Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Special Night

This was originally published Dec.3, 2007. Hope you enjoy this re-run.

It was the brightest night that Joshua had ever experienced. The tall, lean youth was sixteen years of age. He was proud to work in the barn behind the inn where he lived. Even now he was thankful for his distant cousin who had taken him in some five years ago. Tonight, with the moonlight streaming in the open window at the end of the barn, he felt that there was something special, magical about this night.
His mind wandered back to his early childhood…Joshua had always been slower than his playmates. His parents called him their “special” gift from God and he always knew he was loved by them. But, there were times when the other kids made fun of him and made life unpleasant for him. When those instances occurred, he could run to his parents who would comfort him and tell him he was special and that God had a special plan for his life. His father would read from the writings of the prophets and tell him that one day a Messiah would come that would save the people from their sins. Joshua could comprehend enough to know that this would be a wonderful time!
Then, one day when he was eleven, his world came crashing down around him. His parents were tragically killed in an accident. He was never told what happened. He only knew that the two people he could truly trust were gone. A distant relative, Zebulon, an innkeeper, was kind enough to allow him to stay with him.
When he grew older, he became the “keeper of the barn”…Tonight, as he finished his chores, he couldn’t shake the feeling about this evening. He heard some folks coming toward the barn. This generally made him upset for he could never speak to strangers without getting his words all tangled and twisted. He quickly climbed into the hayloft and hid as he normally did when strangers came into the barn.
He was distressed to see a man and woman come in the door. The woman appeared to be in discomfort. Still, the feeling about the evening persisted.Unable to climb down the ladder without being seen, Joshua decided to sleep in the hay as he had done before, rather than be humiliated by having to speak to a stranger. Too many times before people had laughed at him when his thoughts and words had become a tangled mess.
He moved in the hay to where he could be comfortable and saw that the man and woman were in one of the stables and it appeared they were staying for the night!Much later, Joshua was awakened from a deep sleep by the sound…of a baby?! Never before had there been a baby in this barn!
He peered down into the stable, and there in the manger was the little child. The moon was now lower in the sky, and its light had flooded the stable. The beams seemed to be shining directly onto the infant’s face.Something happened inside of Joshua at that moment. A voice seemed to speak to him that sounded like his father’s voice. The thoughts in his mind seemed clearer than ever before, and the voice seemed to say, “This is that special one that the prophets foretold.” He climbed quickly down the ladder and made his way to the stable.The man seemed surprised to see him appear, but he did not mind as Joshua made his way toward the baby.
The woman took the child into her arms, and the moonlight bathing the mother and child appeared to be straight from Heaven. Joshua had never approached a stranger before, but he knew there was something different about this family! He asked the woman, “What is the baby’s name?”The answer came in a hushed, reverent tone, “Jesus.”
At the mention of the baby’s name, Joshua felt his thoughts become completely rational, and while he did not voice them, he had the understanding that millions of people still do not have today - the realization that those radiant beams from a holy face brought the dawn of Redeeming Grace!
LJL2006

2 comments:

Regi said...

Just as good, second time around!

Anonymous said...

Too much time on your hands, huh? Seriously, your talents go on and on, Mr. Lowell.