The Christmas Cardinal

(Having lived in Africa for about 17 years at one point in my life, I have heard many stories of people who had life-like dreams and visions of seeing and hearing Jesus Christ speak to them. One of those stories is of a young girl kidnapped and left to die in the Sahara. She tells that every night a man in white came to her. He fed her and encouraged her. She was eventually found and survived. I guess she still lives in North Africa somewhere. So this fictional story written in prose form isn't too far of an imaginative stretch.) God bless! cb

Have you heard the story of the Christmas Cardinal?

It’s a story of remembrance and promise,

A story from the depths of wilderness history,

Of one more way that God says, “I love you.”

I met an old man on an island in the swamp,

He told me a story which he had heard as a child.

He had lived deep in the Okefenokee then,

And knew nothing of whites or blacks.

He said that during an ancient time of much suffering,

The People thought they had been forgotten by their Creator.

The suffering seemed to never end.

First drought and fire, then famine came.

Their small tribe seemed on the edge of death’s door,

That cold night as they sat around their fires.

Then He came walking in from out of the midst,

A man wearing white clothes with a gentle face!

He said,” Your cries have been heard, you will survive.

I have come to give you peace.

And tell you that my Father cares,

About you, each and every one.”

“At mornings light in the red flowered bush,

You will see a sign.

A red colored bird,

A sign of the blood I shed long ago for all mankind.”

 “Remember my promise,

 Always look to my Father,

 Let any suffering the world brings,

 Cause your hearts to seek Him.”

“Live in peace in this beauty,

Tell your children of the Father’s Love.

That Someone died for them long, long ago,

So the trail to the Father could be opened for them.”

As He slowly walked away into the midst,

He said, ”Remember the sign, look for the red colored bird.

 Always remember you are not alone,

There is the Promise.”

The old man said that when daylight came,

All the people could clearly see a red colored bird,

Sitting among the green leaves and red flowers of a bush,

And then they saw their fish nets shaking in the nearby waters!

Finally, they had food again!

Each day as they saw the red colored bird,

They would stop, look to heaven,

Then touch their hand to their heart and say “Thank you”.

I told the old man, ”That bird is called a Cardinal.”

The old man just smiled gently and said quietly,

“He is called the Promise bird among my people.

And we look forward to the day, when we will not need him anymore.”

Then he stepped into his dugout,

 Gave a slow shove with his pole,

And seemed to slowly disappear,

 Into the swamp’s morning mist.

I thought long and hard,

About the story he told me.

And realized that God had sent His Son

 In a way they could understand.     

I guess that is what He did for us, also.

When men wrote the story of that night so long ago,

When shepherds gathered and angels sang,

And the Promise Child was born.

                           

Watercolor by Clint Bowman (painted in 2013)

Clint Bowman

Dec. 2015

Merry Christmas!