Chapter Thirteen
Hananiah led the group through the doors and into another set of doors, leading into a stable. Behind the fence was a gated area with two goats roped up. In the middle of the scene was a woman in a white robe and blue headdress sitting behind a manger. She was holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket. A man in a brown robe and green headdress stood next to her. A man in blue robe and red headdress stood by the goats.
"Family, look!" Hananiah said in a hushed whisper. "There is a baby! It is Joseph and Mary from Nazareth!" The doors closed as everyone lined up in front of the fence.
"It is our friends, Joseph and Mary," said Ruth in a hushed whisper.
The scene was so peaceful and reverent that Sam and Dean were amazed into silence. Two boys walked out from behind a curtain towards Mary and Joseph. They looked at the man by the goats, the stable keeper.
"Sir, while tending our sheep, angels appeared to us and said tonight, in the City of David, our Messiah has been born," said a shepherd. "Is this the child the angels spoke of?"
"Oh, yes," said the stable keeper with a smile. "The Messiah is here. His name is Jesus. Come."
The shepherds faced the manger and Mary and Joseph and knelt on the ground.
"The Messiah!" said Hananiah in a hushed whisper. "Family, we have found the Messiah. Let us worship Him." He and Ruth immediately knelt on the ground, and many of the group did the same.
Joseph carefully took the baby from Mary and approached the shepherds, holding Jesus out for the shepherds to see.
"And so the God of Heaven entered this world as a virgin-born child—fully God and fully man," said the stable keeper. "And He came with the purpose to bring us back to Him. Because, you see, through our sinful disobedience, we separate ourselves from God."
The shepherds reached towards the baby Jesus, but did not touch him. Joseph smiled at them.
"But God's love is such that He took the initiative to pay the price for our sins," the stable keeper continued. "And He did that through this baby, Jesus, who thirty-three years later would suffer and die on a cross so that we could be forgiven of our sins."
Joseph held Jesus close and kissed the baby's forehead. He headed back towards Mary.
"So while this is the final scene in the Journey to Bethlehem, our hope is that, for some of you, this would be a new beginning," said the stable keeper.
Joseph handed Mary the baby Jesus, and Mary cradled him close, humming softly.
"Ephesians 2:8 says that 'you are saved by grace through faith, and this is the gift of God,'" the stable keeper continued. "Jesus came to make this gift available to all who would receive it. Our prayer is that each of you, if you haven't already, would receive the gift of God's grace. We wish you a very special Christmas and God's blessing in the New Year. Shalom."
The stable keeper turned towards the baby Jesus and knelt next to the shepherds as Mary began to sing.
Hananiah climbed to his feet with the group and spoke in a loud whisper. "Praise be to God! The Messiah has been born and we have been blessed to see Him. Come, let us go and rest as we think about these wonderful things."
Hananiah led the group out of the stable as the doors opened. They climbed the hill towards a building labeled: "Student Center." There was a white tent at the front of the building. As the group headed towards the building, the guides departed from the crowd, heading towards the Community Lobby.
"Thank you for coming," called Hananiah. "You have been a wonderful family. Merry Christmas. Shalom!"
"Shalom!" many of the group called towards him.
Sam and Dean walked into the building with the rest of the group to find the gymnasium full of tables with cookies on them and cups of hot chocolate.
"Alright," said Dean. "That's what I'm talking about."
Dean headed for a table, picking up a napkin with two cookies on it and grabbing a cup of cocoa. He took a sip of it and moaned in delight.
"Mm, that's good," said Dean.
Sam took a sip of his own. "Yeah, that is." As Dean took a bite out of a cookie, Sam glanced at him. "So?"
Dean looked at him, eyebrows raised. "So, what?"
"What'd you think?" asked Sam.
Dean shrugged, looking down at his food. "It wasn't awful."
Sam smiled. "Oh, come on, you know you enjoyed it."
Dean picked up the second cookie. "Doesn't mean I have to admit it."
Sam laughed as he took a bite of his own cookie. "So, this was different. Never actually done anything for Christmas before."
"Yeah," said Dean. "It was kind of nice to have a break."
"Told you so," muttered Sam, taking another bite.
Dean looked up at Sam and smiled before looking down at his cup again. "Merry Christmas, Sammy."
Sam looked over at him, smiling. "Merry Christmas, Dean."