When Joseph Went to Bethlehem
When Joseph went to Bethlehem, I think he took great care
To place his tools and close his shop and leave no shavings there.
He urged the donkey forward then, with Mary on its back,
And carried bread and goat cheese in a little linen sack.
I think there at the busy inn that he was meek and mild
And awed to be the guardian of Mary's sacred child.
Perhaps all through the chilly hours he smoothed the swaddling bands,
And Jesus felt the quiet strength of Joseph's gentle hands.
And close beside the manger bed, he dimmed the lantern's light
And held the little Jesus close upon that holy night.
When Joseph went to Bethlehem, I think he took great care
To place his tools and close his shop and leave no shavings there.
He urged the donkey forward then, with Mary on its back,
And carried bread and goat cheese in a little linen sack.
I think there at the busy inn that he was meek and mild
And awed to be the guardian of Mary's sacred child.
Perhaps all through the chilly hours he smoothed the swaddling bands,
And Jesus felt the quiet strength of Joseph's gentle hands.
And close beside the manger bed, he dimmed the lantern's light
And held the little Jesus close upon that holy night.
Bessie Saunders Spencer
It's the second stanza that keeps making me cry. It makes me think of the men in my life and I wonder how many of them would be "meek and mild" in that situation. I think that it's true. I think that Joseph, even though it must have pained him to not be able to make Mary more comfortable that night, would have patiently accepted the answer when turned away at door after door. So many men I know would have shouted at the person who answered the door, as if that was going to make more room appear, causing bad feelings and stress both to the innkeeper and to Mary. And I don't mean that just the men I know behave that way. I and many women I know do also. Shouting at the bill collector over the phone, or the person standing at the register at the phone. Sometimes adults throw much worse tantrums than two-year-olds. Somehow meekly accepting our situation isn't even seen as a virtue that often any more. We have to fight for our "rights" as we perceive them. Even when it's just saving an extra fifty cents for a coupon at the grocery store.
Yes, I am touched by the image of the gentle Joseph. I hope this Christmas season teaches me to be more accepting of God's will in my life. Life would be so much more calm and peaceful if people could learn to give a meek and mild answer to the challenges we face in life.
Merry Christmas. I hope Christmas can bring us all a little more peace as we remember the birth and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Yes, I am touched by the image of the gentle Joseph. I hope this Christmas season teaches me to be more accepting of God's will in my life. Life would be so much more calm and peaceful if people could learn to give a meek and mild answer to the challenges we face in life.
Merry Christmas. I hope Christmas can bring us all a little more peace as we remember the birth and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
