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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: History / Historical
- Published: 12/15/2024
M16 - Hardship and Joy
Born 1950, U, from Arlington, TX, United States.jpeg)
The King was evil, a veritable tyrant. Everyone said so. He made laws like this without consideration for the consequences to his people. Now here they were, on the road at this very inappropriate time when they should have been home resting.
At least the weather could have been worse. The late summer and fall was not as risky as the spring to be on the road, but at least it was not winter. With high temperatures near 80 F. and only around 60 F. at night, they did not have to worry about that. He realized that this fact may have been considered by the King but did not put much stock in that idea. If anything like worrying over the comfort and wellbeing of his subjects had occurred to the monarch, he would not have decreed everyone travel at this time of the year when harvesting was on everyone’s mind.
It did not help that his wife was not only with child, their first, but very much so. He watched her now, marveling at her stoicism as she walked beside him. Even in the flowing robes common in their desert land, the bulge about her middle was obvious. She walked now with her hands cupped below the child supporting it’s weight, easing both her back and her bladder.
“How do you fare, Wife?” he asked.
“I am fine, or at least as fine as can be, Husband,” she answered.
The light breeze rustled her robes as she walked. It was just enough to ensure that sand got everywhere, in spite of the hijab which she wore.
“We will have to huddle in our tent this night,” he continued.
“Yes, Husband, it will take a week to travel the 90 miles,” she agreed. “That is, if your friend has room on his cart for us tomorrow as he promised.”
That night, as they talked quietly in their tent, their heads close together, they were not surprised by a strange light which began glowing more and more brightly outside but was very visible through the fabric of the tent. Having been visited by a glowing being prior to their marriage, they expected what was to happen next.
A man, shining with an internal light, came through the entry flap of their tent, literally. He did not pull the flap aside and enter, possibly closing it behind him. He came THROUGH the flap as if it did not exist. He appeared to be not quite solid himself, since they could see the tent through him. Once inside the tent, the man stood smiling down at them for a moment.
“Messenger Gabriel, you grace us with your presence again,” the sitting man announced, as he put his arm protectively about his wife’s shoulders.
“Yes, I have come to warn you that before the harvest time, which you call September is done, your first-born son will arrive, probably on this very journey of which you partake,” the Messenger replied.
Messenger Gabriel continued, “You must be prepared, as both of you as well as your son are destined to have an impact upon those you meet.”
Looking at his wife, the man said, “That is as I feared. This journey has been hard on her.”
“I will be fine,” the woman volunteered. Even though this was her first child, and she had no experience of her own, she had talked with the other mothers of their village. “My baby is healthy, and birth is natural.”
“Good,” the Messenger said. “Take care and do not trust every stranger that you meet. There are those who would take advantage of a lone couple and their infant.” With that final statement, the Messenger brightened rapidly and was gone.
After some discussion of the strange visit, the man and woman curled up together and drifted into a troubled sleep.
The next morning, after they had gathered their meager belongings and stowed them in the pack that the man carried, they set about finding their friend. The man was at his farm as expected and was ready with his cart.
“Such a bother for us all to be forced to journey to the capital like this, but we must do as the King demands, I suppose,” their friend said as they helped the woman climb up to ride in the cart. The men were to walk alongside, helping the poor burro with pulling it.
“I know that my sons will look after my flock, but I hope that they are up to the task,” he continued.
“The King must be obeyed,” the woman said.
With them all nodding in agreement with this sage statement, they were off. The trip, which lasted almost a week, was tiresome but mostly uneventful. There were a lot of other travelers, also obliged to follow the King’s edict, and they banded together with a likeminded group.
When they got to the capital, the woman stayed to help with finding a place for the cart and burro, while her husband went to see where lodging could be arranged.
The capital was full to overflowing with visitors and the husband returned after several hours to report his failure in finding a place for them. The farmer and the wife reported that they had fared little better, only finding a lean-to in the corner of a corral for the burro. It was decided that they all would have to sleep there for the night.
The night began uneventfully but was not destined to remain so. About midnight, the woman’s waters broke. She could do nothing about cleaning the place shared with her husband but crawled out of the tent to endure the birth under the stars. It was her cries when the pain of childbirth overcame her that awakened her husband and the farmer just in time to witness the birth of her son.
As the husband wrapped the newborn in a blanket and laid him into the small feeding trough, the darkness was dispelled by the bright arrival of Messenger Gabriel, who appeared fully formed and visible, glowing brighter than the moon, floating above the child, his arms spread out.
“Unto this day a child is born!” The Messenger announced in a booming voice. “Rejoice all! Joy to the World!”
The light and the noise attracted the attention of three travelers who had just arrived at the stable. The men came over to see the reason for the commotion.
“We have come seeking the newly born King of the Jews,” one of them said. The men gazed in wonder at the child and the Messenger floating over him.
Thus began the life of Jesus, later to become known as The Christ, the foretold Messiah, born this September evening to Joseph and Mary in the regional capital of Bethlehem.
Author's Note:
Much has been written and told of these events since. The exact events and their timing have changed somewhat over the years, but the importance to the world of the birth of this one child cannot be disputed.
Most people will be shocked when they discover that the birth of Jesus happened in the fall, as that was the time history recorded the census involved in the story occurred. Also, the Shepard's watching their flocks, as discussed in the Bible could not have occurred in December, which is a time when flocks are all kept in pens.
The best explanation for the December date, a date which was not mentioned in the Bible nor originally celebrated, relates to prior rituals being celebrated by other faiths. Pope Julius I eventually chose to make December 25 the “official“ date of Jesus’ birth in 350 A.D. Before that time, Christians celebrated Easter, but not the birth of Jesus. It was not recorded what Pope Julius' motivation was in making this decision. Was he decreeing that Jesus was actually born on the 25th of December or was he decreeing that the 25th of December would be the official time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, no matter the actual day of that birth, since the exact date could not be known. I choose to think the later.
It does not matter if you are a Christian, or believe in another faith, or none at all. December 25th is now such a universally celebrated day that even people of different faiths celebrate it. Countries at war have been known to pause the fighting to celebrate it. The tradition of celebrating family, joy and renewal in the heart of winter far predates Christmas but remains an important event in the lives of most people today.
If you are truthful to yourself, you will agree that Christmas is a time of joy, no matter if Jesus was born then or not. Christmas is a feeling, which reminds us all to be better, kinder people. It does not matter if it was the exact day that Jesus was born. It is the day that people celebrate that he was born, and that the world is now a better place.
So, to wrap this story up, and because making every day like Christmas, which is what I would truly like, is too big of an ask, I only ask each person who reads this story to pick any other day of the year as their personal Humanity Day. Choose a day that is important to you like your own birthday, or your mother's birthday, so it will be easy to remember. Make that the day that you do something nice for someone else, in the same spirit with which you celebrate Christmas. No presents required, just do something nice for someone else. Then the world will be that much a better place. This is my Christmas Wish for the World.
Some research that led to this story:
A history related site: https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas
More History: https://historycooperative.org/pagan-origins-of-christmas/
A site with many articles related to the topic: https://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/what-is-true-origin-of-christmas.html
At least the weather could have been worse. The late summer and fall was not as risky as the spring to be on the road, but at least it was not winter. With high temperatures near 80 F. and only around 60 F. at night, they did not have to worry about that. He realized that this fact may have been considered by the King but did not put much stock in that idea. If anything like worrying over the comfort and wellbeing of his subjects had occurred to the monarch, he would not have decreed everyone travel at this time of the year when harvesting was on everyone’s mind.
It did not help that his wife was not only with child, their first, but very much so. He watched her now, marveling at her stoicism as she walked beside him. Even in the flowing robes common in their desert land, the bulge about her middle was obvious. She walked now with her hands cupped below the child supporting it’s weight, easing both her back and her bladder.
“How do you fare, Wife?” he asked.
“I am fine, or at least as fine as can be, Husband,” she answered.
The light breeze rustled her robes as she walked. It was just enough to ensure that sand got everywhere, in spite of the hijab which she wore.
“We will have to huddle in our tent this night,” he continued.
“Yes, Husband, it will take a week to travel the 90 miles,” she agreed. “That is, if your friend has room on his cart for us tomorrow as he promised.”
That night, as they talked quietly in their tent, their heads close together, they were not surprised by a strange light which began glowing more and more brightly outside but was very visible through the fabric of the tent. Having been visited by a glowing being prior to their marriage, they expected what was to happen next.
A man, shining with an internal light, came through the entry flap of their tent, literally. He did not pull the flap aside and enter, possibly closing it behind him. He came THROUGH the flap as if it did not exist. He appeared to be not quite solid himself, since they could see the tent through him. Once inside the tent, the man stood smiling down at them for a moment.
“Messenger Gabriel, you grace us with your presence again,” the sitting man announced, as he put his arm protectively about his wife’s shoulders.
“Yes, I have come to warn you that before the harvest time, which you call September is done, your first-born son will arrive, probably on this very journey of which you partake,” the Messenger replied.
Messenger Gabriel continued, “You must be prepared, as both of you as well as your son are destined to have an impact upon those you meet.”
Looking at his wife, the man said, “That is as I feared. This journey has been hard on her.”
“I will be fine,” the woman volunteered. Even though this was her first child, and she had no experience of her own, she had talked with the other mothers of their village. “My baby is healthy, and birth is natural.”
“Good,” the Messenger said. “Take care and do not trust every stranger that you meet. There are those who would take advantage of a lone couple and their infant.” With that final statement, the Messenger brightened rapidly and was gone.
After some discussion of the strange visit, the man and woman curled up together and drifted into a troubled sleep.
The next morning, after they had gathered their meager belongings and stowed them in the pack that the man carried, they set about finding their friend. The man was at his farm as expected and was ready with his cart.
“Such a bother for us all to be forced to journey to the capital like this, but we must do as the King demands, I suppose,” their friend said as they helped the woman climb up to ride in the cart. The men were to walk alongside, helping the poor burro with pulling it.
“I know that my sons will look after my flock, but I hope that they are up to the task,” he continued.
“The King must be obeyed,” the woman said.
With them all nodding in agreement with this sage statement, they were off. The trip, which lasted almost a week, was tiresome but mostly uneventful. There were a lot of other travelers, also obliged to follow the King’s edict, and they banded together with a likeminded group.
When they got to the capital, the woman stayed to help with finding a place for the cart and burro, while her husband went to see where lodging could be arranged.
The capital was full to overflowing with visitors and the husband returned after several hours to report his failure in finding a place for them. The farmer and the wife reported that they had fared little better, only finding a lean-to in the corner of a corral for the burro. It was decided that they all would have to sleep there for the night.
The night began uneventfully but was not destined to remain so. About midnight, the woman’s waters broke. She could do nothing about cleaning the place shared with her husband but crawled out of the tent to endure the birth under the stars. It was her cries when the pain of childbirth overcame her that awakened her husband and the farmer just in time to witness the birth of her son.
As the husband wrapped the newborn in a blanket and laid him into the small feeding trough, the darkness was dispelled by the bright arrival of Messenger Gabriel, who appeared fully formed and visible, glowing brighter than the moon, floating above the child, his arms spread out.
“Unto this day a child is born!” The Messenger announced in a booming voice. “Rejoice all! Joy to the World!”
The light and the noise attracted the attention of three travelers who had just arrived at the stable. The men came over to see the reason for the commotion.
“We have come seeking the newly born King of the Jews,” one of them said. The men gazed in wonder at the child and the Messenger floating over him.
Thus began the life of Jesus, later to become known as The Christ, the foretold Messiah, born this September evening to Joseph and Mary in the regional capital of Bethlehem.
Author's Note:
Much has been written and told of these events since. The exact events and their timing have changed somewhat over the years, but the importance to the world of the birth of this one child cannot be disputed.
Most people will be shocked when they discover that the birth of Jesus happened in the fall, as that was the time history recorded the census involved in the story occurred. Also, the Shepard's watching their flocks, as discussed in the Bible could not have occurred in December, which is a time when flocks are all kept in pens.
The best explanation for the December date, a date which was not mentioned in the Bible nor originally celebrated, relates to prior rituals being celebrated by other faiths. Pope Julius I eventually chose to make December 25 the “official“ date of Jesus’ birth in 350 A.D. Before that time, Christians celebrated Easter, but not the birth of Jesus. It was not recorded what Pope Julius' motivation was in making this decision. Was he decreeing that Jesus was actually born on the 25th of December or was he decreeing that the 25th of December would be the official time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, no matter the actual day of that birth, since the exact date could not be known. I choose to think the later.
It does not matter if you are a Christian, or believe in another faith, or none at all. December 25th is now such a universally celebrated day that even people of different faiths celebrate it. Countries at war have been known to pause the fighting to celebrate it. The tradition of celebrating family, joy and renewal in the heart of winter far predates Christmas but remains an important event in the lives of most people today.
If you are truthful to yourself, you will agree that Christmas is a time of joy, no matter if Jesus was born then or not. Christmas is a feeling, which reminds us all to be better, kinder people. It does not matter if it was the exact day that Jesus was born. It is the day that people celebrate that he was born, and that the world is now a better place.
So, to wrap this story up, and because making every day like Christmas, which is what I would truly like, is too big of an ask, I only ask each person who reads this story to pick any other day of the year as their personal Humanity Day. Choose a day that is important to you like your own birthday, or your mother's birthday, so it will be easy to remember. Make that the day that you do something nice for someone else, in the same spirit with which you celebrate Christmas. No presents required, just do something nice for someone else. Then the world will be that much a better place. This is my Christmas Wish for the World.
Some research that led to this story:
A history related site: https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas
More History: https://historycooperative.org/pagan-origins-of-christmas/
A site with many articles related to the topic: https://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/what-is-true-origin-of-christmas.html
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