THE SON

part 3

MORNING LIGHT

“Because of God’s tender mercy the morning Light from Heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide us to the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79

The stable that was under the living quarters of the house was quiet. Now and then an animal shifted in the straw and dim light shown throughout. Mary’s father sat leaning against the far wall and dozed in the stillness. Joseph sat by Mary holding her head in his lap and every so often wiping her sweaty face with a cool cloth.

Joseph had no idea that birthing would be so hard, but Mary labored much and once in awhile a soft moan would escape her drawn lips. He was happy Mary’s mother was there to attended to her needs. He would not have known what to do. It was all he could do to watch her in such pain. In between the contractions she would look at him and smile assurance while he wiped the sweat from her forehead. His heart swelled with love for this young, strong woman who God chose to deliver His very own Son to a dying world.

In the wee hours, when the night is the darkest and when the evil one is prowling the earth to see what havoc can be wreaked, a soft light bathed the house where Mary lay.

In the dark sky a great star burst forth, with bright light upon the black night. The evil one screamed in anguish and ran from the legion of angels surrounding the house.

In the dim room filled with the smell of cows and donkeys and musty straw, a lusty infant cry broke the stillness. Mary’s father jerked as his head came up. Joseph stared as his mother-in-law held the kicking baby boy in both her hands.

“Here he is, Mary,” she said with a grin, “healthy and ready to face the world!”

Joseph helped Mary to sit up, then her mother placed the squirming baby in her arms.   After examining fingers and toes, and wiping his tiny body clean, Mary wrapped him in the swaddling clothes she had brought. Then she grinned at Joseph who couldn’t take his eyes off the tiny baby in her arms.

“His name is Jesus,” he said and Mary nodded as she leaned against her husband, content with her baby secure in her arms.

Mary’s exhausted heart swelled with love, as she gazed at the tiny face and hands. Was it true? Would this baby of hers really grow into a mighty king? Would those tiny hands really save the nations? And was He truly the Son of Almighty God? But He had to be, how else could it have happened that she would have been with child before knowing a man?

This miracle baby of hers seemed so normal, like so many other babies she had seen. She glanced around the dim, dirty room that housed the family’s animals and realized for the first time that she had delivered her baby in a stable, on the dirt floor, and the only place to lay him was a straw filled manger. Not a fit place for the King of Kings to enter the world. What was God thinking?

Mary laid back on the straw and robes that had been put on the floor and snuggled the baby close to her breast. Joseph tucked robes in around his son and wife then huddled near by to shelter them from the cold draft.

Just outside Bethlehem a group of shepherds who kept their flocks of sheep together in a fold at night for protection, slept around a fire. Two or three were awake, sitting by the fire trying to stay awake to keep the night watch. Their heads dropped between their knees in the wee hours of the night as sleep overtook them.

Suddenly a bright light shone all around them. The watchmen sprang to their feet. The sleeping shepherds sat up and looked around befuddled. The light came out of the sky and was so bright they covered their eyes. They had never seen such light, it pulsated with brilliance. Terrified of what this could be, they lay prone upon the ground.

Out of the light they could just make out a figure. The tall, commanding being that seemed to be made of the light spoke.

“Don’t be afraid!” A voice boomed out of the light, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people! A Savior–yes, the Messiah, the Lord–has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth lying in a manger.”

Suddenly the dark sky was filled with many angels, the armies of Heaven, all glowing in great light and singing this heavenly song.

“Glory to God in highest Heaven and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased!” Luke 2:14 NLT

The glory of God illuminated the night and the hills surrounding Bethlehem. The shocked shepherds stood with their amazed eyes turned upwards to the glorious sight of thousands of brilliant angels singing and praising God. Their mouths hung open and their hearts swelled with joy.

The shepherds were the lowly of the working men. They lived in the hills with their sheep, they had no homes, no beds, eating only what they killed or found. They were hard working men who preferred to be in the open country rather than a warm house. They would rather have the company of their sheep and dogs and sometimes each other instead of other people. They were considered outcasts, socially inept, poor and downtrodden.

Yet God chose these men to be the first to see His Glory that night. He chose the lowly and humble, not the high and mighty, to be the first to welcome His Son. God chose a peasant girl and a common carpenter to be the parents of His only cherished Son. He decided the Prince of Heaven would be born not in a palace warm but a cold drafty, dirty stable with cows and donkeys and maybe goats to witness the birth.

Every year when I read this story it amazes me that the God of the universe would use such common people and simple surroundings to execute His great plan. Why God even planned for His Son to born amongst the very animals He had formed with His own hands! Animals who warmed His tiny body with their heat and gave Him their own bedding. Did the cows look on with wide eyes and moo softly as the birth took place? Did the donkeys and goats and maybe a dog or cat know who was in their midst and eagerly try to get a glimpse?

This whispers to me that God will use me, a common person living in a simple humble home surrounded by His creation and even the animals He put on earth, to bring about His glory! If only I, like Mary and Joseph, have a willing heart. If only I am eager to follow His will, even if the road leads up steep, difficult mountains and things seem to go all wrong.

Tired and worn the shepherds came. The light of the star marked the house. The back country men filed silently inside and stood reverently looking down at the sleeping Mary with her baby snuggled close to her side.

Mary’s mother and father, wrapped in robes by the other wall, slept on undisturbed. Joseph, who lay beside Mary, jerked awake and jumped to his feet. The shepherds smiled and softly told him of the angel’s visit. Joseph, who wasn’t surprised at all, motioned for them to sit and they knelt on the dirt floor. Mary’s eyes fluttered open and after a startled glance at Joseph who nodded, she held out the sleeping baby.  As the rough, crusty shepherds took turns holding the tiny newborn, Joseph and Mary shared their stories of visits from angels.

In the cold dawn of a new day, the rough, dirt-crusted, outdoor men bowed their heads and worshiped Heaven’s Prince, the Savior of the world.

The Morning Light had come!

The Morning Light from Heaven burst upon a dark and dying world over 2000 years ago. The world we now live in is still dying, and dark. Evil reigns.

Blackness is creeping into every crack and extinguishing all light. So it seems.

Nevertheless, the Light from Heaven has not been put out. The evil one could not extinguish the Flame of Grace. Jesus who lived and walked on this earth and who died for you and for me, now lives!

He is a Light that is brighter than that star that shone down on Bethlehem that night. He is a song that is sung sweeter than Heaven’s armies singing in the night. He is more radiant than God’s Glory shining bright in the Bethlehem sky.

He is the Prince of Heaven, the Morning Star, the Commander of Heaven’s armies, the great I AM! He is the Lover of your soul. The Light in your darkness. The cleanser of your heart.

He will wash away your sins. He will give you new life and life eternal forever and ever in Glory with Him. He walks beside you, He lives within you, He stands between you and the evil one.

He is my strength, my shelter, my everything. I can not walk a single day without my Jesus by my side.

When darkness comes, He is my Morning Light. When a storm blows into my life, He is my Refuge. When all else fails, He is my Strong Tower.

He supports me. He carries me. He puts me on the Rock that is higher than I.

He will never leave me. He will never forsake me.   He is my Savior, my Friend, my life.

He was born a baby in a stable. He died as a criminal on a cruel cross. He is now the Prince in Glory. He will return to Earth as the King of the nations.

Jesus Christ our Lord.

He is the Son of the Almighty God.

He came as Light, bursting upon a dark night.

He brings Hope to a cursed, sin filled planet.

He gives Salvation to mankind, who live in the shadow of eternal death.

He is the Morning Light in your heart.

His light illuminates sin.

Yet He washes them all away.

All you have to do is ask.

           He stands at the door of your heart and says,

             “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Revelations 3:20 NLT