By Rachel Boxer
It was a still, dark night. On the hillsides just outside Bethlehem a little lamb huddled up to her mother for comfort.
鈥業t鈥檚 daa-rk, Mummy!鈥 she bleated nervously.
鈥業 know Maa-rtha, dear,鈥 her mother replied. 鈥楤ut don鈥檛 worry, the shepherds will take care of us. They always do!鈥
Martha was the shepherds鈥 favourite. She was small and soft and timid and had a 鈥榩lease-take-care-of-me鈥 look in her dark, brown eyes.
As darkness gathered around them the shepherds settled the sheep in their pens for the night, then sat down around the crackling fire for warmth.
Martha could hear them talking and laughing together, their gentle faces glowing in the light of the fire. She could feel her eyes getting heavy and the sound of the shepherds鈥 voices seemed to get fainter and fainter as she drifted off to sleep, snuggled closely to her mother.
Suddenly the night came alive with startled shouting and Martha woke with a frightened bleat of shock from her peaceful slumber, her heart thumping in her chest. What had happened? What danger was out there? Was it a lion鈥r a bear鈥? But it wasn鈥檛 either of those things.
Instead the night was bright with light, brighter than day, and to Martha鈥檚 surprise every one of the shepherds was down on his knees, trembling with terror. Then, from out of the brightness came a voice: 鈥楧o not be afraid!鈥 To her surprise, Martha found that she wasn鈥檛 afraid! Instead she found herself being drawn to the voice that spoke and she edged forward to the entrance of the pen.
It was beautiful! Martha had never seen anything like this before鈥nd before she realised it, she was out of the pen and at the front of the huddle of shepherds. She gazed up at the sky in total wonder.
And then the voice spoke again: 鈥業 bring you good news of great joy that is for everyone. Today, in Bethlehem, the Saviour has been born! You will find the baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.鈥
The shepherds all started talking at once, falling over each other in an effort to get up and be the first to leave. And then one of them spoke to Martha: 鈥榃hat are you doing out here, little one? There鈥檚 no time to put you back with the others 鈥 so you鈥檒l have to come with us!鈥
Martha felt herself being scooped up and tucked under the shepherd鈥檚 arm. She was going too!
The shepherd鈥檚 ran down the hillside towards Bethlehem. Martha heard them whispering nervously as they crept through the doorway into a tumbled-down stable. Martha felt herself being lowered to the ground and she was just about to let out a worried little bleat when she caught sight of something familiar - hay - in a feeding trough. 'Dinner!'
Forgetting where she was and who they鈥檇 come to see, Martha eagerly pulled at a few strands of hay and chewed gratefully. It was sweet and warm and delicious!
She stopped mid-mouthful and peeped nervously at the trough. There was a baby, who was wrapped in cloth, just as the bright voices had said he would be. This was the baby鈥檚 bed and she was eating it!
But the baby didn鈥檛 seem to mind鈥r his mother either, who smiled, her eyes full of joy. 鈥楬is name is Jesus,鈥 she announced to the kneeling shepherds. So this was the Saviour that the shining voices had spoken about鈥his was the 鈥榞ood news for all people.鈥
The shepherds were silent too, their faces bright with hope, lost in wonder as they gazed at this new life.
No-one really wanted the night to end. Reluctantly, with Martha once more tucked securely under an arm, the shepherds returned to their hillsides and their sheep, telling anyone and everyone they met on the way about what they had seen and how life would never be the same again.
And what a tale Martha had to tell too: about an extraordinary adventure; about the baby, lying in a feeding trough, who was good news for all the world. The Saviour - whose bed she had nibbled!
By Rachel Boxer
It was a still, dark night. On the hillsides just outside Bethlehem a little lamb huddled up to her mother for comfort.
鈥業t鈥檚 daa-rk, Mummy!鈥 she bleated nervously.
鈥業 know Maa-rtha, dear,鈥 her mother replied. 鈥楤ut don鈥檛 worry, the shepherds will take care of us. They always do!鈥
Martha was the shepherds鈥 favourite. She was small and soft and timid and had a 鈥榩lease-take-care-of-me鈥 look in her dark, brown eyes.
As darkness gathered around them the shepherds settled the sheep in their pens for the night, then sat down around the crackling fire for warmth.
Martha could hear them talking and laughing together, their gentle faces glowing in the light of the fire. She could feel her eyes getting heavy and the sound of the shepherds鈥 voices seemed to get fainter and fainter as she drifted off to sleep, snuggled closely to her mother.
Suddenly the night came alive with startled shouting and Martha woke with a frightened bleat of shock from her peaceful slumber, her heart thumping in her chest. What had happened? What danger was out there? Was it a lion鈥r a bear鈥? But it wasn鈥檛 either of those things.
Instead the night was bright with light, brighter than day, and to Martha鈥檚 surprise every one of the shepherds was down on his knees, trembling with terror. Then, from out of the brightness came a voice: 鈥楧o not be afraid!鈥 To her surprise, Martha found that she wasn鈥檛 afraid! Instead she found herself being drawn to the voice that spoke and she edged forward to the entrance of the pen.
It was beautiful! Martha had never seen anything like this before鈥nd before she realised it, she was out of the pen and at the front of the huddle of shepherds. She gazed up at the sky in total wonder.
And then the voice spoke again: 鈥業 bring you good news of great joy that is for everyone. Today, in Bethlehem, the Saviour has been born! You will find the baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.鈥
The shepherds all started talking at once, falling over each other in an effort to get up and be the first to leave. And then one of them spoke to Martha: 鈥榃hat are you doing out here, little one? There鈥檚 no time to put you back with the others 鈥 so you鈥檒l have to come with us!鈥
Martha felt herself being scooped up and tucked under the shepherd鈥檚 arm. She was going too!
The shepherd鈥檚 ran down the hillside towards Bethlehem. Martha heard them whispering nervously as they crept through the doorway into a tumbled-down stable. Martha felt herself being lowered to the ground and she was just about to let out a worried little bleat when she caught sight of something familiar - hay - in a feeding trough. 'Dinner!'
Forgetting where she was and who they鈥檇 come to see, Martha eagerly pulled at a few strands of hay and chewed gratefully. It was sweet and warm and delicious!
She stopped mid-mouthful and peeped nervously at the trough. There was a baby, who was wrapped in cloth, just as the bright voices had said he would be. This was the baby鈥檚 bed and she was eating it!
But the baby didn鈥檛 seem to mind鈥r his mother either, who smiled, her eyes full of joy. 鈥楬is name is Jesus,鈥 she announced to the kneeling shepherds. So this was the Saviour that the shining voices had spoken about鈥his was the 鈥榞ood news for all people.鈥
The shepherds were silent too, their faces bright with hope, lost in wonder as they gazed at this new life.
No-one really wanted the night to end. Reluctantly, with Martha once more tucked securely under an arm, the shepherds returned to their hillsides and their sheep, telling anyone and everyone they met on the way about what they had seen and how life would never be the same again.
And what a tale Martha had to tell too: about an extraordinary adventure; about the baby, lying in a feeding trough, who was good news for all the world. The Saviour - whose bed she had nibbled!
