The young parents

We left off with the Magi having bowed in worship to the baby King, and leaving to return to Babylon. 

Mary and Joseph entered the poor means of shelter, but it offered a little protection and privacy for his young wife.  Joseph felt the animals watching him as his eyes adjusted.  Then he saw something that might help.  An animal trough.  A manger.  Near it was an area of hay.  “This’ll work,” he muttered to himself.  He spread his cloak over the hay and helped Mary to the spot.  “How are you?”

She was damp with sweat, her body limp as her eyes met his.  “I’m scared.  It hurts so much and I--”²

Another pain seized her.  Joseph knelt by her side and stroked her hair, held her hand.  Help her, God . . . please help her.  Eventually the pain let up, but it was followed by another and another until finally, mercifully, the baby came.  His cry filled the space, strong and healthy.  Joseph wrapped Him in the rags from his pack and placed Him in Mary’s arms.

Her smile gave him permission to relax for the first time in days.  They were in a cave-like opening, crude and not at all clean.  But the baby was here and He was healthy, and most of all Mary was okay.  They were going to make it.

“Look at Him.  He’s beautiful.”  Mary couldn’t take her eyes off the child.  “Isn’t He beautiful, Joseph?”

“He is.”  For a long moment they stared at the child.  “The Savior of the world lies in your arms.  It’s more than I can understand.”

“Me, too.”  Their eyes met and a knowing passed between them.  In all the world only the two of them knew that hundreds of years of silence had been broken.³  The Messiah had come and He now lay in the arms of His teenage mother.

For a while Mary rested. Flies buzzed about and the smell hit Joseph again.  He lifted his eyes, trying to catch a glimmer of the night sky.  I believe You, Father, I do.  But sometimes I wonder if I’ve missed something along the way.  He glanced at the manger.  A feeding trough?  For the King of the world?  Bugs and animals and flies?  Joseph wasn’t sure what he had expected for the child’s birth but he hadn’t expected this.

As his silent questions continued, there came the sounds of approaching folk.  Mary opened her eyes and Joseph scrambled to his feet.  Had someone found them?  Were they going to be kicked out of even this lowly place?⁴  Joseph tried to feel strong and brave as he went to see.

A shock came over him as he saw the group of plain shepherds quickly advancing toward them, their eyes wide with wonder. “The angel told us where to find Him!  The Savior has been born!  Please, can we see Him?”

“Yes.”  Chills ran down Joseph’s arms.  “Yes, you’re right.  He was born tonight.”

The shepherds came closer and told of the miraculous thing they’d seen.  An Angel of the Lord had appeared to them and the glory of the Lord had shone around them.⁵

“To tell you the truth, we were scared to death!”  One of the shepherds smiled.  “But the angel told us not to be afraid.  He had good news of great joy for all people.”  He looked at his buddies, “Even us.”

Another shepherd nodded.  “He told us where to find the baby.  Here … in a manger.”

The first shepherd was looking at Jesus.  “Before long, an entire heavenly host appeared.  It was most amazing thing in all our lives.”  He seemed frozen in place.  “We had to come.  And now we have to go tell everyone.”

The shepherds stayed a little while longer and then they left.  Different men from those they’d been that morning.  [Something I have noticed—no one who meets Jesus is ever the same.]

Alone again, Mary fed Jesus while Joseph watched.  You’ve never looked more beautiful.”

“My heart is full.  I can’t explain it.  Of all the people the angel could’ve told tonight, he told them.  Everyday people.”  Her eyes welled with tears.  “Like us.”

“What’s happened . . . only God can explain.”

“I love you, Joseph.”  Mary smiled at him.  “Whatever’s ahead . . . I can’t do it without you.”

“I’m here, Mary.  I’ll never leave.”  Joseph took her hand in his.  Deep in his soul something stirred.  He felt a sense of love and protection stronger than any he’d ever felt.  “I will never let anything happen to either of you.  I will spend my life protecting you, loving you.  I promise.”

Through the night the promise consumed him, while he kept watch over Mary and Jesus, and while he prayed to his Father in heaven.  His prayer was simple and profound:  That as long as he drew breath, God would help him protect the woman he loved.

And the Christ child God had entrusted to them both.

Simply amazed,

1 – Near Christmas time, there will be Morning Briefings that come primarily out of Luke’s gospel account, but for now … we will just look a little more closely at Mary and Joseph.

^{2 – partially adapted from The Family of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury, 2014}

^{3 – For 400 years, God had been silent … not any longer!}

^{4 – In Kingsbury’s tale, she sets the scene in a stable, rather than what most archaeologists and historians seem to believe, that the birthplace was more like a small cave carved in a mountainside}

^{5 – Luke 2.1-14, specifically verses 8-14-}