Have You Ever Wondered?

Christmas is just around the corner. Of course we get all the usual reminders, and they seem to come earlier each year. Candy canes appear in grocery store aisles the week after Halloween. Black Friday sales now come as pre-Black Friday sales before Thanksgiving. Yes, commercialism is rampant, and most of us roll our eyes at some point or other.

But then we remember the magic we felt as children. I remember thinking about Santa, and presents, and the holy story. All of them held secrets I wanted to know. How did Santa reach the entire world in one night? Would I get that one present I wanted so badly? And what would it be like if I were alive when Mary and Joseph crossed into Bethlehem?

As I've grown older and learned the North Pole secrets, the holy story has become the greater mystery. What did the shepherds talk about after the angel appeared, and they began their search for a stable and manger that held the newborn baby? How well versed were they in the Messiah scriptures? What did this mean to them?

Ah, all the wonderful questions, and so many people to provide them: the Savior, the angels, the wise men, the inhabitants of Bethlehem - some of which must have noticed the star that night.

It's fun to wonder. And so, each year, I draw a religious Christmas scene and think about it as I do. This year, it was the shepherds making their way into Bethlehem.

This is my rendition. You can see what I thought. A few lights are on in Bethlehem. If someone looks, they will see.

And I have a question for you. What would you think if you had been there?