Imagine the Night Most Blessed

"Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new; This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you?" From modern Christmas song "Mary Did You Know?" published 1991, my favorite of all songs about Christ's birth. Imagine young Mary, pregnant and riding on a donkey, as she enters Bethlehem, having traveled far with her husband Joseph. Her contractions are beginning as her husband, desperate and protective of his wife, hastens to find a place for them to stay the night. It’s a bad time of the year to be nearby Jerusalem, where so many have been traveling for registration with the Roman government. Imagine Mary and Joseph’s plight as disappointingly, they get turned down again and again by Bethlehem inn keepers. At last a place is found, but it’s not a warm or comfortable place for a woman about to bear a child. In a stable where animals are kept, Joseph cleans the manger, which is a trough from which animals drink! In this lowly stable, the newborn child Jesus will soon be laid. Imagine Mary’s suffering and discomfort as the contractions come harder and harder; however, she was chosen by God for her many virtues, among them being fortitude and faith! A pearl among woman, Mary is uncomplaining as she labors through the night to bring her newborn baby into the world. Imagine the husband Joseph comforting his wife and the conversation between him and Mary as they await Jesus’ birth. Already their child’s name has been decided, for the Lord gave a vision to both Mary and to Joseph to prepare them for the most blessed of all nights in history. Imagine their great anticipation. Finally, imagine their wonder when the precious infant arrives. How adoringly they hold his little body and look into the eyes that will see so easily into the souls of all mankind. How Mary must marvel to cradle in her arms God’s only begotten son, the light of the world whom she herself has brought to the light by birthing Him that holy night. What immense joy fills her bosom and that of her husband Joseph. A beautiful new star shimmers above them, and nearby in a field, a host of angels appears to shepherds in the dark singing songs of joy and glory to the newborn king. Meanwhile, Joseph lays the newborn king in swaddling clothes and places him in the manger. And so it is that in this humble abode the King of Peace is born – soon to be adored by lowly shepherds. Wonder of all wonders – God in his infinite wisdom has entrusted the upbringing of His beloved son to His humble, upright servants Joseph and Mary, and soon enough all the world will know Jehova’s name. Dec. 29, 2021 for Eve Roper's Nativity New Poems Poetry Contest