I want to begin this blog with an acknowledgment that it has a religious focus that is a reflection of my faith. Some of you may not be as interested in this as you have been in some of my other blogs. I am not trying to proselytize as much as I want to share what I found to be a beautiful story.
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At this time of year, Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus. For most of us it is a beautiful time of year when we celebrate God’s love for us through this gift.
But not all Christians have confidence in the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus.
Recently I came across a story from Paul Harvey, known for his radio segments called “The Rest of the Story,” that I thought was powerful about Jesus’s birth. I am going to paraphrase the story for you here and provide the link in case you want to read the story for yourself.
The Man and the Birds
Mr. Harvey begins his story by introducing a man that he said was kind, decent and mostly good. This man also didn’t believe the incarnation stuff which churches proclaim at Christmas. It just didn’t make sense to him.
He apologetically told his wife that he was not going to go to church with the family on Christmas Eve because he would feel like a hypocrite, so he stayed home while they went to the midnight service.
Shortly after they left, it began snowing. He heard several thuds against his living room window that sounded like someone was throwing snowballs at it. He went to the front door to see what was happening and found a flock of birds huddling in the snow. He realized they were trying to fly into his home to get warm. He took pity on these little creatures and knew that if they stayed out in the snow they would probably freeze and die. He then thought about a small barn in his backyard where his children stabled their pony. He realized that if he could get the birds to go into that barn, they would survive. All he had to do was find a way to get them to go into it.
First, he opened up the barn doors and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He went back into his house and got some breadcrumbs and sprinkled them on the snow to make a path for them to come to the stable. The birds paid no attention to the crumbs. He tried waving his arms and “shooing” them into the barn, but they only seemed to become more afraid.
That’s when he realized that they were afraid of him. He thought that he must look like some kind of giant who could hurt them. He wondered if there was some other way that he could help them trust that he would not hurt them but in fact wanted to save them.
Paul Harvey’s words: “‘If only I could be a bird’, he thought to himself ‘and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe warm ———-(Sudden recognition)—- to the safe warm barn, but I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear, and understand.’
At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. He stood there listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.”
Every time I read this I find myself choking up. To me this is what Christmas is all about and I am filled with so much gratitude for the amazing gift God has given us. This story has helped me stay focused on the real message of Christmas. The gifts we give to each other are symbols of the gift God has given to us. I think all God wants for us is for us to believe in him and to follow the Great Commandment cited by Jesus in Matthew 22:35–40, Mark 12:28–34, in Luke 10:27, and in the old testament in Deuteronomy Chapters 4 and 5. According to Google: “The great commandment in the Bible is to love God and love other people. When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus answered: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,’ before adding, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these”. These two great commandments were both given by Moses in the Old Testament and taught by Jesus in the New Testament.
To me more than anything Christmas is the season of love. I think Paul Harvey’s story captures what is true for many of us: it can be hard to appreciate just how much God loves us and why he sent Jesus, who was both human and divine, to save us.
Invitation for Reflection
- How did Paul Harvey’s story make you feel? What did you notice about thoughts, sensations and/or memories?
- What messages was Paul Harvey trying to convey? To what extent did they resonate with you?
- Overall, what was the impact on you of reading the story? Does it change anything you understand about the gift of Christmas?
Diane Wagenhals
Director Emeritus, Lakeside Global Institute