The story is told of a man who was home alone on a Christmas night. The author is unknown.
A snow storm blew upon this prairie farm while the man sat warm, close to the fireplace when something hit the window.
Dressing warmly, the man went outside to see what was the matter. In the swirling snow he could see a flock of geese that had been halted from their journey south. Not able to continue, the geese kept circling looking for some safe place of shelter.
The farmer thought about his barn as a safe place for them, so he opened up the barn door. But the geese kept circling around. Then he spread crumbs of bread making a path to the barn door. But that did not attract the geese either.
Suddenly he remembered his own goose in the barn and brought him out, carrying him in a wide circle around the barn.
Then the farmer let his goose go. The goose immediately flew directly to the barn door and went inside.
Now the flying flock of geese, one by one flew into the barn door as well. The farmer was amazed and happy that the flock of geese was safe until the storm was over.
The farmer thought about what had happened to him before the storm began.
His family had gone to the Christmas pageant at the country church. He had refused to go saying that it was ridiculous that God had sent his son to earth so long ago.
Maybe what happened to him this night was a picture of humanity lost in the storm of life because of our own sins. God was seeking to bring us to safety but we just could not see any way out of the storm.
So God sent his son to become just like us so that we could follow him to victory over our sins and find freedom.
Overcome with this truth the farmer knelt there in his barn surrounded by the geese and prayed to God above putting his trust in the Christ who left heaven to come to us, to save us from our sins and give us peace with God and with our fellow man.
There he felt what Jesus said, “If the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed!”
– John Siemens is pastor of Grand Forks’ First Baptist Church