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NOTE: As i indicated last week, i am posting a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.
Each of the four stories is an adolescent’s eyewitness account of the circumstances surrounding the advent of Jesus. The last three eyewitnesses are fictional and represent the many who would have been present at the advent of Jesus, but are not named in Scripture. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find that the truth they reveal is very REAL!
To that end, this week we will hear from Salome, a young neighbor who befriends Mary.
Part 1 as told by Isaac, the son of Abraham (November 29th)
Part 2 as told by Salome, the friend of Mary (This week - December 6th)
Part 3 as told by Yanzu, the servant of Balthazar (December 13th)
Part 4 as told by Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon (December 20th)
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My name is Salome and I live in the town of Nazareth. It’s not a very big town, so everybody knows everybody else. My family lives next door to Joseph the carpenter and his young wife, Mary. She is five years older than I am, and I have known her all of my life. When I was younger, she often helped my mother take care of me and I have always looked up to her like a big sister.
Eight months ago, Mary’s father decided she would marry Joseph. He is a lot older than she is, but they seemed very happy. So, I was glad when Mary’s father told the whole town that Mary and Joseph would be getting married next year.
But four months later, their plans quickly changed. Joseph said they were getting married right then, and Mary went to live in his home as his wife. That night I heard my parents quietly talking about them. And I heard my mother say to my father, “Mary must be at least three months’ pregnant. She has always been such a good girl. What has happened?”
The next morning, I heard some of our neighbors also talking about Mary and Joseph, saying they had done something wrong. “Mary is going to have a baby!” I thought. “What could be wrong about that? Why are people talking about her like she’s done something bad?” Since Joseph was at work and Mary was home alone, I decided to go see her.
I could tell Mary had been crying. I walked up to her and gave her a hug. “Mary, I am so happy about your news!”
“What news have you heard, Salome?” Mary asked.
“That you are going to have a baby!”
“What else have you heard?” she asked.
“People are saying you and Joseph have done something bad,” I said softly.
Mary looked sad as she told me, “My father, Joseph, and I told the rabbi and our other town leaders what has happened, but they don’t believe us. They think we are making up the story and that we have done something wrong. But we haven’t! We’ve told the truth – and it is news that everyone in town should be happy about.”
“What news?” I asked.
“One day, soon after our engagement was announced, I was out taking a walk,” Mary said. “Suddenly, an angel stood in front of me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary, because God is pleased with you. Listen! You will become pregnant. You will give birth to a Son, and you will name Him Jesus.’(1) But I asked him, ‘How can I have a baby? I am a virgin.’(2) The angel told me, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. The baby will be holy. He will be called the Son of God.’(3)
“At the same time, the angel told me my cousin Elizabeth, who is very old, was also expecting a baby. So, I went to see her. When I got to her house, she knew right away that I was expecting a child and that He is the Son of God. Her child was chosen by God to tell the world about the Son I am carrying.
“After I returned home, that same angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him we were to go ahead with our marriage. The angel told Joseph that the child inside me is the answer to the Scripture that says a pure woman will have a child who will save His people from their sins.
“But the angel did not tell us that many of our friends and neighbors wouldn’t believe us.”
“Well, I believe you, Mary,” I said. “I know that you are telling the truth! I know you, and I know that you would not make up this story. You are special to God. Please don’t be sad because of what others think and say. Be happy because of what God has given you!”
“Salome, my little friend,” Mary said, “God brought you here to see me today. Just as He encouraged me through my cousin Elizabeth, He has encouraged me through you!”
When I got home, I told my parents about my talk with Mary. At first, they didn’t know what to think. It sounded like something I made up. But, they also knew Mary and Joseph always told the truth. So, my parents believed them, too.
I started helping Mary with chores around her house whenever I had free time. Mary told me that my being with her cheered her up even more than the work I did. My mother told me that God placed me in Mary’s life to be her friend when she needed a good friend.
A few weeks later, my parents told me we had to go to the city where my great-grandparents were born so we could be counted by our leaders. My family and I were headed to Hebron. Joseph and Mary would be going to Bethlehem. I was sad the day we all left home, but I knew God would give Mary another special friend to cheer her up along the way.
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About Salome
Salome is not in the Bible. She was made up for this story. Mary would have been well liked in her village before the people learned that she was expecting a baby. Because she and Joseph had not yet finalized their marriage, there would have been neighbors who did not understand that her baby was the Son of God. Some of those neighbors would have treated Mary badly. But there were some, like Salome, who would have continued to be her friend.
You can read about the day the angel told Mary she would become pregnant with Jesus in Luke 1:26-38 in the Bible.
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This story is taken from Not Too Little To Know, a collection of ten illustrated short stories written for ages 8 and up for the Advent season. The book is available through Amazon in hard cover, paperback, and for Kindle or Kindle app. It is also available as an audiobook. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain a copy.
(1) Luke 1:30-31 (ICB)
(2) Luke 1:34
(3) Luke 1:35 (ICB)
Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock