What if the Inn Keeper was a part time shepherd?

1. Ed’s Story
A Christmas Tale

2. Many years ago in a city far, far away, a young couple was just arriving after a long winter journey. Basically,
they were teenagers; she about 15 and clearly at the end of her third trimester and he, all about 18, was road weary and
stressed out. The two went door to door, looking for a place to sleep that nite. Their last hope was the Inn at the edge of
town. That was my place. I’m Ed and this is my story.
Joseph came to my front door that night after check-in time was finished. He pounded on the door until I came and
answered, so I was kinda miffed. We were full, just like everyone else in town. The family and I were busy caring for our
customers, so when I finally threw open the door I was already annoyed. I didn’t give them time to speak. I just blurted
out “There is no room in the Inn”. Well, the look on the kid’s face! It was like I had fed his puppy to the lions. That’s
when I really saw them: he and his young wife, just a couple of kids needing a warm, safe place. I felt like such a heel.
How could I have been such a jerk! But what could I do? We were full. So I said good night and closed the door.

3. I got about 10
steps from the door
when it hit me:
“what am I doing.
The stable! It’s
warm and I had
just cleaned it out
and filled it with
fresh hay! So I ran
out the side door
with a lantern,
caught the couple
before they turned
away, and said,
“You two can curl
up in the stable
tonight if you like.
I’m so sorry I don’t
have a spot to put
you in the house
but at least you’ll
be safe and
warmer
in here.”

4. Joseph seemed a bit relieved but his wife, she introduced herself as Mary, smiled this quiet, knowing smile…the kind
our women give us when they know their time is due.
After I got them settled and my customers and family taken care of, I headed off to my other part-time job. Running an
Inn is a good way to create income but it’s not enough to feed our growing family, so I got a part-time gig working as a
Shepherd and my shift was the Night Watch. Me and my co-workers are pretty good at spotting wolves, mountain cat
and bears before they get close enough to nab a lamb and scatter our flock all over the dessert valley.
So there we were, 2050 years ago today, just watching and waiting until the dawn, keeping our sheep safe. That’s when
it happened, ‘round about the 2nd watch. I though it was a shooting star, then the light grew brighter and brighter and it
came closer and closer. We all saw it and were about to jump up and run...you know...before we got hit by the falling
star, but it stopped. Yeah, I know, incredible but true. It stopped, right over us. I realized I had my arm over my head so I
dropped it and looked up, what I saw scared the crap out of me...it wasn’t a star, it was a man, a huge, glowing man
with the most amazing set of wings. I thought I would die of fright.

5. Then the radiant being spoke.
He said, “Don’t be afraid”.
“That’s funny…be not afraid.
Ok huge, bright, speaking
star-being, we’ll just chill out
and enjoy…lol...are you crazy?
Of course we’re freaking out”,
I thought.
Glowing guy spoke again,
'Do not be afraid. I bring you
good news of great joy that
will be for all the people.
Today in the town of David a
Saviour has been born to
you; he is Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign to you:
You will find a baby wrapped
in cloths, lying in a manger.’

6. Maybe it was what I was witnessing or the lateness of the hour and the fact that I hadn’t had much sleep working 2 jobs,
but I didn’t connect all the dots at first. All I could think of was this Holy Moment. Here I was with my friends, hanging
with the sheep under the stars and an Angel of God...the God of Abraham and Issac...His Angel was here, right above
us. He was not here to destroy us. He was here to give us good news.
He didn’t go to Herod, the synagog, th sanhedrin or the roman counsel. He came to a bunch of shepherds in the dessert
to tell us that, “the Messiah had finally arrived but born in the same manner as you and I, as a baby. And not just
arriving through a woman, but a woman in our city...a woman from our people, our culture, in our time...a woman...” It
was all starting to click when the sky suddenly lit up like dawn had broken. Incredibly, the air above us filled with
thousands of light beings just like the first one, and together they opened their mouths and began to sing. It was a
sound like nothing my ears had heard before. Like a waterfall of colour and laughter mixed with resonant tones of a
height and depth that had no equal. Every colour of nature spilled out with each sound and moved through the sky and
rained down on us, flowing into our ears, anointing us like lightning-infused manna from heaven and filling us with awe
and love. Whoah! What a rush!

7. This great company of the heavenly
host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying,
'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men
on whom his favour rests.’

8. Us!? They mean us! God favours us. You and me! He loves us, his people. He brought us the Messiah, our Savior and
He is the Christ, being born right now in our city in a .... and that’s when it clicked. The baby we were about to go
looking for was lying in a manger....filled with fresh hay...in my stable next to my Inn. Oh my God! What have I done?!
When I finally came to my senses, my friends were standing over me, looking at me. The chorus of Angels were gone
and the night was back to normal. I got up and said, “Guys, you’re not going to believe this but I know where he is.
Follow me.”
So we took off running back home, filled with a level of excitement I had never felt before or after. I was also filled with
something else; shame. I was about to meet the Savior of the world and I was the reason He was born, not in a nice
warm bed, surrounded by adoring people but in a cold, drafty stable, surrounded by cows, pigs, sheep and chickens. All
I could think as I ran back there was, “Oh God, forgive me.”

9. We were so intent on getting to our destination that
we didn’t even notice the massive bright star until
we were about a block from the stable.
It stopped us in our tracks. Amazing! Like the planets
and stars had all aligned into one for this occasion.
Light streamed down onto the roof and, as we closed
in on the location, we saw beams of light filtered down
through holes in the roof, setting the stable aglow,
illuminating the spot where the couple was reclined.
Another Holy sight. It was too much for me to handle.
I slowed my steps and stood in the entryway.
There He was.
Wrapped in cloth, swaddled, lying in my manger.
The King of the world.
Absolutely silent.
Not an animal moved. No one made a sound.
Intense and incredibly peaceful all at the same time.

10. That’s when she saw us. Mary.
She looked up from her sleeping babe and directly
at me and said, “come”. We walked over to them.
I was instantly overcome with guilt. I hit my knees,
bowed my head and said, “I am so sorry. I didn’t
know! Please forgive me.” Mary touched my head,
so I looked up. Then I looked at the baby.
His eyes opened and he looked at me. Without a
sound, our eyes connected. I was instantly drawn
into Him and he into me and suddenly I knew I was
forgiven. It was like he reached inside of me and
took my shame and filled me up with something
warm and moving. I was new. I was completely
undone then rebuilt, all inside that moment.
Then he simply closed his eyes and fell back to
sleep.
I stood, on shaky legs, and stepped back to join my
friends. Mary smiled. Joseph looked at us, then at
his young wife and then to his son.

11. As we turned to leave, there were three
men standing in the doorway. They stepped
into the light and we saw that they were
travellers from afar.
They wore royal robes and behaved as one
who had become familiar with palace finery.
One of them spoke. He said, “We have
followed the star all the way here. Where is
the king? We moved aside and said in
unison, “Behold, the Christ.
The three travellers stepped forward and
kneeled in front of the baby. One by one
they presented the precious gifts they
brought. One offered gold, another offered
frankincense and the last one offered myrrh.
Such kingly gifts for one born in such a
humble way.

12. We left the three travellers to spend some time with the Christ child, worshiping and marveling at the sight, and went
next door to my house. Realizing that sleep would be completely impossible I said to my friends, “We should be out
doing what the angels told us to do: spread the good news! It has been dark for so long. Let’s go spread some light and
share this good news with our families, neighbours and friends. Let’s speak of it through the valleys and go up and tell it
on the mountain. It’s the answer to the prayers our forefathers have prayed for many years and we are eye witnesses.”
My friends caught the excitement too and heartily agreed, so off we went.
It’s been quite a few years since that day...well, literally thousands. Folks now call it Christmas. You can call it whatever
you like. I think the most important thing is that you really get it and celebrate it. It’s “the” biggy for me. Every year on
this day I celebrate the birth of the One who took my shame and remade me. He did it for everyone 33 years later but I
think I was the first to receive the gift he brought with him, the night he arrived, fully human and totally filled with God.

13. And that’s my story. I’m Ed and I am Second.

14. Story written Dec 21, 2017 by me (Ellen), inspired by all sorts of things I read by Paul Young, the I am Second
Movement, great Christmas caroles, Dr Luke’s account of Mary’s story, Joseph’s story and Jesus’s birth and
the great echo it created which still sounds today. Photos were borrowed from Google Images.