Another Forgotten Carol, The Shepherd (You Were Not There in Bethlehem) is a beautiful song of hope born after doubt and questioning. The character in this song is me, you and any person that first hears the story of Messiah then is presented with a choice: believe? Doubt? I LOVE the lines (pretty much the whole song):
...Somehow I did believe them, though everything I knew said I should not believe them--This story can't be true. . .
I asked a thousand questions, their answers startled me. The more I heard, the more I thought, I knew this cannot be! And then the struggle started, my head was wrestling with my heart.
Why would a God from Heaven come to the world this way? Why in a lowly stable would the Messiah lay? I shook my head and asked them to tell the story one more time...
Yes, I did believe them though I'd not seen a thing. I did not go to Bethlehem, or hear the angels sing, but there was something magic in the air that made me feel as if I had been there.
I knew that as the world moves on through time, there would be more stories just like mine, about the souls who've chosen to believe in something that they never got to see.
Do you think you'll join us? Though you've not seen a thing? You were not there in Bethlehem to hear the angels sing, but if you feel the spirit in the air, then just like me you'd know
That He was here, He was here! The King of kings
And Lord of lords was here! He was here and He will come again, For He was here!
I LOVE this song. It's all about choice. And I choose to believe.
