The 10th Song of Christmas

One Quiet Moment
Written by Bob Kauflin

One quiet moment, on a star–clustered night,
Two weary travelers knew an end was in sight;
So the soon to be mother, grasped her husband’s strong hand,
And paused to remember where the journey began.
Nine months of yearning filled with joy and with pain;
He almost had left her, but then chose to remain
Close by the woman he had not even kissed,
Who would bear him a son that would never be his.

And in one quiet moment, a woman and man
Accepted the part they would have in God’s plan;
To give up His glory, and be born as a man.
In one quiet moment. . .

They dreamed of the days they would spend with their son,
Taking walks through the hillsides and watching Him run.
And some days the fingers that had fashioned the stars,
Would reach out to hold them when the walk was too far.
They wrestled with knowing that His life would bring change;
Friends would grow distant, and shun them as strange.
Though they tried not to think it, in their hearts they were sure,
That their baby was destined to die for the world.

And in one quiet moment, a woman and man
Accepted the part they would have in God’s plan;
To give up His glory, and be born as a man.
In one quiet moment. . .

One quiet moment they could suddenly hear
Thousands of angels singing so clear;
“Glory to God, His Salvation is near !”
In one quiet moment . . .
In this one quiet moment . . .
One quiet moment.
_______________________________

It only takes one single solitary second to make such a huge difference. In just a split second, one choice can mean life or death. In the blink of an eye, any particular decision could change the course of history, decide the fate of nations, or transform the rest of your life forever.

Take Joseph and Mary. “Wait a minute”, you say, “God chose to use them, not the other way around!” Quite true, but just as from the beginning of time, God never made a single soul do what He asked. He has always left it up to man’s own free will…just ask Adam and Eve. Joseph could have said “NO!”, and he almost did. Look for a moment at Matthew 1:18-19.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly

.There he is, Joseph, a righteous man, a compassionate man, a principled man, and a man who obviously loved his bride to be with all his heart. What was he to do? His fiancée was pregnant…and it wasn’t his baby. His spirit must have been dashed, his soul must have been crushed, and his heart must have felt like someone ripped it from his chest and stomped on it. Yet his integrity was intact. What he was considering he wanted to do quietly, not only to spare her the embarrassment, but also her life. Adultery in those days was punishable by death. So he must have agonized over this one decision long and hard.

But after a visit from an angel, Joseph and Mary both made a choice that would alter the course of eternity! Let’s look again, just a few verses later:

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:24-25

They didn’t know what lay ahead but they chose to be obedient. They chose to become a part of God’s master plan. And as a result, they got to hold Emmanuel in their arms, they got to hear the mighty choir of heaven sing, and they looked into the face of God.

How do you fit into the plan? Decide to be obedient. Come on, it only takes a moment – and it will be an adventure that lasts forever!