Envisioning the 1st Christmas. By fellow parishioner Valerie Wadephul

ENVISIONING THE 1ST
CHRISTMAS
 
Joseph what is this news ye bring
That we must go afar
To register in Bethlehem
To tell them who we are?
 
I am with child and soon to birth
The journey will be hard;
My delicate condition
We must surely guard.
 
I have a donkey, Mary, Dear,
And you shall ride on him.
It’s better for you, than to walk,
For walking would be grim.
 
And so the journey was begun.
It took quite a while.
Donkeys were not comfortable,
Yet Mary still did smile.
When she saw Bethlehem ahead
She knew she soon would rest....
And pictured a room at the Inn
Where resting would be best.
But there weren’t any rooms at all
For they had all been rented.
Seeing her condition dire,
The innkeeper relented;
“I have a stable you can use,
At least you’re not outside.
There is fresh hay to lay upon
After your long ride.
 
Inside they went and looked around
And thought it would be fine.
They’d make the best of what was there
With little light to shine.
 
A tiny lamp with oil showed
The place where they could stay.
And sure enough, as was said,
They found some fresh sweet hay.
Joseph looked around to see
Whatever he could use....
And sure enough found something;
An ideal thing to choose;
 
The size was almost perfect
For a smallish baby bed...
It fed the baby critters
In the stable shed.  
A manger with a blanket
Placed upon fresh hay
Made a cozy place upon
The newborn babe to lay.
 
Mary fed Emmanuel;
Then swaddling Him tight
Put Him in the manger
And promptly said, “Good night.”
 
She made herself comfortable
So she could get some sleep
But she heard people entering
And thought she heard a sheep.
 
She looked up and saw some shepherds
Entering the stable.
Quite a few assembled....
As many as were able.
“Excuse me...may I help you?”
She asked somewhat confused.
Why were these people here now?
She was not amused.
 
They all began to speak at once
Declaring with great joy...
“It all is as the angels said
This swaddled baby boy!!”
Then they explained to Mary
And Joseph heard it too....
The angels told them where to go
And what they should do.
They told what the angels sang
And all about the glory.
Their description was all fact...
Not a made up story!
 
After some conversing....
They realized the scene
And of Mary’s tiredness....
To linger would be mean.
So they went off rejoicing
Enthusiastically....
Smiling and laughing...
As joyful as could be!!!
 
Then Mary said to Joseph,
“How great that we were able
To not have been inside the Inn,
But rather in the stable.
Because Dear Joseph, really,
An Inn-room is quite small....
Too small for all those shepherds!
They wouldn’t fit at all !!
 
What first seemed to be a bad thing
Turned out to be good.
God’s ways always work out!
Now they understood !!