Come By Faith


They had been sitting in the fields for most of the night.  Their sheep were gathered into the sheepfold, protected from harm.  Isaac sat at the gate watching the stars overhead.  He understood little about the movement of heavenly bodies.  He knew only that in darkness the moon rose, and day was blessed by the light of the sun.  Still, he noted the twinkling of lights, and the recent arrival of a brighter light, he'd only recently begun to see.

"Day dreamin', Isaac?" Caleb asked.  He was older than Isaac, both in age, and in years as a shepherd.  The life Isaac had found himself in had gripped Caleb by fate.  His father, and his father's father had performed the same task.

"Just watchin' the sky," Isaac responded.

"Star gazin'.  That's what it's called."

Not insulted in anyway by Caleb's harsh reply, Isaac said, "Do you ever take note of the changes in the heavens.  When it is warm there are certain lights in the sky.  They seem to change by the time the colder season is upon us."

"You aren't talkin' like no shepherd.  I think it is best to stick with your trade."

"Even shepherds can take note of the lights in the night sky.  I sit here watching the beauty take place.  See that," Isaac pointed to a star overhead. "I have not seen that one before."

"You've missed it... that's all."

"No, I don't believe so.  That light directs us to something very important.  Prophets have spoken about stars.  I suppose they meant those twinkling lights in the sky."

"Prophets have spoken about a lot of things," Caleb replied.

"But this, a star, Bethlehem."

"And the dreams of people with nothing better to do."

Isaac didn't respond as Caleb took up his place by the sheepfold.  He looked back up into the night sky, focusing on the unusual star, the one he hadn't seen before.  Suddenly he heard something.  Voices.  They seemed to rise over the land, beginning as a gentle murmur, and gently blending into a chorus of unearthly beings, praising the divine.

"Do you hear that?" Isaac said.

"Sheep snore," Caleb responded with a lack of interest.

"It's voices.  They're singing."

"Sheep snore," Caleb said a second time.

Isaac moved off toward the small town which was bathed in the light of the star.  He heard the singing again.  The words were gaining clarity.  Glory.  God.  Highest.  Peace.

He turned back toward Caleb, but realized he'd moved a great distance from the sheepfold.  His responsibility was for the sheep, but the star, the singing.  Isaac made the better choice, and found that the light of the star, the unusual star, hovered over a rustic stable.

"Only a few have heard," a voice said from behind him.

When Isaac turned, he saw a shepherd much older than even Caleb.  One whose life had been spent sleeping on the hard ground with nothing for a pillow.  His beard was white, but his eyes were sharp.

"It's a beautiful song, isn't it?" Isaac commented.

"It is much more than just a song.  It is the angels of God singing their praise.  There is a child born in that stable." The old man pointed toward the shack sheltering an assortment of animals, under which hovered the star. "They won't all see the star, or hear the singing."

"I pointed the star out to Caleb.  I don't think he thought it was very unusual."

"It can be no other way.  The God of your father's wants his children to come by faith.  All else is of little value."

"The God of our father's," Isaac said, feeling an oddity in the old man's words. "Is the God of the prophets not your God as well?"

The old man simply nodded his head in response, and pointed a crooked finger toward the rustic structure. "Believe what your heart tells you, all else is of the world."

Isaac walked slowly toward the stable.  He heard the cry of an infant and the gentle cooing of a mother.  The animals added their own chatter to the conversation.  The word 'Peace' sung by the angelic voices held a gentle grip on his thoughts.

When he reached a point where he could see the baby, he noticed two other shepherds.  Both were smiling and bathed by a light that illuminated from the manger.

"They won't all hear the star, or hear the singing," Isaac said, repeating what the old man had said.  He turned, expecting that the old man with the white beard and sharp eyes to be standing beside him.  The old man was gone, and Isaac pondered his words.

'The God of your father's wants his children to come by faith.'


copyright 2024 - Donald P James Jr

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