Jesus Christ - A Bethlehem Christmas: celebrating the joyful season

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A Bethlehem Christmas: Celebrating the Joyful Season
2007 Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.

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Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations used in this book are from The New American Standard Bible (NASB). 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by the Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
(www.Lockman.org)

Designed by LeftCoast Design, Portland Oregon.

ISBN 13: 978-1-4041-0468-6
10: 1-4041-0468-2

www.thomasnelson.com

Printed and bound in China

Contents

THE WAY MADE STRAIGHT

MARY

JOSEPH

GABRIEL

F or years now I have wanted to re-visit the scenes in Bethlehem in a new and creative way. Because most of us are familiar with the nativity story, having heard it since we were children, it seemed to me that we needed to look at everything with fresh eyes. By approaching the familiar from a completely different perspective, I felt that much of the Christmas story would take on a deeper and far more significant meaning. My hope was to tell the same old story, but this time as if I were the one personally involved in the eventsfirst as Mary, then as Joseph, and finally, as the angel Gabriel.

As I embarked on this literary journey, I quickly realized I needed help! That help came from my son-in-law, Mark Gaither, who had already edited several of my previous books. In doing so, he had demonstrated creative skills in a number of ways. When I first mentioned my desire to write A Bethlehem Christmas in the first person, his eyes lit up like tiny torches! Immediately, Mark had suggestions to offer, which led to ideas that both of us became engaged in with growing enthusiasm.

In the weeks that followed, we enjoyed an ongoing dialogue as we probed various scriptural scenes, each one sparking an ever-widening circle of imagination. Not wanting these excursions to drift too far, we kept returning to the original New Testament accounts. With the additional assistance of careful research in historical volumes and extra-biblical sources we were able to add colorful details that help bring the ancient scenes to life in a relevant and reliable manner while staying within the lines of accuracy. Thank you, Mark, for the hours you invested in this creative project. I love your passion for excellence!

The result of our mutual effort is the book you are holding in your hands. Hopefully, these pages will open your eyes and feed your imagination in ways that make this story even more unforgettable.

I am also grateful to Terri Gibbs of Thomas Nelson Publishers. Thank you for your commitment to making this volume not just another book, but a work that will endure. My hope is that it will cause many to celebrate the sacred season and, at the same time, realize what a treasure we have in the One who makes it sacred.

Chuck Swindoll

Frisco, Texas

Your request has
been granted! Elizabeth
will bear you a son. A
very special son.

THE WAY MADE
STRAIGHT

T he Holy Place, with all its gravity and mystery, grabbed Zacharias by the senses and held him captive for what seemed an eternity. He tilted his head back and breathed in the mingled aroma of bread, incense, cedar, and the burnt flesh of sinners substitutes. Ministering in the Holy Place was a rare opportunity in the life of an ordinary priest, so he consumed every detail with his eyes, fully intending to return there in his mind for years to come.

It was darker than he imagined. Cedar paneled walls disappeared into the darkness nearly a hundred feet overhead before meeting a ceiling he could barely make out. Finely crafted furniture adorned Gods enormous antechamber, and the gold implements appeared to be as holy as their purpose. Seven lights of a large golden lampstand flickered on his left. On the right stood a table with twelve loaves of unleavened bread neatly arranged in two rows of six. A few steps ahead, the altar of incense. A flat, square, surface standing three feet high, and overlaid with pure gold. And within arms length of the altar, a thick linen veil separated him from the potentially lethal presence of the Almighty.

This was the place where men met God.

His task wasnt complicated. Twice each day, a priest slipped behind the outer veil with a censor of coals from the altar in one hand and a measure of incense in the other. It should only take a few moments, but Zacharias wasnt about to rush anything.

He stepped forward, poured the coals onto the altar and then covered them with a finely ground powder of spices and frankincense. A few moments later, he could barely see the blue, purple, and scarlet cherubim woven into the veil that hung between him and the Most Holy Place. As the smoky perfume rose to the nostrils of God, a faint breeze brushed the back of the old priests neck, and for a moment, he felt certain he wasnt alone.

Zacharias.

The elderly priest clutched his robe and fell back, nearly cracking his head on the stone floor. A man, dressed in a simple, linen shroud stood to the right of the incense altar, no more than two feet from where he had been working.

Do not be afraid, Zacharias.

Startled, terrified, dumbstruck. He turned his body to lay face down, put his head to the floor, pulled his knees under him, and stretched out his arms toward the angels feet.

Get up, Zacharias. I am only a servant, like you. I am here with an announcement.

The priest raised his trembling frame to face the messenger, but could not keep himself from covering his head with his hands. What does the Lord want with His servant?

Elizabeth, your wife. She is barren, is she not?

We had hoped for a child. We prayed for a child, but to our shame, the Lord did not find us worthy. Sobs rose from deep within the priest, from wounds he thought long since healed. We have been faithful to the Law; we have kept the Lords Word; but the Lord is right in all His ways. I am not without sin.