Uncle Floyd and Barabas are expecting an important guest tonight. 

Frank Heffelfinger should arrive at the airport in Baltimore by 3:00pm this afternoon from CA. See Frank 2500 miles away over there with Captain Hale on the windowsill?  That is the LAX airport.

Barabas and Uncle Floyd will need to leave for BWI in Baltimore as soon as church is finished this morning. 

Uncle Floyd’s house is not so big, so Frank, that is Barabas’s father, will need to sleep in Barabas’s bed and Barabas will sleep on the floor in his sleeping bag.  He will put it over here.  Barabas likes to sleep in his sleeping bag on the floor.  It feels like camping.

This will be the first time Barabas can remember seeing his real father.  That’s because of a lot of things, but this afternoon WILL BE the time to see him.  And his real father will be sleeping right here tonight!  Barabas gave a quick look around his room to make sure all was in order before leaving for church.

“I wonder if he will like me.” thought Barabas as he straightened up his bed one last time.  “I like the sleeping bag he gave me!”

Now, you may (or may not) remember that I started this story saying that Uncle Floyd and Barabas are “expecting an important guest tonight”.  And then I got sidetracked and told you about Frank Heffelfinger, not that Barabas meeting his father is NOT important, but there is a much more important guest expected at Barabas’s house tonight.

In fact, I think this guest is expected in YOUR house and MY house tonight also. 

There certainly has been much preparation for this guest to come.  We have baked cookies, and wrapped gifts and brought a TREE into our house!  We have mailed greetings to our friends.  We even get days off school and work to especially have time to prepare for his coming.

Here, in a manger in Bethlehem, there are just cows and donkeys and other farm animals.  And a box full of hay to eat.  Did the cows and donkeys know who was coming?  Did they bake cookies and send out greetings to the oxen across the little town of Bethlehem or way up in Jerusalem? 

I suppose that very FIRST Christmas, the getting ready was much different from ours.  And yet then, like now, the getting ready was mostly the work of God.  God spent a LONG time getting ready then, in fact, God spent at the least several thousand YEARS getting ready. 

God needed to bring to an end the first, in order to establish the second.  That means that God had a plan with two parts.  The part BEFORE Jesus was born and the part NOW that Jesus is already born.  God’s plan for our Salvation was revealed in the Birth of His Son, Jesus.    (Hold up Christ figure)

“I reckon it’s time.” called Uncle Floyd.     “Oh boy!” said Barabas.

“Buckle up.” Said Captain Hale.            “Oh boy!” said Frank.

(Place figure in manger, then reconsider) 

Oops! It’s not time yet! 

I’ll make room for this important guest in this box of hay tonight.   And I pray that God will help you and I make room in our hearts as well.                 

THE END

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