Contents

Introduction to new edition 6

Author’s Note 9

1. Leonard’s Inn 11
2. Shepherd’s Night 17
3. Angel Sky 22
4. Courtyard Memories 31
5. Manger Child 37

About the Author 43

Appendix: You Can Know Jesus 44


Introduction to New Edition

This new edition of Something Special at Leonard’s Inn has some corrections that the original needed but didn’t get. I sincerely hope that you will be inspired to let the Lord of the Nativity invade your life like he did to an innkeeper and his family long ago.

My hope is that you will fall in love with the stories of Christmas as much as I have over the years. The story of Leonard grew out of a request from my mother one Christmas to prepare something related to the original Christmas story to share with the family on Christmas morning. At the time I was also working through a series of sermons at the Zion Hill Baptist Church of Linden, Texas, centered on the stories of Christmas. The result of these events was the fictional story you have in your hands.

In the course of the story, my hope is that everything that you read will be faithful to the event that inspired this writing. As well, I hope that you will enjoy this retelling of a familiar story enough to check out my other biblical fiction.

Dear reader, sit back, relax, and enjoy this retelling. Let it inspire you to read the real accounts found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John of the New Testament. While I didn’t sit down to write romance, I hope that you find some of the elements of that genre here. If you have to wipe a tear or two because of the emotion that finds the pages, then you will begin sharing with me the love for Christmas that has gripped me since childhood.

Finally, my hope is that Christmas will become for you more than trees and lights and gifts because the holiday belongs to the One whose birth we celebrate. As I stated in my original introductory note to this story, I believe that the innkeeper is one of the heroes of the story. Even so, he is not the focus of the story.

Again, enjoy the story again as I continue to enjoy bringing it to you. This is, by the way, the third rendition of the full story. The original appeared in 1999, the second one was published along with a story about Joseph the earthly father of Jesus in 2006.

Merry Christmas and may God bless,
Benjamin Potter
Mulberry Grove 2008


Author’s Note

I have always wondered how the people who truly witnessed the first Christmas might have reacted. The shepherds who first heard of the Child from an angel in the sky, the inn keeper who opened his home to the young couple in need of a room. I have often felt that the inn keeper has been treated badly throughout history, but we must remember that he provided a place for the Savior to be born even when the town was full. This is a work of fiction. The actions and words are purely the imagination of the author. Perhaps we should all consider how we would react if we were in the sandals of the shepherds or the inn keeper.
I would like to thank several people who have been instrumental in the process of creating this work. Kay Stephens, librarian extraordinaire, thank you for the editing and advice. The members of the Zion Hill Baptist Church are to be thanked for their patience with a young pastor and his whims about Christmas. Thomas and Jane Potter, you are the best parents I can imagine. Your encouragement and advice throughout life have been immeasurable. And especially, I would like to thank the Savior who was born on that first Christmas day because without Him there would be no life. His very presence brings peace to the human heart.


1
Leonard’s Inn

Leonard and Sarah were anxious about the taxing. Sure it would bring in extra business for the struggling inn, and how they needed the extra business. But along with all the extra business came the beggars, liars, and thieves. Bethlehem was filling up with more and more people claiming kinship to King David. Oh well, Leonard decided that he would make the best of the hectic situation.
“I’m telling you, Leonard, you should do just as your cousin Reuben is, out on Jerusalem Road,” Sarah was always giving advice. “ You will be able to weather the long dry spell to follow Caesar’s proclamation if you will simply double, or better yet triple, your prices.”
“We have been over this, Sarah. I will not stoop to gouging my kinsmen with unfair pricing,” Leonard was shaking his head in that fatherly way that Sarah had grown to love and to hate over the years of their marriage. “We will have plenty simply by sectioning off the common room for families and travelers. And they will all pay a fair price. No more; no less. You see how the inn has been filling up. We will be out of space before the night is over. The Lord will provide for the dry spells as they come.”

With the decree from Caesar Augustus, people from all over the Empire were flooding into the city of David to be registered and taxed according to their wealth, family size, and age. Leonard was almost prophetic in his prediction of space availability. He overheard the last two travelers saying that they were surprised that they were paying regular rates for the last two beds in town. Other hostellers were completely full although they had been charging two and three times the normal price for a mat on the floor. They had a friend that was paying seven times the going rate out on Jerusalem Road just to have a blanket strung up between his family and an old couple from Bethany. That Reuben, he is a shrewd one, Leonard smiled to himself, shaking his head in bewilderment.
He was just finishing the sign that said “No Room” when he saw them out the window. The young couple couldn’t have been married long. They were young. They young man appeared to be no more than twenty or twenty-two. He led a shabby-looking donkey that was carrying the youth’s wife who was “great with child.” Leonard’s heart went out to them. He could tell they were weary from traveling. He opened the door, the newly-painted sign hanging absently from his hand.
“Sir, I was going to see if you had any rooms left for my small family, but I see that you, too, have no space available,” the young man’s voice was tired and resigned, but he began to turn away to head on down the street.
“Wait! Young man, your wife cannot travel any farther in her condition. The streets are filled with thieves and robbers. The night is quickly approaching.” Leonard seemed to be beside himself, but for some reason he could not explain, he felt the need to help this young family. “Wait here just inside the door. I will see if there is not some space for you.”
Leaving the donkey tied to the post outside, the young man lifted his wife down and followed the inn keeper inside. With the door closed to the hustle and bustle of a city swelled to five times its size because of the registry, the poor family leaned heavily against the wall and one another as Leonard stepped to the back of the house. When he returned he found Sarah showing them out.
“ . . . I wish we could accommodate you, but as you can see, there just is no room. I am sure that Lemuel down the street—”
“Sarah!” Leonard’s voice fairly bellowed from the doorway that led to the animal stalls behind the inn. “You will not cast these poor travelers out while I am still in this household!” Taking his wife by the arm and pulling her aside, Leonard lowered his voice, but not the stern reproach it held, “On a night like this, you know that Lemuel will take even the cloak off of this poor man’s back. He might even confiscate the wretched animal they came in on. You can see that they are in no shape to travel further, and I have Daniel clearing a space out back. It is only a stable, but it will be out of the wind and away from the criminals who have made their way to our village to rob travelers of what is left after the likes of Reuben and Lemuel get finished.” To the young couple Leonard said, “My name is Leonard. You are welcome to a space in the stable out back to stay while you are here to register.”
“Thank you, Leonard. Yours is the first kindness we have seen since arriving in the town of my forefathers. My name is Joseph, and as you can see my wife, Mary, is near the time that she will give birth to the child,” the young man reached for his purse as he spoke.
“Put that away,” Leonard said, “what I offer is no more than a meager space in the stable with straw to make you comfortable. How can I charge money for the use of a barn stall?” Sarah glared after them as Leonard led the couple around to the stable behind the inn. Mary silently smiled her gratitude.

The noise in the street had started to subside when Sarah was called upon to help deliver the young woman, Mary’s, baby. As she was hard at work she noticed the two men, Leonard and the vagrant Joseph, standing to the side looking awkward. “You, father. Make yourself useful. Put fresh straw in the manger. It is not a grand cradle, but it will do for this night.” She turned her attention to her own husband, “And you, inn keeper who gives away lodging to any and all passers-by, go into our quarters. There are some soft cloths we can use to protect this new baby when he comes. Bring them to me, and be quick about it!”
Wrested from their wonderment at the birth of a child, the two men turned to the tasks assigned. When Leonard returned, Sarah was cleaning the young boy-child and getting him ready for the swaddles he had brought from the inn. The baby seemed to glow. Leonard knew that there was something different about this family. He knew that he had done something special that night.


2

Shepherd’s Night

Jerome was getting old. He knew his business, and he was glad that he had his nephews, Isaac and Josiah, to help in looking after the growing herd. Sure, the boys were impetuous and would sometimes get caught sleeping when they should be alert, but they were young . . . and they were learning. The stars were particularly bright that night as Jerome began to contemplate his age and his youth. He remembered the days when he would seek out ways to make the mundane job of watching the sheep more interesting, the games he and the other young shepherds played, the jokes they would try to put over on the old men. A sad smile touched his lips as he remembered the time when he and his cousin Joshua had run the entire herd through the courtyard of Leonard’s inn.
They had all been young and impetuous then, and Leonard was just beginning to see a profit with his wayside inn. Jerome and Joshua earned more than their share of grief from the older shepherds when they finally got the herd out of town and back to the fields. But the color of Leonard’s face as he was bowled over by the frightened sheep as well as the noise raised throughout the town when the tables and chairs set out in the courtyard overturned was almost worth the price they paid. Jerome and Joshua were laughing about the incident for weeks, and the other old shepherds who had been young with the two men all wished they had had a hand in the ruckus.
Jerome was startled from his reverie by shouts from the very Joshua of his musings. “You boys gather in those strays now. You do not want to be missing any of the herd when the last light falls.”
Jerome smiled at the admonition. Joshua had always been the more vocal of the two—Jerome was the thinker, trusted by the older shepherds to make sound decisions. Hadn’t it always been Joshua who suggested they wait just one minute longer to gather the sheep for the night? Losing a lamb at night could be a difficult thing. Jerome remembered the night that he truly began thinking through his decisions. He and Joshua had struggled searching for lost sheep on a night much like this one, twenty years earlier.

“If we had only listened when Gideon first told us to gather the sheep, I would not be our here with no moonlight,” Jerome grumbled, stumbling in yet another small hole in the hillside. These country hills were full of little dangers—holes, stones, hummocks—that were easily avoided in the sunshine, but hazards to be reckoned with even when the moon and stars shone brightly. Tonight, however, there seemed to be no light whatever. Next time, he thought. Next time I will not be so easily swayed into watching girls instead of sheep.
He did have to admit that watching the girls carry the washing back to town from the riverside was much more interesting than keeping a close eye on the sheep, they could hear the sheep well as they peeked over the hill to fall in teenage love again with the young women from the village.
Not watching the sheep, both boys had missed when two of the sheep under their care wandered away from the flock. It was already growing dark when they found the first of the missing lambs. Gideon had threatened them with their very lives if all one hundred sheep were not safe and secure when the morning watch began.
It was at this particular moment that Jerome had decided never again to be distracted from his job watching the sheep. Jerome could think of nothing that would draw his attention away without having someone to replace him in responsibility—even if it meant he go hungry or stay late on his own watch. Now he was battling not only the physical obstacles of the dangerous landscape, the dark skies, and desired sleep, but also the internal obstacles of self-doubt in his own abilities and the well of anger developing against his closest friend. Joshua was the cause of the missing sheep in the first place, and now Jerome was here—alone. It was Joshua who had convinced Gideon that they had already found the lamb for which he was responsible, and he should stay to help protect the flock. So, here was Jerome, searching through the darkness, fuming at his friend, and worrying about the other lost lamb—alone.

“They are all here, Jerome,” Isaac said. He was the spokesman of the two younger shepherds, much like Joshua had been when he and Jerome were the youngest shepherds in the fields. At the same time Jerome eyed Josiah, the more level-headed of his nephews, who smiled his confirmation of Isaac’s words.
Before Jerome could dismiss the boys to a time of rest for the night, the darkness was shattered.


3

Angel Sky

Jerome could feel the light. This was more than just a summertime thunderstorm. Jerome noticed that the lightning just stayed. There was not the streak across the sky nor the flash of brightness followed by dark—only this blindingly white, heavy light. This light that made him want to gaze heavenward, this light that frightened him because it was as if the sun had swallowed up the entire valley where they kept the sheep. His mind told him that it should be night, but here he stood in light that put the day to shame. Faintly, he heard the voice of Isaac near him. The boy was whimpering. Jerome wanted to turn, to place a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder, but the old man’s attention was riveted skyward as something—someone—took shape before his very eyes.
As the creature materialized out of the light, Jerome’s feeling of fear grew deeper in his heart. Was this the end of the world? Was the Lord preparing to punish the shepherds for the raucous way that they lived, the dirty jokes to make the young shepherds laugh, the practical jokes on Leonard (the inn keeper who was constantly reminding him that he could be living a settled life in town), the drunken nights when he had been young and foolish? If only he had another chance, he would mend his ways. He would even forgive Joshua for the night long ago when he had to find the last lost lamb without company. This bright messenger of the heavens was frightening indeed. What sort of sinister message could he bring from the Almighty?
“Why do you shake, Jerome?” The voice seemed to penetrate his very being. The angel even knew his name! “Don’t be afraid. I come with a message that will bring happiness to you and to men all over the earth. For unto you a child is born. This very day in the City of David a gift is given. He is Christ, the Lord.”
As the angel spoke, Jerome seemed to remember stories from his childhood in the synagogue school. Stories about the Messiah, the Chosen of the Lord, who would save all of Israel from the oppression that was upon them.
The angel continued to speak, “And this will be the way you can find the baby: He will be wrapped in soft cloths and lying in a manger.”
Without a pause, if it were possible, the brightness of the night sky increased, and Jerome saw and sensed hundreds of thousands of angels. More than he could ever wish to count even with his trained shepherd’s eye and all the tricks of his trade used to count moving sheep and lambs. And they were singing and shouting and praising God. The song was one that was at once unknown and familiar to the old shepherd. Although he had never heard the worship song before, his heart knew it. Had it not been for the power and beauty of the angel voices surrounding him, Jerome would have lifted his as well. As it was, Jerome was transfixed with awe as he stood motionless on the hillside reveling in the song and worshiping in his heart. He would remember the song and sing it throughout the rest of his years:

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth, peace to men,
On whom His favor rests.”

When the song was over, without another shout or fanfare—no warning whatsoever—the entire host of angels was gone. Replaced by a deep darkness that was electric with its quietness and pierced only by a single visible bright star that seemed to illuminate the little village of Bethlehem, the City of David.
The spell cast by the angel sky was broken only after several moments. Almost simultaneously Joshua and Isaac exclaimed in hoarse whispers, “Did you see that!” Then their voices were joined by others whispering nearby:
“What was it?”
“Can it be true?”
Without waiting for the others to discuss his decision, Jerome knew he had but one course of action—to see this miracle spoken of by the heavenly messenger. It was his watch, but without looking back, he shouted, “I’m going to see!”
Gone were the fears of leaving the flock untended. Gone was the resolve never to shirk his duty again. Gone were the years of discipline and training that taught him to forget his own desires for the good of his responsibility. All were replaced by a driving need to see the great thing. Nothing else mattered. Not his job, not his reputation, not even the sheep. Jerome began to run.
He ran to town. He was energized. He couldn’t remember the time when he had the energy to run from the fields to town without stopping. But this story was too good to keep to himself. God had spoken to him. Sure, other shepherds had been present, and the message was given to each of them as well, but it was his personal message from God and somehow he must see, and then spread, this message to everyone he met. That was it! He had to see this thing of which the angel spoke!
“Wait!” Isaac was literally screaming behind Jerome. “Jerome! Wait! Wait for us! We want to see, too!”
Jerome looked over to see the other shepherds led by his young nephews and his friend and partner, Joshua, trying desperately to catch up. He slowed slightly, but he did not stop. He was just reaching the outskirts of Bethlehem when they caught up to him. “Look!” he shouted. “Here is a stable; let’s stop here. What did the angel say? ‘The baby will be in a manger’?”
Without another word the shepherds began to call out to the house and bang on the door. An old man that Jerome did not recognize came to the door, obviously roused from sleep, and angry at the disturbance. “What do you want? Don’t you know that we have had enough trouble getting to sleep with all the registrants in town?” he growled angrily.
“We just came to see your stable, old man,” Joshua shouted above the din. “Is this the place?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” the man snarled back. “Please go away before you wake the entire house. We have relatives in for the registration, and they are weary from their journey.”
In the meantime, Isaac and Josiah came around the corner of the small building. They had gone to the back of the house to see if indeed the manger held a baby child. “This is not the place, Joshua. We saw only straw and two broken-down oxen,” Isaac yelled. Then the shepherds all began running into town to find the next house with a stable in back.
The night continued in this manner until about half of Bethlehem was awake and yelling at the unruly shepherds who were disturbing every house or place of business that had even the appearance of a stable on the property. More than once, Jerome in his haste, stumbled over a poor soul who was unable to find lodging for the night. The population of the little village had swollen to nearly six times its normal size in direct relation to the Augustine decree. Everyone with any remote relation to the great king David had shown up to be counted.
“Could the angel have been mistaken?” Isaac asked as they moved on from their fifteenth empty stable. Of course, none of the stables had been completely empty, but none contained a manger filled with anything except straw. The animals inside each stable awakened and only added to the growing tumult heard throughout town.
“I don’t know,” Joshua stated. “Perhaps we didn’t really see an angel.”
“How can you say that!” Jerome rounded on his old friend. This was the first time he had really stopped since the angels had finished their song. “Are we all simply crazy? Did we not all see? Did we not all hear? This message was meant for us. We must continue to search.”
“But, Jerome, there are no more stables in town. We have exhausted the mangers available in all of Bethlehem,” said Joshua, who was growing weary of the search that continued to leave them empty-handed. Some of the others who had enthusiastically been searching for half the night were nodding and mumbling their agreement.
“And what of Leonard?” Jerome responded. “He keeps a small stable behind that inn. I remember it from the last time we were on that side of town.”
“Do you really think the Lord would use the house of a dried up man who has no sense of humor,” Joshua said. “As I recall that last time, we were about Isaac and Josiah’s age, and that spindly excuse for a man ran us off with but barely enough time to gather the sheep from his courtyard.”
This comment brought rowdy laughter from the entire company of shepherds. Everyone, to a man, had heard the story of the sheep in the courtyard at least ten times. It had been the best story available to the herders fro twenty years’ running. The incident had also earned Jerome and Joshua permanent banishment from the street on which the inn was located.
“We must seek Him there,” Jerome yelled above the laughter. There was resolve in his eyes as he turned to make his way to the home and business of his childhood friend, the one whom he had not seen in twenty years.


4

Courtyard Memories

No one noticed one old shepherd as he faded back from the rest of the crowd. Everyone’s attention had focused on the south end of town and one small inn.
Jerome was running toward the inn, the inn that belonged to the man he had once called friend. Suddenly Jerome was struck with indecision. Part of him could not miss out on this event, this miracle of miracles, this event announced by angels. Part of him went back in time to the “incident in the courtyard” that had destroyed the friendship he and Leonard had once enjoyed.

“It will be great fun,” Joshua said. He was always talking Jerome into doing something they would both later regret. Jerome had that feeling about this latest idea for Joshua-style entertainment.
Jerome had mentioned his idea of giving one of their finer sheep to his boyhood friend, Leonard, as a gift because Sarah was soon to deliver their first child. The celebration of the new birth would be one that both young men could enjoy. It was as if the child would belong to Jerome as well. He envisioned himself stopping by the inn to visit with his old friend and having the young one (hopefully a boy) climb up in his lap to ask “Uncle Jerome” for another story about the adventures of being a herdsman. Jerome knew that he was no blood relation, but he also knew that he was closer to Leonard than any of the inn keeper’s five brothers had been.
“I don’t know, Joshua,” Jerome answered. “There are too many things that might go wrong. Besides, I don’t think that Leonard will see the humor in it when he has to clean up the mess left by seventy-five sheep.”
“Oh, he will get over it,” Joshua stated. “You will see. In a matter of days he will forget about the trampling of his courtyard flowers when he is cooing to his son and enjoying the feast provided by one of those lambs. After all, you said you are giving the humorless miser his choice from the flock, did you not?”
As usual, Jerome let his partner talk him into turning his gift into a “harmless” practical joke. He just hoped that eventually Leonard would find the humor in it. Perhaps Joshua was right. The birth of the new baby—especially if it was a son to inherit the inn that Leonard was so proud of—would take Leonard’s mind off of any damage incurred by the running of an entire flock of sheep through his beautifully landscaped courtyard. Perhaps a few flower stems would be broken, and if they were lucky, Jerome thought, the pitiful statue in the center of the yard would be knocked over. Leonard would soon be celebrating the birth of his son and would invite Jerome to join in the feast. He was providing the lamb, after all.

* * * * *
Leonard watched as Sarah practiced her mothering skills, teaching the young woman how to wrap the baby properly to keep out the night chill. His mind went back to the time twenty years ago when he was preparing to be a proud father, much like the young Joseph standing beside him. He could hardly wait for the day to arrive that he might lift a cup of wine with his friend Jerome to welcome the birth of his son.
Jerome. It was his fault. Leonard remembered how his friend and that stupid excuse for a business partner had destroyed all of his hopes.

“What in the world is that noise?” Leonard asked as he slowly moved from serving a midday snack to one of his patrons. He arrived at the door of his budding inn just in time to witness the commotion taking over his wife who was expecting their first-born. She had taken the notion in her mind to dress up the common room by placing flowers in jars on the tables. In the middle of the garden he saw the frightened sheep as they first knocked Sarah down, and then ran over her. One after another the flock seemed to grow as it raced through the courtyard.
Leonard searched the courtyard and beyond to see which thoughtless shepherds were responsible for the flock that was running wild through his home. He heard the bleating of the sheep, the yelling of his neighbors, and the swelling cries of his beloved Sarah. And then he saw them. Those two foolish herdsmen. One had been his bosom friend. One he had tolerated for the sake of his friend. His rage erupted.
“Get your disease-infested animals away from here!” Leonard yelled. He aimed his anger at Jerome, his one-time friend. He knew that running the sheep through town had probably been Joshua’s idea. However, he also knew that with a simple word Jerome could have put a stop to the entire escapade.
“Relax, oh wealthy inn keeper,” Joshua chided, the grin ever-widening beneath his young man’s beard. “Your precious flowers will grow back. Tell your friend of our gift, Jerome.”
But Jerome could not speak. As the sheep began to settle down after the run through town, he saw the fallen figure of the young mother-to-be that Leonard was tripping over sheep to get to.
“Go!” Leonard screamed again. “Get these filthy beasts out of my sight!” By now he had reached his beloved Sarah and was attempting to see if the frightened sheep had injured her badly.
Jerome grabbed Joshua by the arm and the two young shepherds quietly gathered all the sheep and left without leaving the best of the flock. Jerome heard that Leonard had banished him and his group of shepherds from even entering the inn for a drink of cool water. As for himself, Jerome had made it a policy to stay away from the street on which the inn was located.
The fall, and the fear caused by the trampling sheep, caused Sarah to lose the baby. He was born without life, and Leonard severed all ties with his former friend, Jerome—the man who was responsible for the foolishness that hurt his wife and killed his son.

Mary’s gaze and smile brought Leonard back to the present. She seemed to be telling him with her eyes that he should come and see the baby. As he walked over she gently handed him the child. Leonard could not put his finger on what it was, but there seemed to be a peacefulness about the baby. He could not open his eyes yet, but it seemed that he was seeing into the heart of the old inn keeper. Something seemed to melt within him.


5

Manger-Child

The noise outside was growing again as Leonard tried to extinguish all the lamps in the inn. And from the growing din outside, it promised to be longer before quiet settled in. How in the world had the miracle of birth found its way into the madhouse created by Caesar’s registration?
Looking down into the face of Mary’s child had somehow touched his heart. Holding the tiny fingers in his own had given Leonard a thrill beyond words. He was glad that he could never turn away any expectant mother, regardless of her ability to pay for lodging. He knew it was because of his own devastation when Sarah had been unable him with children after the incident twenty years earlier. It seemed that the only people Leonard could turn away were the shepherds in Jerome’s band.
Why can’t I get those uncouth ruffians out of my mind? Leonard thought. Tonight, I should be preparing for the rejoicing to be done for Joseph’s new son.
Leonard’s thoughts were interrupted by shouts from the streets. He recognized the voices of some of the neighbors.
“Go away, you noisy tramps. Let us get some sleep.”
“But we must find the right place,” a young man’s voice called in return. Leonard had never heard this voice before.
“This must be the place. The city is full of people like you. We blame it on the Roman Governor,” the neighbor yelled back.
“This is not the place,” a familiar voice rose above the mobbish sounds. “It is further down. Yes, I recognize it just down the street. Come along, Isaac, Josiah!” Leonard knew that voice, but he could not place it.
He made his way to the door and, looking out to the street, recalled the face that belonged to the voice.
“You!” he screamed. “Have you not brought your flock with you this time?”
Jerome knew that he would not be an expected sight after so many years of absence, but he hoped that those years might have softened some of the hatred Leonard harbored because of a poor decision made so long ago. Any other time but this, Jerome would have simply turned and walked away. But tonight was special. An angel had spoken directly to him. “We left the sheep alone in the hills, Leonard. We may lose all, but we must know—where is the baby?”
“You are too late. You will not ruin another man’s family in this place. You and your kind are welcome to leave,” Leonard snarled at the old shepherd standing just outside his door.
“Where, Leonard, where?” Jerome pleaded. The other shepherds were astounded. They had given up on the idea of finding the manger-child, for he was not to be found in any other stable in all of Bethlehem, nor in the surrounding country. Jerome could not leave, he knew he had found the place. Tonight he would get through to his old friend and let him know the sorrow that had been suffered over the crushing of a friendship by a youthful stunt. Or he would not. One thing he did know: he would see the child of the angel’s message. “Make me leave if you must, but first let us look upon the child. We have seen signs of angels,” Jerome said in the voice of authority developed over many years of being the shepherd leader.
“Let them come,” the quiet voice behind him startled the anger from Leonard. He turned to see Joseph, the young father, standing at the corner of the house. “Let them come, Leonard, for there is something special at your inn tonight. It seems this child is surrounded by visions of angels.”
Joseph did not explain this statement, but his manner told Leonard that it was time to overlook the past long enough to allow the shepherd to experience the wonder of the child. Leonard softened and said, “Come then, Jerome. See what you have come for.”
As they entered the stable behind his inn, Leonard felt his heart melt again. The bitterness was replaced with the love that had so long been pushed aside. Looking at the manger-baby again, it was as if the voice of God said, “It is time to forgive. You have punished your friend, and yourself, long enough.”
Leonard looked and his ancient friend had fallen to his knees before the manger. Mary smiled that gentle smile. And the baby slept.
In that moment, Leonard knew that he must forgive the shepherds. They were no longer the impetuous young men who had destroyed his hopes with a thoughtless joke. They were old like he was old. And they were all participants in something grand. Leonard knew that he forgave Jerome, and he placed his hand on the old herdsman’s shoulder.
“I brought only one,” an aged voice crept into the solemn air. Leonard and Jerome turned to find Joshua standing at the back of the crowded stable. He was holding a lamb, a spotless lamb. Jerome had not noticed the lamb as they ran from the fields.
“I could not replace the foolishness of my youth,” Joshua was saying. “Jerome meant to offer you the finest of our flock for your son so many years ago. I could not resist turning the gesture into another joke on our friend who would not work in the fields with us. Will you accept this, the finest of our flock, for the baby born here tonight? Let us celebrate what the angels sang.”
Sarah had quietly come into the stable from the inn and now nodded her head toward the gift in the arms of the contrite prankster.
Reaching out, Leonard took the lamb and carried it near to the manger. Joseph placed his hand on the animal’s head. Mary smiled that gentle smile. And the baby slept.


About the Author

Born in Texas to a Baptist minister and a public school teacher, Benjamin Potter has served churches in the capacity of youth minister, music director, associate pastor, and minister of missions. Along with his wife, Potter worked as a missionary in the Crimean region of southern Ukraine before returning to the United States to serve the local church as pastor.

Potter has written poetry, music, and short stories. His previously published works include the sermon collection So, This Is Church.

He and his wife make their home in south central Illinois not far from St. Louis.


Appendix
You Can Know Jesus

Of all the important things there are there is nothing more important than saying yes to the call of Jesus. And His first call to anyone is to salvation. Here’s how it works:

All of us are sinners. It’s the way we were born. It’s what we do. It’s who we are. The Bible puts it this way—“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23). I could type until my fingers became numb, and you could read until you couldn’t stand to read another word, but until you are ready to admit your sinfulness and sinful nature, we’d just be wasting our time. If you desire to experience the fullness of life as we know it, if you would like to find meaning in the messages found in this book, you must come to grips with the fact that you are a sinner. We all are. As the verse explains, sin is falling short of what God desires. We can try, and try, and try, but we will always fall short of His glory.

Understanding that we are sinners helps to brace us for the next in a line of facts for us to understand: the price that we pay for sin is death. Again we can turn to the book of Romans to understand this truth—“The wages of sin is death . . .” (6:23a) According to this verse, everyone earns death for the sin that we commit. This includes but is not limited to the physical death that everybody experiences. Death is the spiritual separation from life in Jesus Christ, and it’s what we earn as sinners. We deserve eternal separation from God.

That’s pretty sad news if we disregard the fact that God really doesn’t want it that way. As a matter of fact, He made a plan that could take care of our problem with a sin nature. The second part of the verse from Romans six opens our eyes to this plan—“. . . the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23b) What this means is that God provided a way for us to escape paying for our sin and to receive the free gift of eternal life. This is not like the free gift offered by people selling you something or begging for your money and offering a “gift” in return. This is a truly free gift. God offers, and all we have to do is put aside our desire to sin and accept the gift of life from Christ.

Read John 3:16 to see this promise: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” In the Bible we read further that if we believe in Jesus Christ, He forgives us of our sins and provides the life that we so desire. In John 1:12 we read, “. . . to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God . . .”

Interested? If this sounds like something that you’d like to add to your life, it’s a simple process. All you have to do is, in prayer –

Admit that you are a sinner (someone who disobeys God) and that you need to be forgiven by God.

Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came and died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Trust also, that He rose on the third day, proving His promise of the resurrection.

Commit your life to following Him, turning away from your sin and to Christ. Unite with believers in the church, be baptized, study the Bible, and love others.
Each of the steps in this process is important. The first, because it’s how you let God know that you know about your problem with sin; the second, because it is the point where you change your mind to tune in to the mind of Christ; and finally step three is important because it is the place where you begin to apply biblical mandates to help you to grow.

If paused to pray just such a prayer after reading this, we’d like to know. Contact us at LoomAndWheel@pobox.com to share your decision with us. We want to rejoice with you and help you find a solid Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church to nurture you in your path to Christian growth.

May the Lord bless you in this most important decision you’ve made today.

Impressum

Texte: Text copyright 1999 by Benjamin Potter
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 27.01.2009

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This is for Amanda and Tommy and Stephen and Becky and Gini--always keep Christmas in your hearts.