The Journey to Christ: A Christmas Story, Chapter 6
By: Kathleen Lockwood
Tags: Jesus, Religion, Storytelling, Illustration, Spirituality

Excited to finally have a guide, Sammy and Cammy raced over to the devastated shepherds. “Come on! Come on! We know where to go!” they shouted in unison.

“We’re too tired.”

“There is no Messiah.”

“The angel was only a dream.”

“We are done looking.”

“Our sheep will die.”

The shepherds’ voices reflected their lethargy and loss of spirit. The children saw the black smoke of doubt and fear surrounding the shepherds, so they ran over to the fire and stomped it out vigorously. They watched the smoke slither away and disappear.

“We have been down that road a hundred times today,” the leader said with despair, “It’s time to go home.”

The two children ran around and lifted the tired shepherds up. “We know where to go,” they cried, “Look, we have a guide!” In their excitement, they started marching off, following the bird. Ben got up and shrugged his shoulders, “What do we have to lose? One more trip to town?” He followed his exuberant friends. Samantha covered herself with one more wrap and followed closely behind. One by one, the shepherds became enticed by the idea of having a guide to help them find the Messiah. They thought about how wonderful it would be to meet this holy baby! With refreshed faith in their hearts, they followed the excited children.

They walked through the village to where the buildings became few and far between. “We didn’t come out this far earlier today,’” one whispered to another, their eyes widening with anticipation. Eventually, they came upon a house on the side of a hill at the far edge of town. Following the bird, they bypassed the front door and proceeded in single file, down the side of the building. It was dark on the path, and they had to make their way through brush and debris to get through.

When they reached the lower level of the building, there was an area with animals settled in one corner and two sleeping people in another. They heard the low mewing of lambs and the rustling of hay. They could see a small stone structure off to the side, and from it, emerged a soft light.

The group of shepherds silently approached and saw a baby; the baby was the miraculous source of the light — a glowing, pure white light. They gathered around the infant and stared in awe. It was so cold they could see their breath.

Cammy was the first one to speak. “Oh my God,” she said, and Sammy completed the thought, “It’s God! Jesus really IS the Light of the world!” “Yes,” said Cammy, “his heart is glowing with love. When all of humanity loves like this, there will be no darkness.”

At that moment, a wind blew through the stall, and the infant stirred. The newborn had lost his blanket, and Sammy and Cammy were staring at the Christ child who was getting cold. What could they do?

Sammy wondered aloud, “ Baby Jesus is cold! But, he is God! Should we even dare to get close enough to him to cover him up?”

Dark smoke from the fire slowly crept up Cammy’s back, making her hesitate. “I don’t know,” she said,’’ maybe if we were holy saints we could touch him. I don’t know if we are worthy of getting close to God…”

The bird who brought them jumped off the railing and knocked a bucket of water into the fire. The smoke of unworthiness dissipated with a hiss.

“Cammy! We have to do something,” said Sammy, thinking clearly again.

“You’re right; Jesus would not have been born a human if he did not want people to be close to him. Let’s cover him up together.”

They held hands and gently approached the baby. Together they picked him up and wrapped his blankets around him gingerly and silently.

As they laid him down, the baby made gurgling sounds and lifted his hand to touch them simultaneously. Suddenly, the sound of static electricity filled the air, and flashes of light flew around the room. Everything was coming from their point of contact with Jesus. For a few seconds, the light blinded the children.

They heard a voice recite from Corinthians 3:18, “And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors, the glory of the Lord, all glow brighter and brighter and are turned into the image that we reflect.”

When the room returned to normal, the two children looked at each other and were amazed at what they saw — bright lights were gleaming in their hearts! They looked around the room and found the same thing. EVERYONE had a glow coming from their heart!

To Be Continued…