Wednesday 8 December 2010

Bethlehem

A Christmas Medley - 8th December

Little donkey, little donkey
Had a heavy day
Little donkey
Carry Mary safely on her way.


A chill wind blew over her as surely as she felt a familiar blanket cloaking her. She found that she was sitting at a well in a dusty square, amongst flat-roofed, squarish buildings that looked like they were the same texture as the road.

So why are we here?' she turned to her companion, who was seated beside her.

'Watch, and wait,' he smiled at her. 'They'll be here soon.'

A short while later, she spotted some motion down one of the ... pathways ... between the buildings to their right. A figure walking alongside a beast, with another person sitting on the beast. They were stopping at each door and knocking.

'That's Mary and Joseph, isn't it?' Sam breathed, too awed to speak any louder.

'Yes, it is. And they're looking for a place to sleep.'

'Oh, I do hope that they find one,' Sam answered.

'Haven't you read The Word? Of course they'll find somewhere to stay. It's already happened.'

Sam was confused. Already happened? Here she was waiting for it to happen ....

'Don't miss this part. I always love this ...' her companion brought her attention back to the present ... past?

As Sam watched, she saw Joseph step up to another door and knock. This building was bigger than the other she could see from where they were sitting. The door eventually opened, light spilling out onto the pathway beyond, and over Mary, seated on the donkey. Now for the first time Sam could see how pregnant and tired she was. Her heart went out to her.

Joseph was nodding as he spoke to the person standing in the door. Then he moved away from the door and went to stand beside Mary, laying his arm around her shoulders. Sam could see their weariness in all that they did. Then the person inside came out, carrying a lamp with him. He turned to the left and walked along the building, towards where Sam and her companion were sitting. Joseph, Mary and the donkey followed him. Before it seemed they would reach the end of the buildings he turned left between them with the others disappearing after him.

'That inn-keeper's a nice man, to give them a place to stay - even if it's only a stable.'

'Yes, he is," her companion nodded. 'I made him like that, especially for this purpose.'

"And I'm glad you did," Sam admitted. But as she did, her vision turned fuzzy and the town disappeared from her sight.

Song extract from "Little Donkey, Little Donkey"

1 comment:

  1. You just made the account of Mary's pregnancy and birth very real to me when I read "He could see how pregnant she was". I could hardly walk in the last weeks! Poor Mary.

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