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Little Baba was a tiny lamb who lived a long time ago, even before people knew anything about the Birthday of Jesus. Baba’s favorite things to do were kicking his heels together and jumping as high as he could. When he got excited he could jump really high. His mother worried about little Baba a lot. He sometimes got into trouble, just like little girls and boys do sometimes. A few times, Baba had been so excited that he ran so fast and for so long, that he could no longer see the other sheep. Baba was lost. He cried as loudly as he could, and hoped that his mother would hear his cries. But it was quite a long while before his Mother finally found him. Baba was so glad to see his mother, that he promised he would never run away from the flock ever again. But Baba had a hard time keeping that promise. The kind shepherd whose name was Jonathan, tried very hard to watch out for Baba, and keep him out of trouble. He was usually the one who went looking for Baba when he wandered away from the flock. Little Baba knew when he saw Jonathan coming towards him, that the shepherd would scold him all the way home for being so naughty. And as soon as his mother saw Jonathan carrying Baba home, she would spank him with her foot for being disobedient again. But after Baba stopped crying, his mother would always tell him that she loved him, and explained to him just why he had been spanked.
One starry night the shepherds were up on a really big hillside with their sheep all sleeping nearby. That is all the sheep and lambs except Baba. He was still all bright-eyed and not in the least sleepy. His mother had told him to lay down several times, but after she went to sleep, Baba jumped up and wandered around. Jonathan went to Baba and quietly told him that he should be in bed like all the other sheep. But Baba looked at Jonathan and whispered to him, “Jonathan, there is something different about tonight. Deep inside I feel really excited and I just know something wonderful is about to happen. I will be quiet and I promise not to wander away. Please, Jonathan, may I stay up just a while longer?” Jonathan told him that he could stay up for just few more minutes. So the two of them walked over to talk to the other shepherds. The night was very quiet and the stars were twinkling so brightly. So, Baba decided to sit down and admire the beauty of the night sky. His little eyes grew big, as he noticed a star that was far bigger then any he had ever seen. All at once an excited feeling started way down deep in his little tummy. He just knew something wonderful was about to happen. He wanted to jump and kick his heels up. But he knew that Jonathan would be angry, since all the other sheep were sound asleep.
Suddenly a blinding light filled the sky above where the shepherds were standing. They all were afraid and fell to the ground and covered their eyes. Even little Baba was afraid. He ran to where Jonathan was laying on the ground, and put his little face under Jonathan’s arm. After a few minutes, little Baba backed away from Jonathan with his eyes still closed. He felt that feeling of excitement again, so he slowly opened his eyes and looked up. Little Baba could not believe what he saw. And for a few moments, he just stared at the sky trying to understand what was happening. He saw angels in glistening white robes flying about in the bright light in the sky. He thought this was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. He ran to the shepherds and in a loud voice he said, “Get up, don’t be afraid! Look it is so beautiful!” So all the shepherds jumped to their feet amazed at what they were seeing. Then the angel of the Lord, came down and stood beside the shepherds. The brilliance of the Lord, flashed and shone all around them. And the shepherds were again frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news and great joy that will come to all of you and all people!” The shepherds smiled at each other and little Baba ran to his mother, kicking his heels together as he ran. The angel said, “Listen closely to what I have to say to you, it is very important! Tonight in the town of Bethlehem, a baby was born Who is the Christ, who will save the world from sin. He is the promised Messiah, the Lord!” The shepherds starting asking each other how this could be. Why would the Christ be born in such a small town they wondered. And why would the Lord’s angel appear to them the lowly shepherds? The angel said to them, “You do not need to know all the answers right now, just listen to me. Do what I say and you will understand. You must now follow the brightest of all the stars in the sky. After searching you will find the Baby. The newborn King, will be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manager, among the animals in the stable. You will recognize Him when you see Him.”
Then the angel flew back to the sky and suddenly there was hundreds of angels beside him, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in Heaven and on earth peace among men with Whom He is well pleased, men of good will and in His favor.” After the angels disappeared, the excited shepherds agreed they must follow the star and find the Baby. The shepherds talked among themselves about the journey into Bethlehem. Little Baba quietly slipped away from his mother’s side, so he could listen to what the shepherds were saying. Baba heard the excitement in their voices. They hurried about putting supplies and gifts for the newborn King, on the donkeys. They were deciding which shepherds would stay behind to watch over the flock. “Samuel, you and Benjamin stay here with the flock. Jeremiah, David, Obed, and Michael will lead the donkeys. The rest of you follow behind us. We will follow the star as the angel instructed us, until we find the newborn King. This is indeed the night we have awaited for so long. A night to pay homage to our King!” Baba quietly moved away, so the shepherds would not see him. He quickly ran over behind a tree and waited while the shepherds prepared to leave. He stood real still and was careful to not make a sound. He backed up when one of the shepherds passed by, so he would not be seen. His leg accidentally pushed against a sharp thorn bush and he almost cried out in pain. Instead, he rubbed his leg to make it feel better. Baba had already made a plan as to what he would do, and his excitement bubbled up inside him.
Finally the shepherd passed by and Baba quietly slipped into the shadows far behind them. It was a long walk into Bethlehem and Baba’s little feet were getting tired and sore. Several times he stopped to lick his feet,but he knew he had to hurry, so the shepherds did not get out of his sight. He was sure that he knew that he did not want to get lost, and be left alone in the dark night. As they neared the City, Baba noticed that the big star was standing over an old cattle barn known as a stable. There just above the roof of the stable were the angels he had seen earlier in the field. The strange light that he had seen earlier, when the angels appeared was above the stable. Baba was so excited that he jumped high into the air and clicked his feet together. In his excitement, he forgot about his sore legs and the blisters that covered his feet. But just as he clicked his heels together,the pain was so bad that he lost his balance. Kaboom! He fell on a large rock and hurt his left leg. At that point, Baba no longer cared if the shepherds heard him crying. So he cried, hoping that someone would help him. But the shepherds were not close enough to hear Baba’s cries, so he cried as loud as he could. “Baa..aaaa!, baa..aaa, baa..aa!” Still no one came to his rescue. Baba was so sad, he had come all that way hoping to see the King and now he was all alone and afraid. At last Jonathan heard the familiar cry and ran back to find Baba. “Baba! What a naughty boy! I cannot believe you followed us all this way. Oh, little fellow, you must exhausted.” Then Jonathan noticed Baba’s sore little feet and his injured leg. He gathered Baba up in his strong arms and cradled him close to his chest. Baba snuggled against the warmth of his protector as Jonathan ran to catch up with the other shepherds. As he walked towards the other shepherds they all looked at Baba in amazement. “Baba obviously wanted to see the newborn King too,” Jonathan told them. They all agreed and each one patted Baba’s little head and assured him that he would see the Baby Jesus.
Just a few minutes later, little Baba was allowed to see the most important baby that had ever been born. Baby Jesus lay in a bed, that Baba recognized to be a feeding manager for the animals, that stood in the stalls behind him. He thought this must be a strange place,to put this little Baby sent from God. But he decided it was probably the only bed they could find for Him. The shepherds bowed down in worship, to their newborn King. As Jonathan knelt down, Baba carefully climbed out of his arms. He slowly made his way to the manager,to get a better view. His feet were terribly sore and he limped because of his injured leg. He was oh, so hungry from the long journey. But after coming all this way, he just had to see this baby King. Suddenly,the baby looked at little Baba, and he was sure the baby had smiled at him. It made Baba feel so happy inside, a feeling he had never felt before. He felt loved and protected and wanted to stay with the baby and never leave Him.
Excitement filled little Baba from the top of his head clear down to his feet. But this time, he did not jump up and click his heels together. Instead, he put his face against the baby’s hand. Then he bowed his little legs and head in worship, to Jesus the newborn King!” Tara Hart © 2006 All rights reserved by the author; |