One Night in Bethlehem

Because of an imperial decree
That all Rome’s Jewish subjects should enrol
In their ancestral city, it behoved
Joseph and Mary to leave Nazareth,
The town that was their home, and undertake
A long and weary trek to Bethlehem,
Since Joseph, who was born of David’s line,
Must therefore be enrolled in David’s city.

Because of Mary’s pregnancy, their pace
Was slow, and welcome was the sight at last
Of Bethlehem, the goal of all their journeying.
At eve they reached the caravanserai,
An open courtyard with a lean-to roof
Providing shelter on all sides but one
Where open gates gave access in and out.
The place was bustling now with travellers
Who there had come to shelter for the night.

When Joseph thought of Mary and her need,
His heart was sad, for in that throng he saw
No privacy for Mary to give birth.
The keeper of the caravanserai
Came to his aid; and when he pointed out
That Mary’s time had very nearly come
And that they needed somewhere warm and dry,
The keeper showed a stable close at hand
Where they could be alone. And it was there
The Child was born and cradled in a manger,
And wrapped in cloths like any new-born child.

Because it was a pleasant night in Spring,
Some shepherds and their flocks were in the fields
When suddenly a light around them shone
And in that light an angel came to them.
Calming their fears, the angel told the news
Of how their Saviour had been born that night,
And by what signs they’d recognise the Child.

And while the angels sang of peace on earth,
The shepherds came and found, as they were told,
An Infant in a manger. There they knelt
And paid Him homage. Then they told of how
They came in answer to an angel’s voice
That brought the tidings of a Saviour’s birth.

Perhaps it was the shepherds’ questioning
As to where they’d find the stable, that aroused
Their curiosity, but others came.
They wondered at the tale the shepherds told
Of angels and the message that they brought.
Luke in his gospel says that those who heard
Were all amazed. But Mary kept their words
And in her heart she pondered over them.
Thus was our Saviour born in Bethlehem.

Ken Eaton fms