Was There Ever A Day
Was there ever a day like that one?
It was a day when a young woman’s fears couldn’t have been been greater. Her first child was on His way. He was ready to come into the world in the usual way, and yet also in a way that was anything but usual. Would they make it to their destination on time? Would there be an experienced midwife to aid her as she brought Him into the world?
It was a day when a man’s energies were exhausted from days of traveling by foot on dusty roads. But an arrival at their destination would not bring rest, but rather labor. Did he have the strength to endure? Was he following the right leading? His heart had said to put the woman away quietly, but a vision of an angel commanded otherwise and won him over. He had followed the dream, but had he figured on all of this?
It was a day when a little town was teeming with sojourners. Could there be enough places to stay? Political decisions had caused their travels and few were there because of their own decision. Could the streets have been filled with grumbling? Were the alleys overflowing with frustration? Did curses volley from voice to ear as the thirsty passed through the marketplace? Did the Roman soldiers and Roman ambassadors witness the people of God being the people of a holy God, or did they witness only bitter, calloused hearts in the land of the Jews?
And as the day waned and the twilight grew, a Baby’s cries signaled new beginnings. The night skies burst forth in angelic light and song. Declarations of peace and goodwill streamed down from the heavens and fell upon the ears of the lowly. That day, shepherds, uninvited to any royal birth prior, were heralded to see the Prince of Peace. That day they witnessed Glory and subsequently became heralds of Glory themselves.
That day changed the hopes of humanity. It altered the course of history. A new age was ushered in with the dawning of that day. It was the day Christ was born. Was there ever a day like it?
Will another Day start in much the same way? We have heard that it will end with another appearance of Heaven’s King.
What a difference a day makes.