Witness to the Nativity
Area writers create Christmas stories based on unique guidelines
Heart of America Christian Writers Network recently gave its members an assignment. They were tasked with creating a “Witness To the Nativity” story around Luke 2:1-20. Requirements were to “imagine the emotions, conversations, and details that are not explicitly stated, helping us understand God’s truth and the potential human response more effectively.” They were also given a list of potential characters to work with.
Below are the instructions they were provided and then the finished stories.
Step 1: Number off and Review Scriptural Foundation – Luke 2:1–20 (NIV)
1 In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Step 2: What we are going to do: Holy Imagination and the Jewish Tradition of Midrash
In Jewish tradition, the act of using creative reflection to explore the deeper meaning of Scripture is known as *Midrash*. It invites writers to imagine the emotions, conversations, and details that are not explicitly stated, helping us understand God’s truth and the potential human response more effectively. Christians often refer to this practice as *holy imagination*—the sacred use of storytelling to step into a biblical moment while maintaining reverence for its truth. Note: We are NOT rewriting the Bible.
When we write through holy imagination, we do not alter Scripture; instead, we illuminate it. We explore the possible thoughts and perspectives of those who might have witnessed the significant events of Jesus’ birth, seeking to understand what it might have felt like to be there. In this exercise, you will become a witness to the birth of Christ through one of these imagined voices.
Step 3: Potential Characters – ‘Witness to the Nativity’
- The Innkeeper’s Wife: Made room in the stable/ brought blankets to the young mother.
- A Bethlehem Midwife: Experienced and tender, she helps deliver a child unlike any other.
- A Young Shepherd Boy: Wide-eyed and amazed by the angels’ song.
- A Shepherd’s Wife: Waiting at home for her husband to return from the fields; not ready to hear a miraculous story.
- A Market Woman: Sees the weary travelers and wonders about them later that night.
- A Weaver or Cloth Merchant: Sold Mary the swaddling cloth, unaware of their sacred purpose.
- A Stable Boy: Quietly caring for the animals and seeing holiness in the humble.
- A Roman Soldier: Enforcing the census. Drawn to a strange peace in the air.
- A Neighbor Near the Stable: Woken by a newborn’s cry and filled with wonder.
- Dove in the Rafters: Sensing heaven touching earth.
- An Ox: Silent witness to the holy birth, offering warmth and presence.
- The Donkey: Tired from carrying Mary
- A Shepherd Who Doubts: Afraid to believe in the angels’ message until he sees for himself.
- The Farmer Whose Field Hosted the Angels: Shocked to find heaven’s glory over his pasture.
- An Elder of Bethlehem: Remembering Isaiah’s prophecies as he hears the news.
- The Star (Personified): The one chosen to shine brightly and guide seekers to the Light of the World.
- A Pilgrim Passing Through Bethlehem: Hearing whispers of a miracle on his journey home.
Here are the results of the writing effort
Inn Keeper’s Wife
by Chuck Mikkelsen
“Hey Betty, we’ve got a young couple who need a place to stay.”
“But George, we don’t have any room.”
“I told them they could stay in the stable. Oh, by the way, the woman is expecting and going into labor.”
“George, you are impossible!”
Betty ran around and grabbed several blankets. She came back down with her arms full.
“Betty, can I…”
“Out of my way, George!” She ran out to the stable and made a bed for Mary, making the manager as comfortable as she could. Then she introduced herself. “I’m Betty. I can see there’s no time to talk, but let me know if you need anything, anything at all.”
Weaver or cloth merchant who sold Mary the swaddling cloth
by Alice Zvacek
The sweet lady approached me at the bazaar. Her belly was heavy with child. “I would like some of your beautiful cloth.”
I handed her the piece that showed my best weaving. “It is exquisite. Perfect for swaddling clothes.” The joy lit her face. “How much is it?
I could tell she had little money. “It is yours.” (Why did I say that?) “The joy on your face is payment enough.”
Where were these words coming from, I thought.
She took the cloth and gave me a hug. The baby jumped in her belly. I knew immediately that goodness had touched me.
A Stable Boy
by Zeta Davidson
“Something’s different here tonight. I can feel it in the air. Oh well, I’ll just go about my business—caring for these 2 horses, 2 cows, and the goat. The kittens always jump from hay pile to hay pile so the horse, “Beauty” as I’ve named her, has to swish her tail, not to keep away the flittering flies, but to allow the kitties, grey, black, and whit, to know who is the boss of this barn.
Oh no, nobody ever comes in here at night. Why is that barn door being opened? The light is shining in…
I’ll peek around this pole to see what I can see. Oh, it’s a very young, pregnant woman with a man holding her carefully. Why would they be here? Oh, they are going over by that trough. Oh, the man is helping that young woman lie down. He put down his robe on the floor for her comfort.
Not a moo from either of the cows, nor a blast from my favorite sheep. That man is so gentle with the pregnant young woman. I wonder if he’s her husband or her father (he is older).
Oh, the girl is moaning. She has something in her arms. WOW, it’s a baby! There’s a bright halo around the baby’s head. He is so still. I wonder if I can be of any help? If I quietly tiptoe over with these rags I found in the stall, they might have some use. My momma wrapped some around my baby sister when I peeked in when she was born.
A Centurian Finds Christmas
by Caroline Cooper
The census was no fun. I already had to put up with the strange traditions and religious holidays of the Jewish people. Why did Rome even care about this backwater village? The census brought the town to overflowing.
As I walked through the crowds trying to keep people moving along, I noticed a small group of shepherds walking quickly down the street. What were they doing in town? Some of them even carried sheep on their shoulders.
I followed them through the crowded streets of Bethlehem when suddenly, they stopped. They huddled together, pointing to a cave structure behind what appeared to be an inn where people were hauling bags and children into the home. Something was going on here. The shepherds made their way behind the inn where a strange light illuminated the scene. I looked up to see a star filling the heavens and shining brightly. Looking back at the stable, I saw that the shepherds had dropped to their knees.
And then I saw them: a worn-out traveler standing by a weary woman resting on the straw. She held a newborn baby in her arms. I couldn’t make sense of the feeling that came over me and I, too, fell to my knees.
A Neighbor Near the Stable
by Marnie Evans
I settled in bed under worn blankets as was customary every winter. Just before falling into a deep sleep, I heard a baby cry, distinctly human, not the usual sounds of goats or sheep from the barn.
While considering investigating, I heard a choir of angels singing, ‘Silent Night, a child is born.’ Along with singing, a star of such brilliance lit both sky and land. My heart was filled with joy and a feeling of new hope for the world.
Dove in the Rafters
by Cindy Hixson
“Hey”, said David the dove. “What’s going on down there? He peeked out of his nest and saw a woman crying out in pain as the labor overtook her, and a baby boy was born. The lady was so happy she had to sing, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
David thought back to his ancestors, the doves that let Noah and his family know that the flood waters had receded and it was safe to leave the ark.
David watched the celebration of the baby’s birth. Why was he chosen to witness such an event? A sense of awe and wonder enveloped him.
“What a holy night, “he whispered. “The stars are brightly shining.” He continued, “It is the night of the Savior’s birth.” Heaven came down, and glory filled his soul.
The Shepherd’s Wife
by RJ Thesman
He’s late again! Joash, my husband who is devoted to his flock. More devoted to those smelly masses of wool than he is to me. Otherwise, he would be here now, sipping the lentil soup I worked on all day and the bread I flavored with fresh sage. Our tiny home carries the aromas but also the anger stirring in my soul.
Ah — finally! I hear a stirring in the yard. Joash will wash his hands and shake off the dust of the fields before he enters. I have trained him to do so.
“And there you are,” I speak, knowing my tone is harsh. “Did you have to kill a lion tonight or strike down a giant like that other shepherd of long ago?”
But Joash does not answer. A strange look on his face almost silences me.
“What? Your face . . . you look . . . I don’t know . . . . Have you seen a spirit? What is your excuse for coming home at this late hour?”
Joash slowly unbuckles his sandals and steps into the basin of water to clean off any filth. I toss him a linen. He dries his feet, careful to reach inside his toes. Why is he so infernally slow about everything tonight?
Then he whispers, “We saw him. The Messiah.”
“What? The Messiah came out to your field?”
Joash takes my hand and guides me toward the table where we sit. Then he proceeds to tell me about a chorus of angels, about the band of shepherds directed toward a Bethlehem inn, about a tiny baby with a young mother and an exhausted father, about how awed everyone felt as they observed the young family.
“So . . . you’re telling me that you left the flock to go see a poor couple and their newborn child? That you and your friends worshipped at the baby’s feet? And this is the Messiah we have waited for?
“Joash, eat your soup and the bread. I don’t know where you managed to buy some wine and drink yourself into this story, but you’d better get a good night’s sleep and go back to work tomorrow.”
I tear off a piece of the bread and stuff it into my mouth, then turn toward the fire to stir the soup. Messiah, indeed! A baby! What a ridiculous story!
