I wanted to share this story that God gave me at Christmas. I adapted this story from Luke's version of the birth and death of Jesus. God first gave this to me several years ago but this year He gave it to me all anew and I shared it with several different groups over the Christmas Season. The reason I am sharing this now is because it is not just a Christmas Story it is also an Easter Story and I want to remind you that without the Cross and the empty Tomb that the Manger means absolutely nothing. Christianity is not something that we only take the parts that we like, we have to take and accept everything about Christ in order to truly except Christ. It is up to us to share the stories of God's Love to all around us.

Vaya Con Dios

The Eclectic Cowboy

Winfield Davenport

Little Bill

Many years ago there was a shepherd by the name of Bill. He was a good man who had the job of looking over the flocks of sheep around Bethlehem at night. One night he had his son Bill Jr. with him when all of a sudden a huge commotion happened. It was very frightening and almost stampeded the sheep. In the commotion an angel showed up looking not like any man they had ever seen. He was all lit up and glowing. This angel told the story of a child being born in a manger. At that point the sky was filled with angels singing and praising God. The sound of their voices filled everything and it was absolutely the dangest sight you have ever seen. So Jr. and his dad went to town to see what all the excitement was about. And there they found this new born baby lying in a manger just as the angel had said. When they left and went home to tell mom Jr. looked at his dad and asked him what all of this meant. His dad pondered on it for a little while and said "I really don't understand it right now but I believe that this is very important and that someday we will know why."

Well years went by with every year the family repeating the story. Bill would tell it to his son Jr. and when Jr. was old enough and had a son of his own then he told it to his son Little Bill. And at the end of the story every time the statement would be made. "I really don't understand it right now but I believe that this is very important and that someday we will know why."

Years later when Bill was older he moved to Jerusalem to live out the rest of his life and every time that Jr. and Little Bill would come and visit the story would be told. One day while they were visiting, Little Bill was outside playing when all of the sudden he rushed into the house all hysterical. When they finally got him calmed down he told them, "It's him, I know it's him". They follow him outside where they found Jesus beaten, carrying a cross up the hill. They followed watching the whole thing still not understanding. At the end of the day after Jesus had died on the cross, Little Bill looked up at his Dad and Granddad and asked "Why?". His granddad looked back at him and and told him the same thing that they always ended their story with. "I really don't understand it right now but I believe that this is very important and that someday we will know why."

Three days later they understood.

Winfield Davenport

December 2008

Picture by: Winfield Davenport