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Advent Devotional from Rev. DC Sills


In my primary job as a hospice chaplain, I have the honor of hearing people’s stories. During a recent visit, a patient told me the story of a goose and a pig that he had when he was a boy. The goose and pig would follow him everywhere and each day when he caught the school bus, the goose and pig would walk with him and wait on the bus beside him. He would get on the bus and the goose and pig would turn and walk back down the driveway. Then when he came home from school, there at the end of the driveway were the goose and pig patiently waiting for him. He said he was always amazed how they seemed to know when the bus would return, and it made him feel loved and special knowing that they would be there without fail. In thinking about what the Advent season means, this story came to mind because it expresses Advent in a beautiful way. A period of waiting for OUR special person to come back, we return each year without fail to patiently wait at the manger. Our wait leaves us also feeling special because we know that while we anticipate the birth of Christ, we KNOW that Christ is always there for us because each and every one of us is that SPECIAL to the Baby King we await!


Just as that goose and pig accompanying a young boy to and from the school bus each day was an unexpected sight, the birth of Jesus was equally unexpected. The people waited for a King to save them, the promised Savior, but no one expected a brown skinned baby born in a stable. Mary and Joseph trekked to Bethlehem only to find that they were not welcome, and there was no place to lay their heads. No goose or pig there waiting to welcome them home. Unexpected and traumatic, to say the least. Advent always reminds me to look for the unexpected, for it is often in those moments that we find blessings and miracles in the chaos of life. 


In my role as a chaplain, I get to hear other people’s stories, but in my role as a singer-songwriter, I get to TELL other people’s stories and make up a few of my own. One story that I have told through song is Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem but told from perhaps an unexpected point of view. The song is told from the donkey’s point of view. The refrain of the song says, “You don’t even know my name, but without me, the story would never be the same.” We ALL have an important role to play in this world, even if we often are not aware. We might be the person that brings someone light, simply by being ourselves. We might be a comfort to someone, simply by being present. We might be a goose or pig that unexpectedly brings someone hope and makes them feel loved, simply by showing up. We might be the donkey that carries someone to their destination, simply doing what we were created to do. Advent is the season for us to take a pause and look around for those unexpected blessings in our own lives and be thankful for them! When you find your unexpected blessings, acknowledge them! Because no one may ever know your name, but without you, the story would never be the same!


 

Never Be the Same

 © dcsmusic  


I’ve been walking through this desert

Not knowing where I’m bound

Following a man

From town to town

I got a lady on my back

She’s got a baby on her mind 

We’ve got to find a place to rest

While there’s still time


Refrain

You don’t even know my name

But without me the story would never be the same

The lady shifts in her seat

And says we’ve gotta stop soon

The man shakes his head

And says honey there no rooms

The pains are coming fasterS

he says it won’t be long

And I curse this desert and the king

That made us flee our homes

 

Refrain

There’s a light up in the distance

We’re hopeful it’s an inn

I say a silent prayer

That this will be our journey’s end

The man runs ahead

But comes back with his head bowed

Then I realize

It’s all up to me now

 

Refrain

So I walk right past the man

And take the lady with me

When he catches up

He shakes his head in disbelief

As I walk into the stable

All safe & warm with hay

Just as the sun dips down

And night replaces day

 


Refrain

As the stars come out

There’s one that brightly shines

Right above this stable

A sign for all mankind

That here in this manger

On this night was born King

And I got watched it all

And hear the Angels sing

 

Refrain

Now as you wander through

This crazy life of yours

You may think you’re insignificant

But this one thing’s for sure

Life is just a story

Played out on God’s stage

And without you

It wouldn’t be the same.


Refrain

No one may ever know your name

But without you the story

Would never be the same

You don’t even know my name

But without me the story 

Would never be the same

Without me the story would never be the same

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