that is my story. I’m one of the lucky ones. I saw his birth, I saw his ministry and miracles, I saw him die, and I saw him alive again. It’s easy for me and a few others that saw these things to know that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. For the rest of you, you’ll have to believe it by faith. All you have to do is ask God and he will give you the faith you need to believe. Surrender to him and you’ll see, just like I did.”

The shepherd sat down, his story over for this year. Family and friends got ready to leave, promising to be back next year to hear it again. And he would continue to tell it each year until his death.

Time passed – several hundred years, and the shepherd’s story was long forgotten. But the story of Jesus lives on – His birth celebrated, His death mourned, His sacrifice embraced. His Kingdom will last forever as He reigns over all.

Merry Christmas.

Matthew 9:2 (NASB)
2 And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell the story of Jesus and the paralytic who was brought to Him by friends of that man. Jesus used this as an opportunity to show us that forgiveness is far more significant than healing.

Yet, what is the subject of many of my prayers? Do I give forgiveness the priority or do I pray for healing of self, family, and friends? Have I really understood just what a gift the forgiveness of my sins and sins of others is in the scheme of things? Without forgiveness of sin, we are lost for eternity. Assurance of forgiveness and daily repentance of my sin is much more important.

But, there is nothing wrong with asking for healing. Jesus healed. Jesus heals even today. It is just a matter of priority, which is why Jesus responded to the paralytic the way He did. The man who was healed went away praising God. I wonder if he understood what it meant to be forgiven as compared to the wonderful healing that he was also given? I hope so.

Father, I praise You for the gift of forgiveness of sin. Help me to keep it in proper perspective with the other prayers that I bring to You. May it always be your glory that is the motivation for my prayers. May my repentant heart always be in my thoughts as Your grace and mercy covers my undeserving soul. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Everlasting God, let the light of Thine eternity now fall upon my passing days.
O holy God, let the light of Thy perfect righteousness fall upon my sinful ways.
O most merciful God, let the light of Thy love pierce to the most secret corners of my heart and overcome the darkness of sin within me.
Excerpt taken from “A Diary of Private Prayer” by John Baillie, pg 99.

I find that my prayers can fall into a rut of sameness and form. So, I read prayers that others have written to provide a spark of freshness. Prayers of others also identify areas that I am missing in my prayers. They often point out the things that I avoid; sins that I know I need to confess but don’t.

It is amusing that we avoid confessing our known sins to a God that already knows all of them. We hide in the dark, thinking that He can’t see us. We gloss over the confession to get to praying for the circumstances in life that are troubling.

Confession doesn’t reveal anything new to God. But I often act like it does by trying to hide sin from Him. It simply puts us right with God. What I forget is that confession from the deepest parts of my soul brings glory to God. He sings over us when we acknowledge and turn away from the things that separate us from Him. It brings us closer to Him and His Holy Spirit, which in turn, changes our hearts so that we are more like His Son. If I look at confession in that way, it becomes a delight, rather than something to shun.

Holy Father, I confess that I try to hide my deepest sins from You. I pray that Your perfect righteousness will shine a light on them, revealing them to me. And that I would see them, confess them, and bring glory to You. Change my heart and sweep away the darkness. Give me a heart like Jesus. I pray this in His name. Amen.

Always bringing glory to God,