One Small Light: An Original Christmas Story

With Congregational Carols:
"Joy to the World"
"It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
"In the Bleak Midwinter"
"Away In a Manger"
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"
"O Holy Night"

UMH=United Methodist Hymnal

Hymn: "Joy to the World" (UMH 246)

The soft light of the kerosene lamp and the fading gray daylight made reading the framed cross-stitched sampler easy enough, "Every season has its gift for living. The seeds of the present season hold growth and harvest yet to come. May gratitude become a season in us." The electricity had been out most of the day, and the old West Texas farmhouse was warmed by the wood fire. She was glad for the old woodstove and glad that she had gotten there before the storm broke. Grandfather had built the house early in the century; and Grandmother often said, "It's not fancy, but at least we know where it came from." It was that kind of simple prairie wisdom that had sustained Emily. She was mostly raised by this strong woman who had pieced flower sacks together and let the young girl follow along the rows of cotton, pulling with the grown-ups.

Looking at the words on the sampler, Emily wondered what the blessings of this season were. She poured tea from the beautiful bone china pot she had sent home — a gift from England when she studied there. She found tears welling up in her eyes. That saying was so like her German Lutheran grandmother. Seasons were taken in stride and celebrated properly. Unlike the rest of the world, Grandmother refused to celebrate Christmas until it arrived — quite properly on the heels of Advent!

Emily took the family Bible down and began reading the familiar passages, first from Isaiah and then from Luke. Her grandmother's voice lived in the words. When she reached the midpoint between Old and New Testaments, she carefully recorded Grandmother's death date — December 23 — in the pages. She'd come home to take care of the funeral arrangements and the estate. No clear midnight was this, she thought. The storm clouds hugged the earth. In a storm such as this, it would have been hard to hear the glorious song.

Hymn: "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" (UMH 218)

Her thoughts were interrupted by lights on the Farm-To-Market road one-half mile distant. Whoever it was wouldn't be able to see the farmhouse, since a kerosene lamp is just one small light. "Who on earth would be out on a Christmas Eve like this in the middle of nowhere?" she thought. As she watched the car's lights, her mind wandered to a darkened hillside two thousand years ago where some shepherds must also have been more than a bit surprised as they peered into the night — more by what they heard than by what they saw.

Hymn: "Angels We Have Heard on High" (UMH 238)

The car had obviously stalled: its hazard lights splashed the darkness with amber, rhythmic pulses. Emily curled up on the window seat under the beautiful lone star quilt. The lone star was Grandmother's favorite pattern, and she had made many such quilts over the years. The fire was crackling and blazing, but it hadn't taken the chill from Emily's heart. Snow drifted against the windowpane. If there had been rain, she would have heard it pelting against the glass; but snow was so soft and still and bleak.

Hymn: "In the Bleak Midwinter" (UMH 221)

The weather was worsening, and the car lights outside were still blinking. Her cup of tea was cold now, like the snow outside. Who was that in the car? It was late, and there would ordinarily be no traffic on this country road — not on Christmas Eve — and certainly not in a storm like this one. The people in the car must have taken a wrong turn, or perhaps they were seeking a shortcut because they were late on their journey home for the holidays. Pulling on her grandmother's boots, coat, and gloves, Emily walked outside and headed for the old pick-up. The engine turned over easily, and Emily made her way through the snow to the stalled car.

Emily knocked on the window of the car, which was almost covered by the quickly falling snow. The grateful couple left their stranded car and climbed into the pick-up. Once back at the house, they warmed themselves by the roaring fire in the wood stove. "Thank you for coming for us," said the young woman. "It is so cold, and we had no idea where to go." Emily thought how thankful she was that on that first Christmas, Jesus had come for her, too, in a place not so different from this farm.

Hymn: "Away in a Manger" (UMH 217)

Oh, the news this young couple had to share! They were not lost; they were on their way to tell his parents that they were to be married. It was only another hour's journey at the most. He had been raised on a farm near here and knew the roads like the back of his hand. He just hadn't counted on the weather and a faulty car! He so wanted to show his fiancé the little town where he grew up. It was small and insignificant — like that other town where Jesus was born.

Hymn: "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (UMH 230)

Emily was amazed at the joy she felt as she was sharing her memories, and she sensed the presence of the Savior in these strangers. The young woman gazed at the magnificent lone star quilt draped across the window seat. "Christmas really is about light, isn't it?" she said. "When you came to our rescue, it was our light that you saw. It was a star that led the wise men and shepherds to the manger, and we are led to Christ by the light that shines in people — people who take risks such as taking in strangers like us — people like you, Emily."

Emily folded the quilt and handed it to the young woman. "Think of this as a Christmas gift or an early wedding gift," she said. The young woman stepped back. "But it's a family heirloom, and it is so beautiful; and I have nothing to give you!"

"You've nothing to give me? Why, you have already given me a wonderful gift!" The young woman looked puzzled. "You've helped me find the real gift in this season." Emily gestured to the cross-stitch on the wall. "The star in this quilt will remind you that we can all let the light of Christmas shine through us — each one of us … one small light."

Hymn: "O Holy Night"

Copyright © 2006 Karen McIntyre. Used by permission. Published by Discipleship Ministries.

Karen McIntyre is a public school librarian, author, and storyteller in Nashville, Tennessee. She may be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].