A Story

Once there was this guy, his name was Joe. Joe was engaged to be married to this chick called Mary. Maybe they were crazy about each other and maybe they just thought it was a good idea. Heck, maybe it was their parents' idea. So there they were, this couple who weren't allowed to talk to one another in private, giving each other long glances on the street and wondering what it would be like when they cleaved onto each other and became one.

Well one day Joe hears this rumor that this girl, his girl, has already cleaved onto someone else and she's going to have a baby.

Now Joe was a decent fellow but he had his pride. He was not going to marry this girl when the whole town could see her belly sticking out. Sure some of them would think it was his kid but some wouldn't. He had to stop this marriage. But at the same time he didn't want to hurt her. Who knew how this had happened. Maybe she got swept away with passion or just maybe some guy hurt her and made her pregnant.

With a heavy heart Joe starts making arrangements to set her aside.

But then something completely unexpected happens. He gets a visit. This wasn't a visit from the Avon lady or the Mormons, this was a visit from an angel of the Lord. Mind you angels of the Lord don't usually come bopping to your door, grooving on a tune on their iPods, and this angel wasn't much different. This angel came to Joe in a dream.

In the dream the angel looked at him and said, "Joe, you're all right. You're a standup guy. But you're about to make a big mistake."

Joe crossed his arms and looked at this guy. The angel looked a lot like Elvis, not that young hot hip swiveling Elvis either, the old fat beat up Elvis. He didn't look like the kind of fellow you would go to for advice. But Joe was nothing if not polite. He smiled and said, "Do tell."

"Oh sure," said the angel. "You see that little girl out there, she hasn't done anything wrong. She's on the Lord's business and she's doing something big and brave that's going to break both you all's hearts in the long run."

Joe didn't take too kindly to hearing that, no man wants to hear he and his pretty little wife to be have some heartbreak coming on down the road, but he kept his temper. He knew when the Lord calls you why then you've better be prepared to hoe a long row.

"Can you tell me more?" he asks.

"A little," says the angel. "She's going to give birth to a boy, a son, a son conceived by the Holy Spirit."

Joe wasn't sure what this mean exactly, but he kept right on listening.

"You see, there's a prophecy and this man child is going to fulfill that prophecy. You remember that old story about the virgin having the baby and they shall call him Emmanuel? This is it, the time is now and you'll be that baby's stepfather. Guide him wisely."

Then Joe woke up with a start, with his heart pounding and his mind racing, thinking of all the wonderful and terrible things that were coming ahead, wondering if he and Mary and most of all the baby would be strong enough for all of it.

In the morning he took Mary home and they waited and sure enough she had a boy child and they named him Jesus. He went on to have many strange and wonderful adventures, but those are stories for another day.