| I
remember that
night as if it
were pressed into
my wool forever.
The air was cool,
the sky stretched
wide above us, and
the shepherds were
settling in for
their long watch.
I was only a lamb
then, small and
curious, never
straying too far
from my mother.
Everything felt as
ordinary as any
other night on the
hills of
Bethlehem.
Then
suddenly... the
darkness trembled
with light. At
first,
I thought dawn had
come too quickly.
But the shepherds
gasped and fell to
their knees, and
even we sheep
lifted our heads
in wonder. A great
light poured from
the sky, brighter
than the sun yet
soft as a warm
blanket. And from
within it came a
voice... clear,
mighty, joyful. It
shook the ground
beneath my hooves,
but it didn't
frighten me. some
how I knew it was
a voce of peace.
Fear
not.
For behold, I
bring you good
tidings of great
joy which shall be
to all people.
For unto you is
born this day in
the city of David
a Savior which is
Christ the Lord.
The
shepherds stared
at on another as
if their hearts
were on fire. And
I, a tiny lamb,
felt something new
inside me. Hope.
Holiness. A quiet
trembling joy.
T
he angel told them
to go.
To find a baby
wrapped in
swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger.
A
manger? That was a
place for animals
like us. I
wondered who this
child must be that
heaven itself sent
angels to announce
His birth, yet He
was resting where
sheep and cattle
ate their hay.
Then
the sky opened
wide with more
angels than I
could count. They
filled the night
with singing.
Heaven's music
washed across the
hills until even
the smallest lamb
like me felt the
world shift.
Glory
to God in the
highest, and on
earth peace, good
will toward men.
When
the angels
returned to
heaven, the night
grew still again.
But nothing was
ordinary anymore.
The
shepherds gathered
quickly. My
shepherd picked me
up, placed me on
his shoulders, and
said, Come little
one. We must go
see this thing
which the Lord has
made known to us.
We
hurried through
the silent town.
Lamps flickered in
windows. Donkeys
brayed softly
behind the stable
walls. And then...
we found it.
A
stable.
A manger.
A newborn King.
I
saw Him before the
shepherds did. A
tiny baby resting
where I myself had
eaten many times.
His mother, Mary,
smiled with tired
joy. Joseph stood
watch beside her.
And there, in the
most humble place,
lay the One the
angels called
Savior.
He
looked like every
other baby I had
ever seem. Yet
something within
me knew...I was
looking at the
Lamb of God.
The
shepherd lowered
me from his
shoulders. I
stepped closer, as
close as I dared.
The baby made a
soft sound, and
His eyes opened
for a moment. He
looked right at
me.
And
in that quiet
moment, I felt it.
LOVE.
Pure and holy
love.
Love big enough
for the whole
world and gentle
enough for one
small lamb.
I
bowed my head.
the
shepherds knelt.
Mary treasured
every word spoken
about her Son. And
the stars above us
seemed to burn
brighter that ever
before.
I
don't remember how
long we stayed.
Only that when we
left, my heart
felt warm the
whole way home.
For
on that night, in
a bed of straw,
the Savior of the
world arrived...
not in a palace,
but in a place
where even a
little lamb could
come near.
And
I know for
certain.
I was there on the
night when Heaven
came close.
Written
by:
Susan Hogelman
Simple Life in New
Wilmington, PA
|
