Once upon a time there was a young woman who was like every other young woman. She had many hopes and dreams. She was going to be married to a good man and that she hoped that she would be very happy with him.
One night before she was married she had a strange dream. She dreamt of an Angel from God who told her that she would have a baby and that this baby would be very special. At that time the people hoped for a person to come forward to help lead them. They hoped for greater understanding in God and believed that a person called the Messiah would answer that hope.
When she woke she became worried because she was not yet married, and this made some people upset. She went to the see the man she was going to marry to tell him what she had dreamed.
He too had had a dream. An Angel had come to him in a dream as well and had also told him that the woman he was to marry would have a very special baby. The angel told him that the baby could be the hoped for person.
This made him very happy and they were married. His name was Joseph and her name was Mary. Both of them hoped that their baby would be healthy and strong. They went forward in life full of hope for the things to come.
Peace
Later when it was close to the time Mary was to have the baby, they were told they needed to go back to the town of Josephs ancestors to be counted for a tax. The land that they lived in was troubled. Many people were unhappy with the way the rulers were running their land. There were whisperings of war.
The journey and the tax were supposed to help bring peace to the land.
This was a hard journey for Mary because she felt big and being so heavily pregnant made her tired very easily. She couldn’t help but worry about her baby and whether the traveling might be harmful. She tried to remain peaceful and calm, but it was hard.
When they arrived in Joseph’s home town, Bethlehem they discovered that so many people had come back to this town that there was no room for them at any inn. It was not a peaceful place, but full or crowds shouting and jostling about trying to find places to rest.
Mary needed to find someplace to lie down; the rough journey had made the baby start to come early. Soon they found an innkeeper who, though he had no rooms, gave them use of his barn.
The barn was full of warm straw and blankets and it was there that Mary had her baby. It smelled of animals, but was a peaceful place to rest. She wrapped the baby in swaddling cloth and lay him in the manger. She named the baby Jesus.
The baby was strong and healthy and that made Mary and Joseph feel finally at peace.
Joy
When it was night, she slept. But not everyone was sleeping. Outside of town, on the hillsides some shepherds were awake watching their flocks and watching the stars in the star. They had a vision of an angel and became frightened, but the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good tidings and great joy. Today, in the city of David a child was born, who will be your saviour, he is Christ the Lord. Go now and find him wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger. ”
The Shepherds went. They met the baby and saw that indeed he might be the hoped for saviour. They felt great joy in seeing this baby.
Later, some men from the east, called Magi, traveled through the region. They heard stories that a special baby; a baby people said would grow to be a Messiah had been born. They wanted to meet this baby, for they were knowledgeable in these things. As they traveled they visited the man in command of the region, a man named Herod. He too had heard the rumours and was concerned, not happy.
He asked the Magi to come back to him with news of this baby, if they found any, and they agreed.
They found the baby. When they spoke to Mary and Joseph they discovered that they were good people and had a very special baby. It made them very joyful to see. They gave them presents of expensive oil and even some gold. They taught Mary everything they knew about raising a special boy into being a great man.
But then they remembered Herod, who would not feel joy in knowing more about the baby. They decided not to go back to Herod; instead they travelled home by a different route.
Mary and Joseph enjoyed having all the visitors, but were happy when they had time to themselves with their baby. For them just having a child of their own was a joyous event.
Love
Mary and Joseph loved their baby. They knew that other people thought their baby would grow up to be someone great. But they didn’t think too much about that because they loved their baby for who is was, not for who he might become.
Sometimes though, as Mary sat holding her baby, she did think about the things that had happened and held those memories close to her heart. She looked at her baby and knew that he would always be something special.
It is often true that women hear a voice; have a dream that their babies will be special. Mary was no different.
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