A very long time ago in the land of Nazareth, there lived a young girl named Rachel. She lived with her mother, Dinah, in a small stone house. They earned their living by attending wheat on a farm. Even though they worked hard they barely had enough money for food. Even though Rachel and her mother were poor they lived happily together.
One of Rachel’s favourite things to do was sing to herself; whether she was doing housework or farm work she would sing to herself. “You certainly love to sing don’t you Rachel?” Dinah would ask her daughter. “Yes mother I do” Rachel would reply. What Rachel didn’t know was that her singing would change her life very soon.
One night when Rachel and her mother were asleep, Rachel had a dream. In her dream the angel, known as Gabriel, spoke to her; “Rachel your beautiful voice has reached the heavens. This is why I am asking you to sing to the newborn baby boy, named Jesus”. Gabriel explained to Rachel that she must go to the town of Bethlehem, follow the bright star that would guide her to the baby boy and sing a special song to him. Rachel listened to every word Gabriel said and listened to the song she wanted her to sing.
Next morning Rachel told her mother about the dream. “If the holy angel Gabriel really did visit you in your dream,” said Dinah “then we must leave for Bethlehem immediately”. Rachel agreed. They brought themselves a donkey each and set off to Bethlehem at once.
While Rachel and her mother travelled across the desert, Rachel couldn’t stop thinking about her dream.
“Mother, why do you suppose that the holy angel Gabriel chose me to sing for the newborn baby?” Rachel asked.
“Well my dear,” replied Dinah “my guess it is because of your singing voice. Your singing must have reached her in heaven and it is not every day that the holy angel chooses someone. Be proud my daughter”.
After twenty days of travelling through the desert, Rachel and her mother finally made it to Bethlehem. It was now night time. “Did Gabriel say where we would find the baby?” Dinah asked. “All she said was follow the bright star and it would guide us to him” Rachel replied “wait there it is!” Rachel pointed to a star that shined brighter than the other stars. It shone above a stable. “The child must be in there” said Dinah. Rachel agreed and they both walked towards the stable.
They found the baby boy lying in a manger, with his parents Mary and Joseph, kneeling down beside him. Three old wise men were with them too.
“Please forgive us if we are disturbing you” Rachel said politely.
“You are not disturbing us at all” Mary replied.
“Have you come to see our son?” asked Joseph. “Yes we have” Dinah replied.
“We are the same” said one of the wise men “we came here to give our gifts to him”. The three wise men gave the baby gold, frankincense and myrrh.
“I too have a gift for your child” said Rachel. She explained to Mary and Joseph that the holy angel Gabriel sent her to sing a song for the child.
“Then please do sing your song to us” said Mary “we would love to hear it”. So Rachel kneeled in front of the baby and sang her song to him.
“Away in a manger,
No crib for a bed.
The little lord Jesus,
Laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky,
Looked down where he lay,
The little lord Jesus asleep on the hay”
After Rachel finished her song Mary, Joseph and the three wise men agreed that it was a wonderful song.
“Thank you for that wonderful song” said Mary “my baby loved it”. Jesus was smiling at Rachel in delight.
“I am honoured to have sung this song just for him” replied Rachel “may I hold him for a while please?” Mary and Joseph saw nothing wrong with that, so they let her hold him. The baby felt comfortable in her arms and fell asleep. Rachel felt proud to have been able to hold the special baby in her arms, and then placed him back into the manger.
“Come, my daughter” said Dinah “it is time we leave the baby and his mother and father in peace”. “Yes mother” said Rachel. And they left the stable.
Later on that night, Rachel had another dream. The holy angel Gabriel visited her again, this time with a warning. An evil king named Herod had heard about the new baby boy and wanted to kill it. He had feared that the baby boy might take his place has the new king one day. “Tell Mary and Joseph this immediately” said Gabriel.
When Rachel woke up she told her mother and then they both told Mary and Joseph about Gabriel’s warning. “We will leave immediately” said Joseph “we will escape to Egypt”. “My daughter and I will leave too just to be safe” said Dinah “but we will go back to Nazareth”. Everyone agreed with that plan. “I hope that we will meet again” Rachel said to Mary and Joseph. “May God be with you” said Joseph and they went their separate ways.
And so Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Rachel and Dinah all escaped Bethlehem. The baby Jesus was safe in Egypt until the evil king Herod died. Rachel and her mother went back to living in Nazareth, but they didn’t live like they lived before. Because when they reached their old house a huge bag of silver was left on the table. It was a gift from the holy angel Gabriel to Rachel for singing to the baby Jesus and for saving him, so Rachel and her mother were never poor again.
Rachel and her mother never forgot Mary, Joseph and Jesus and they were not forgotten either. Sometime after King Herod died Mary, Joseph and Jesus returned to Nazareth and were delighted to see Rachel and Dinah again. Jesus, now a young boy, asked Rachel to sing her song to him. He had not forgotten about her song even though he was still a baby at that time. So Rachel did sing her special song to him and always sang it to him on his birthday.
