By Greg Miller © 2019

After hearing the words “no room in the inn,” Mary and Joseph had entered the stable and were reclining near the manger.

Eli and Ephraim, two oxen which stood near the manger, gazed lovingly at the newborn Christ-child, asleep in the feeding trough. Even the oxen recognized their creator. “Wow!” they thought. “This is the one who created the world and gave life to us!”

Ecclesiastes and Eden were among the shepherds kneeling near the manger, worshipping their creator. Angels had appeared to the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem.

The book of Luke records the story: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

“We worship you,” Eden whispered, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Yes, we praise you,” Ecclesiastes said softly.

Enoch, the donkey on which Mary rode to Bethlehem, stood silently, as if breathing a prayer over God’s only begotten Son. He then began munching on a snack of stray bits of hay that were on the ground in front of him.

Mary reached over to her son, Jesus, caressed His cheek with her fingers, and hummed a lullaby she had just created for Him. Joseph held Mary’s hand, grateful that he had been chosen to serve as the earthly father of Heaven’s king. “Thank you, Lord,” Joseph prayed, “for giving such an honor to me.”

A few moments later, Ecclesiastes and Eden arose from the ground. They stood silently at one end of the manger praising God for His goodness toward men, then excitedly exited the stable and ran to tell nearby residents that the redeemer of the world had been born.

Enoch the donkey believed he had been given a greater privilege than the shepherds. “They get to tell people about the birth of the king,” he chuckled. “But I had the honor of carrying the baby and His mother down the road to Bethlehem before He was even born!”

To contact the writer of this column about speaking engagements (in the U.S.A.), including Christian Comedy Fundraising Outreaches, Christian Creativity Seminars and/or puppet ministry, please type “Speaking Engagements” in the subject line and e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].

By Greg Miller  2018

 Greg is retired from the Elizabethton STAR Newspaper, after working there for almost 23 years. He now freelances for the paper. Contact email address is [email protected], also facebook.com/kidcool4jesus. Available for speaking engagements/other ministries. Jesus is Lord