December 24, 2013
David Hobbs
LDM for Camping & Christian Formation
The Gentle Love of Christmas is All Around Us—
What I Learned from a Stable!
It is in the midst of life that God teaches us so much about Himself. In fact it’s these daily
stories that are created by our lives that give each of us strength and hope. I shared one of
these personal stories with you a few years back, one that shared with me the beauty of
Christmas in a very special way. This Christmas I share it again with you and I hope that you’re
able to share your precious God given stories with those people around you as you celebrate
Jesus’s birth.
During the hope and wonder of this Christmas season, I don’t think about stores filled with toys
and gifts; I think of a little stable filled only with livestock and a humble family looking over a
broken little manger filled with a crying baby. I find great comfort in knowing that the Emmanuel
(God with us) was first glimpsed, not by royalty or the wise men, but most likely by a few cattle
and sheep, and by humble shepherds who took care of them. To know that God loved us so
much, that He would send Himself into this dire, sinful world tells me of His unfailing love for us.
Some say that God does not understand our suffering, and our hardships—I disagree—that little
baby boy born two thousand years ago in a stable, tells me and shows me just how much He
did understand! Our God realized how helpless we were (and still are), and because of that, He
did what any loving Father would do, He came Himself to save us—how wonderful is that!!
God’s love is an active love and we must never forget that it is still working today through that
little baby, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Today, as we come nearer to the wonderful time
of our Savior’s birth, let us not forget that the wondrous love of God through a little baby born in
a manger is still here today—and we still need it today.
Usually, I would have an article that would talk about a few theological points from the Bible (I
think this one does also), but today I would like to share with you a story that I remember from
my youth on the farm. It was always during Christmas time that our first little baby calves were
born in an old wooden barn. As a youngster that barn always reminded me of a stable where
our Savior was born. That barn showed me my first glimpses of love and caring. Today, I
would like to share one of these stories. Though my memory is a bit cloudy (I can’t remember
the exact time and details, and my memories run together at times), I will try to draw upon the
memories as close as I remember—here goes:
As the dawn retreated, the snow slowly melted down the bent, red gate and I was able to find a
good spot to gaze slowly onto the activities in the darkened southern Iowa barn. On this cold
wintry day, I realized that I was witnessing what I had known best, yet without anyone noticing
david.hobbs@iaumc.org • P: 515.974.8913 • F: 515.974.8963 • www.iaumc.org
December 24, 2013
my presence. Wearing my tattered brown coveralls, I knelt down, viewing the beauty of new life
on a farm. In front of me was new baby calf—a red newborn calf, which had been born the
night before.
Sitting next to that young calf was my father, with his chapped hands holding tight to the laying
calf, as the protective mama cow, slowly, but trustfully watched my father. With a warm smile
on his tired, weathered face I saw an anxious look that I had not seen for a long time on dad’s
face. As his gentle hands slowly lifted the young calf I noticed why my father’s face was
troubled on that early February morning. Something was wrong with the calf’s front legs. They
were slightly twisted under, due to a birth defect that I had never seen before. As my father
slowly and tenderly nudged the calf toward its mother, I noticed that it painfully bawled as it took
each step. Without hesitation, father carefully picked up the day old calf and took it to its
mother’s side. Gently holding the calf’s head, my father carefully tried to get the young calf to
nurse at its mother’s side. As he slowly tried to nurse, the weakness and pain in the calf’s legs
became more apparent and by the look in my father’s saddened eyes I could see that his many
hours of work were not fruitful. Slowly hiding myself, I could see my father carefully pick up the
calf and lay it upon a cushion of warm straw. Dad took the straw and covered the tiny calf from
head to toe and carefully patted and caressed this new life. Slowly arising, dad warmly looked
at the young calf and spoke in a soft voice saying, “I’ll be back to take care of you little guy, you
take care.” As usual, my father kept his word.
Every evening after chores I would sneak to watch my quiet father take care of this wonderful
calf. Early in the morning dad fed him and then rubbed the calf’s entire body with his warm
hands, and every evening he gave him medicine and made sure that the new, clean straw
would keep the young calf warm at night. For two wonderful weeks, the young calf attentively
kept watch for my father, knowing that my dad would come to the barn, and dad always did with
warmth and love. I remember the day when my father realized that this little calf was getting
sicker and might not make it, even with dad’s busyness the whole day was planned around that
little calf. Dad was still able to feed the little calf and rub the calf’s whole body with warm, gentle
hands. What a very quiet and somber time it was when the young calf had no more strength to
give, and like so many other times we saw a wonderful bit of God’s creation leave us. I still
remember the love of my father as he held the calf in his arms and buried the much too young
calf on a hill in the back pasture. Sadness indwelled all of us, and for me it was very hard, but
for the first time I started to realize the importance of faith and what it meant.
This simple act of showing love and care had a significant impact on my faith. I finally started to
realize that God’s precious love could be shown through all of us, to all of God’s creation. As
with all of our personal stories there are ways that God touches our souls and allows us to see
the true preciousness of life and love on this earth. In this wonderful time of year through
celebrating the birth of our Savior, I hope you can look at your life stories to see where God has
brought you closer to Him. Sometimes we need to just take time with Him, a quiet time that
beholds the manger again, a time that offers solace and healing to our often busy hearts. May
your Christmas be blessed this year, and may you, like Mary, ponder again that precious event
that happened over two thousand years ago in that old livestock stable, and may we open our
hearts to receive it anew again. Christmas Blessings to all of you.
david.hobbs@iaumc.org • P: 515.974.8913 • F: 515.974.8963 • www.iaumc.org