(This is a paraphrased version of a story told recently by our pastor.  I wish that I could recall the original author so that I could give proper recognition.)

It was Christmas Eve and the family was headed to church.  As she always did, the wife expressed a deep desire that her husband join the family.  He always declined.  He told his wife, “I just can’t get my head around God – if there is a God – coming down to be a man. That makes no sense and I would feel like such a hypocrite going to church to celebrate something that I know couldn’t be.” The wife and kids left for church with the snow falling lightly.

The father sat down in his easy chair before a roaring fire with a book. Not long, his attention was drawn to the window where he could see that the snow fall had become much heavier and the wind was kicking up. Suddenly, he was startled by a thump, then another thump, then another on their large living room window.  “Who was pelting his house with snowballs”, he thought.  He opened the front door to what was not a raging snowstorm and there was no one in the yard. He walked out just a bit to see birds crashing into the living room window. Apparently, the storm had caught them by surprise and they were trapped by the ferocity of the wind and snow.  They were seeking refuge from the storm and were drawn to the light coming from the living room.

The man thought quickly, he had to act or hundreds of birds would kill themselves by crashing into the window, falling to the ground and freezing.  He rushed to the barn, turned on the light and threw open the big doors, thinking that would attract the birds.  But they did not come to the barn.  So, he got bread and grain and threw it in the snow making a path to the safety of the barn.  He wanted more than anything for the birds to find the safety of the barn where he would care for them and feed them, yet they would not come to safety because they had learned to fear the man.

The man thought, “If only I could become one of them, I could lead them to safety because they are afraid of me as I am.” Just then, through the wind, the man heard the church bells ringing —– and he got it.  God became a man to save us!  And suddenly, it all made sense.