I have always remembered a story that Andy Griffith told about a man who was to be visited by his Lord and I have put my spin on the story that he told, because I love the story so much. Recently I have thought so much about the story because of all the posts about angels among us. Even though it's a Christmas story here's my take on and the story.

                                                                           Angels among us

There once was a young Wood Carver in the old country that had an amazing talent. His wood carvings of Jesus on the cross were sought by many of the small town parishes for their altar and he would also carve the Nativity scene for them as well. Once he had carved Jesus on the cross and the Nativity scenes for all of the local churches he had to find other means of making a living so he became a cobbler and made shoes for many of the towns surrounding his shop. As time went on, the Wood Carver and cobbler grew old and he had not carved Jesus on the Cross or the Nativity in many years but one of the local parishes church had burned and their Jesus on the Cross for their altar had perished along with the Nativity that he had also carved years earlier. He, of course, at first was overjoyed to do it again as it made him feel useful. He had received many letters from all of the parishioners on how much they had loved his carvings. He had carved every one and had everything done except for the baby Jesus and Jesus on the Cross. He just could not seem to get started, even though he'd picked up his chisel and hammer over 100 times, he just could not do it. He had the Body of Christ on the Cross and all he needed to do was finish the face so he picked up the hammer and chisel one more time and drew back but fell to his knees crying out “Oh Lord, I cannot see your face anymore. I have grown old and my memory has failed me. I need to see you again. I need to be able to carve your face so that people can see their Savior. Please Lord, let me look upon your face once more so that I can leave the people something that will warm their hearts at Christmas time and when they pray before you”.

The Wood Carver and cobbler could not believe his ears. He heard a voice that said to him “my son, I shall visit you on Christmas Eve and you will finish. You will see me once again and you will be filled with My spirit that will make you capable again of carving what you need for these people”. It was late on a Friday night and Christmas was Sunday so he only had this night and the morning to make ready for his Savior's visit. There was a woman from town that came in every weekend and helped him. He did not tell her why but he did tell her that the house and workshop needed to be spotless and that he was making a feast fit for a King. Between the two of them, they had his small home and workshop clean and bright and the smell of a wonderful feast wafted throughout the house and workshop. It was now getting late in the afternoon and he was excited because he expected his Savior at any time when he heard someone crying in the distance “please can someone help me, I am too weak and too tired to carry on”. The cobbler grabbed his scarf his hat in his coat and out his door he scampered into the afternoon setting sun where he found an old beggar man in rags without a coat in the freezing winter cold. “Here”, he said to the beggar man, “you must be frozen”. He wrapped him in his coat and put his scarf around him and adorned him with his hat and said “come with me,

I have food and fire and some clothing for you”. The two men proceeded to the cobbler's house where he asked the woman that helped him to bring the man some food. He went into his bedroom where he found a brand-new suit of clothes, socks and shoes for the beggar man. He gave the clothing to the beggar man. After he had eaten, the beggar man put them on and told the cobbler he was grateful, he had never had such generosity before and no one had ever given him a brand-new pair of shoes. The beggar man reached for the door and the cobbler said, “no wait, you can't go out into the cold like that”. The cobbler grabbed his own coat and scarf and hat and gave it to him and said, “God bless you on your way, but let me please give you one more thing”. The woman that helped the cobbler brought the cobbler a bag of food and gave it to the beggar man. The beggar man left his house and was soon gone on his path down the road.

It had gotten dark and much colder and the cobbler thought, “where are you my Lord, have you forgotten your promise to me that I would see you today”. When he heard a young child crying and then a knock from a small hand on his door he opened the door to find a young little girl crying, “can you help me, I am lost and I cannot find my parents. Will you help me sir.” “Where are they”, he asked. The little girl said “we were in a town, it can't be far from here. I was chasing a small rabbit and lost my way”. The man called to the woman that came to help him on the weekends, “can you carry her to town and see if you can find her parents”. The woman said “yes of course I can”. “I have something for you first my dear before you go, I have something for you”, he went to his workshop and picked up a doll he had carved and painted. It was a pretty little Princess doll and he gave it to little girl and told her, ”there is nothing to be afraid of, you now have a friend that will be with you always”. And he gave her a glass of milk and some cookies as the woman and girl went on their way to town.

The cobbler was starting to get worried and he started to pray again and then he realized how selfish he was. “There are so many that need you my Lord”, he prayed, “and I am being so selfish, I am worried about you coming to see me and who am I to take up your time, but Lord there are so many that are depending on me, if you don't, I will understand but I needed to deliver these things tomorrow for it is the day of your birth that we celebrate on Christmas. How can this little town celebrate without their Nativity and without you on the Cross looking upon them from your altar”. The Wood Carver got up and put another log or two on the fire when he heard a scream coming from the road. He opened his door to see an old woman who had fallen on the road in front of his house.

He ran out and asked “are you all right my good woman” and she replied, “no I think I've hurt my ankle”. He said “let me help you into the house, its warm there and you can have something to drink and something to eat’. She said “oh, thank you, kind sir, I have been on the road for four days and I am trying to get home. I did not realize it would take so long and that it had gotten so cold. The man carried her in the house and set her in the chair that he had made especially for his Lord and Savior to sit by the fire upon his visit. He had fed her the last of the feast that he had made for his Lord. He wrapped her ankle and went to his workshop and got a nice sturdy cane he had carved for her to use on her way. She said, “kind sir, I have no way of repaying you for your kindness”, and he replied, “I never expected you to. You just rest mother until you feel like you're able to go, you are welcome as long as you need to stay”. She got up and said, “thank you, kind sir, but I must be on my way. I have to get home, I have to get to my house tonight”. “As long as you think you're capable, my good woman, but just set for another minute to rest your ankle”. The woman did, but she was soon on her way and completely out of sight of the cottage.

It was now just a few minutes to midnight and just a few minutes it would be Christmas and where had his Lord been and he thought why had he not come as he promised. Why did he forsake him in his hour of need and again a voice spoke to him “I have not forsaken you, three times I have walked through your door and all three times you saw me sitting in the chair by the fire, you comforted me, fed me, and helped me address my pain. You are blessed among men, even though you had made all of the effort for me, you gave of yourself to those you thought were in need and by doing so you are attending to me. Take up your hammer and chisel for you have seen my face this Christmas Eve and you will have the strength you need to finish your task.

The woman that helped the cobbler had brought the little girl to their parish church, but when she had turned around, the little girl was no longer there.

She rushed in and told the priest of what had happened and by now it was time for early mass. He asked the woman, “where is your master, where is the cobbler. He is always here for early mass on Christmas morning, something must be wrong. We must go to him at once”. On their way, the woman and the priest met a wagon driver and a priest that were coming to collect the Nativity and Jesus on the Cross from the cobbler and they offered the woman and the priest a ride to the cobbler's house. Once they arrived they noticed that the door was open and they rushed in. There was no longer a fire in the fireplace and they went into the workshop where they found the cobbler in a chair that he had made for his Lord and Savior to sit in when he was coming to visit him on Christmas Eve, but the cobbler had passed away. They looked in the far corner and there was the most magnificent Jesus on the Cross they had ever seen and the most bright and beautiful Nativity that they had ever come across. The cobbler being a man of his word finished it all for the small parish church. The Wood Carver and cobbler had truly seen his Savior that night.