I was listening to a guy teaching on the radio the other day.  He describe
our Lord's earthly birth.  He tried making it sound like a dirty old barn.
Some things he said weren't even in the Bible but he was preaching, you
understand, so that gave him Biblical license I guess.  Anyhow, I dug up my
message I posted on this subject before and thought it worth repeating right
now.  This sounds more like Jesus to me.

Phil.

     Bill Rice has been dead for many years.  He was a cowboy
early on in his life.  He later went into ministry work.  When he
died, he owned a 1500 acre ranch out east in one of the Carolinas,
as I recall, but his full time ministry had turned into a ministry
for the deaf.  Every summer, about 1500 deaf people came to his
ranch and would spend two or three weeks on the ranch.  They rode
horses, camped out, sat around huge bond fires, and those trained
in sign language would translate everything, including the Bible
studies they had, and the preaching services.

     Bill went to the Bible lands once, maybe more than once, but
this one time I know about, he said, during an off time, he asked
the guide to take him to a place that he, the guide, thought was
like where Jesus was born.  The guide explained to him that
throughout Palestine, especially in those days, they didn't need
stables or barns because of all the thousands of small caves.  Of
course, many were buried in such caves.  Anybody come to mind
right off you can think of?  Jesus for example?  Anyhow, before
speaking on this same topic today at church, I read through the
Christmas stories, so called, and realizing I didn't see the word
"stable" in the stories, I did a computer search.  I was positive
I had read the word "stable" in the birth of Jesus passages of
Scriptures.  Guess what?  The word isn't even in the Gospels.
Yes, it says he was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a
manger, but it says nothing about a barn or a stable.

     Bill rice said the guide took him to a cave which had been
used once as a stable for farm animals.  The cave was empty at the
time so Bill asked the man if it was ok for him to go inside.  The
guide said that there was no light but he was welcome to enter.
Bill said when he stepped inside, the smell nearly knocked him
out.  This coming from a cowboy who was used to being around such
smells.  Secondly, Bill said that the manure he stepped into came
nearly to his boot tops.  the entire cave was this way.  He moved
around and examined the manger that was there.  He stood in this
cave and realized for the first time in his life, this was the
true humble birth of the God of the universe.  He said it changed
his life just thinking about it.  It has changed my life since I
heard this story.  I trust it will change your thoughts about
Christmas and who Jesus really is.  Think of it.  If this was like
the place Jesus was born, he was born in a cave, was buried in a
cave, and rose again from a cave.  Go Jesus.  Show 'em.

Phil.