Once upon a time there was a boy named Matt. He was no different from other boys his age in his day. Every day Matt did his chores: milk the goats, get the water, sweep the roof. And on the Sabbath, the one break in his uneventful life, he would go to the synagogue. Matt was not old enough to join the men, but he was old enough to stand with his mother and intently listen to the men discuss the Torah and the prophets. Matt hoped for the day when he too would stand before the people and read that sacred books, and speak of Moses and the commandments and David and the Messiah.

One morning Matthew awoke. It was the Sabbath! Today there would be no goats except maybe the goat God gave Abraham to sacrifice instead of Isaac. Today there would be no carrying water, but maybe he would hear of water gushing from a rock in the desert. Today there would be no roof to sweep, but maybe he would hear of the roof where Daniel prayed to God. Matt excitedly dressed, and the family went to the synagogue. As they approached the synagogue they separated. Matt's father went into the inner room where the men read the holy books and Matt went with his mother to stand outside the latticework wall that separated the women and children from the men. Matt pulled his mother up close to the lattice wall so he could hear the Scriptures read.

The rabbi was away so a young carpenter read the Scripture. Matt had seen him before but didn't know him well. He looked over at the carpenter's family: a young woman with a small boy clinging to her robe. The face of Mary, the carpenter's wife, seemed to beam with pride as she watched her husband. Her glow seemed to engulf the young boy toddling at her feet. The carpenter opened the Isaiah scroll and read, "Arise shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." "Arise shine!" The words echoed in Matt's head. God says, "Arise shine!" How like the sabbath that was. A day when one would arise and shine. A day that one wakes up happy.

Matt had been so intent on these two words that he missed the rest of the reading. Joseph rolled up the scroll and sat down. Then he spoke in slow measured words. It was obvious he was not used to doing this. He was not the Rabbi, but Matt listened anyway. Joseph spoke of the Messiah. The word seemed to sing. "Messiah!" He spoke of how the rabbis say the Messiah's coming will be a bright day and what a great event it would be. Then Joseph said, "But." The word echoed. After a long nervous pause he continued, "Maybe the Messiah's coming will not be such a big event. Maybe he will come quietly." There was some mumbling among the men. "Maybe some will miss his coming." The mumbling grew. Matt noticed that Joseph was looking toward his wife. But Joseph was not looking at Mary. He was smiling and staring at the boy toddling at her feet.

The Sabbath came and went. Sunday morning arrived. There would be no arising and shinning today. There would be no goats caught in thickets or water gushing from rocks or prophesies about Messiah. It was milk the goats, fetch the water, sweep the roof. The water was first. So Matt took the large jars and made his way to the well outside of town.

He slowly lowered the bucket into the well to draw the water. Matt didn't hear the camels approach. He wouldn't have known they were there if he hadn't overheard the word "Messiah." He quickly turned and saw three finely dressed men on camels. They were speaking Greek or something, but he picked out a few words like, "Messiah," "Bethlehem," and "Herod." Matt noticed that they were looking off to the horizon. Then one of the men pointed as he spoke and Matt turned to look. A light. Like a star! But it was daylight. Stars don't shine in the daylight. It moved for a moment, but then it stopped. Right over the carpenter's house? He had never seen anything like it. A star in the daylight!