Entering the Scene:

Imagine yourself to be a worker at the inn at Bethlehem.  Although this picture is from 1890, you can assume the inn at the time of Jesus would have been built of similar stone.  It was certainly no more than two stories tall and probably only had a dozen guest rooms or so.  Picture an arched front door that faces a dirt street, and further down the front wall, an arched gate that leads to an inner courtyard.  At one side of the courtyard is the inn itself, wrapping the balance is a low and long stable building with stone walls, wood rafters and a thatch roof that houses the animals of the family that owns the inn along with those of their guests. 

Assume the position of a young lady waiting tables in the common room, or perhaps a boy who washes dishes and runs other errands for the kitchen staff.  You are probably related to the family that owns the inn in some fashion, if not a son or daughter, then a niece or nephew.

It is late in the day, the sun is setting, and you are busy with your job.  The temperature in winter goes from the mid-40s at night to upper-50s during the day, so it is cool outside.  It is the rainy season, so the courtyard could be dusty or muddy, your choice.  You are drawing water from the cistern.  The inn is already full for the night and you have been sent to fetch water for the cook, who is working hard to prepare the evening meal.

As you are running buckets from the cistern back and forth to the kitchen, a man enters the courtyard through the arched gate leading a donkey.  On the donkey sits a young woman wearing a robe in dusty blue.  The man helps her down from the back of the donkey and you realize that she is pregnant.  She wraps her hands around her extended womb as she leans back slightly to stretch her back from what must have been a long and uncomfortable ride.

The innkeeper, your father or uncle, walks up to the young man and greets him cordially.  He looks at the pregnant woman and chagrin crosses his face.  He explains to the man that due to the census the inn is already full and you can see crestfallen expressions on both his and his young wife’s face.  The innkeeper speaks again to the man and then walks them toward the stable, where they begin to settle in for the night.  Since they have been on the road, it appears they have the gear they need to make it through the cool temperatures, but you can’t help but feel for them.  You want to go over and offer to help, but the innkeeper orders you back to the task at hand as he passes you on his way back inside.  In this culture, you dare not cross his authority so you immediately do as you are instructed.

With the inn so crowded, you are busy inside for the entire night.  It is late in the evening before the last of the guests head off to their rooms and the staff is left to clean up.  You again are asked to go outside and fetch water for the dishwashing, etc.

When you enter the courtyard, you are startled by the distinct sound of a baby crying out above the accustomed animal sounds of the night.  But it is not an extended cry of distress.  The new mother is immediately attentive and she settles the child down quickly.  But as you look over to the stable, you get a second surprise when you see the courtyard filled with extra people.  The unusual star that appeared in the sky earlier in the winter has made the night much brighter than normal, and you can see the silhouettes of young men with shepherds crooks gathered in front of the stable.  

The innkeeper is not around, so you risk his wrath and walk over to see what is happening.  A shepherd sees you approach and beckons you closer, turning sideways and putting his arm around your shoulders as he guides you to a spot where you can clearly see the child.  There, lying in a manger filled with hay is a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.  His mother lies next to him in a bed of hay that her husband must have quickly assembled for her.  She has one hand on the manger, rocking it as best she can as if it were a cradle.  The man stands over them both in a stance suggesting he is on guard.

After a few minutes, the shepherd whispers in your ear and guides you away from the crowd and begins to describe what has happened this night.  He tells of an angel shining with the glory of the Lord appearing, first terrifying him, but then explaining to him the significance of this child.  He tells of the heavenly host that spoke the praises of God.  And finally, he tells how he and his friends hurried into town and found the child by hearing his cry as they passed the inn.    

The tale he has told you is so fantastic that at first you find it hard to believe.  But then a peace settles into your heart and you know somehow that the tale is true.  You move back close to the stable, and you gaze again upon on the child.  And then you catch the eye of the mother, and like Mary, you treasure these things in your heart, wondering what this bodes for the future.