Delivery Suite

He-who-must-be-obeyed, Augustus Caesar, announces the Big Count-up. He wants accurate population stats across the Roman Empire at the time of Quirinius, governor of Syria. Everyone's expected to trek back to their family home town for registration.

So Joe Davidson sets off on the 129 KM (80 mile) trip south from Nazareth, County Galilee, to Bethlehem (aka Davidsontown), County Judah. He takes his fiancée, Mary, who's pregnant and showing.

They arrive and realize someone else is about to show! Her waters break. Crisis! ‘No Vanancies’ signs in every B and B window. Decision. Joe delivers the baby boy in a shed full of livestock. She wraps strips of cloth round the baby and uses the animals’ food trough as a cot.

Around the same time another angel gets his work chit: ‘Destination: hillside near Bethlehem. Contact: sheep security team. Message: the Liberator’s arrived – he’ll be in a feeding trough. Personnel: whole heavenly army squadron plus choir.’ Once the guys recover from the shock of the laser-show announcement they check it out. Sure enough, they find the baby in a makeshift cot. The next days all the pubs echo with Liberator talk.

The Street Bible – Rob Lacey

Nativity – St. Margaret’s Church


Nativity Blip 2
Nativity Blip 1