Abiding in the Fields

Note to readers: in my next article appearing the first week of January, I will make my predictions for 2010, but for now enjoy a brief re-telling of an event that happened 2010 years ago, an event that changed everything for everyone! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Abiding in the Fields

It was cold that night and unusually bright. Grandpa and I lay on the ground near the gate looking intently into the night sky at a star that neither he nor I had ever noticed before. Strange! Grandpa had gazed at the stars for many years, first as a boy himself, then with my dad and now with me, but always taking care of the sheep. Could it be that a brand new star had appeared - a star that even Grandpa had never seen? The sheep seemed restless, stirring around. The mamma ewes sniffed their babies and nuzzled them close. Then suddenly a bright light shone all around us. I was frozen scared. I jumped to my feet clutching my staff. Then I saw it… I mean… him.

He was clothed in a brightly shining robe. It was, well, it was… an angel, and he said “Do not be afraid.” I heard the Rabbi tell a story once of an angel that appeared to Gideon, and every spring Daddy reads us the story of the Passover Angel, but I never thought I would ever see one. And not just one! There were thousands of them that appeared singing praises to God. They said a baby had been born and that “Peace” was on the earth. Grandpa says “peace” will come from this child because the Angel told him the child was “a Savior” and that he was “Christ the Lord.” Many a night Grandpa had told me that the Christ, the Messiah, would come and rescue us, a Deliverer greater than Moses would appear. And now He has been born! So we are going into Bethlehem as fast as we can to find this child.

My heart is beating so loud I think it’s going to come out of my chest! After seeing the angels and hearing their voices, it’s hard to imagine something more exciting than that! But, I know that the world is going to be different because of this child. Somehow I know that my life is never going to be the same, that meeting the Savior will be the biggest, most important moment of my life. And not just for me. The most important thing anybody will ever do is meet the Messiah. I sure hope people figure that out.