Photo by Getty Images
The Christmas story
“About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire.
This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for.
So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there.
He went with Mary, his fianc3e, who was pregnant.
While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep.
Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified.
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide:
A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master.
This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.”
They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.
Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child.”
Luke 2:1-17 The Message
Here is what I like about this story.
1—It was foretold over 700 years before it happened.
So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us).
Isaiah 7:14 The Message
Over 700 years after he spoke those words, they happened just as he described.
Isaiah prophecied about the Messiah later saying:
For a child has been born – for us! the gift of a son – for us! He’ll take over the running of the world. His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. He’ll rule from the historic David throne over that promised kingdom. He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing and keep it going with fair dealing and right living, beginning now and lasting always. The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies will do all this. God Answered Fire with Fire.
Isaiah 9:6-7 The Message
Hundreds of years later, the Apostle John writes:
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
John 3:16 The Message
God gave his Son (a gift) just as Isaiah said it would happen.
The birth of Jesus is an historical event that happened as it was told hundreds of years earlier.
2—The city of Bethlehem exists today.
The Church of the Nativity is in Bethlehem, and underneath it is a grotto, or cave, that is believed to be stable in which Joseph took Mary and the birthplace of Christ.
Today, it is enshrined as a memorial, but on that day, it was a place where animals from those staying at the inn were housed.
The place where Jesus was born (of a virgin) is real and can be visited. I have been there and seen it.
3—Angels announced the birth of Jesus.
At no other time in recorded history have angelic beings been seen announcing the birth of a child.
The beauty of the announcement is that it was made for everyday people—shepherds. These shepherds were doing their everyday jobs. There was nothing unusual about them, yet angelic beings appeared—hoovering in the sky—singing about the remarkable birth of God’s Son.
Imagine the impact such a supernatural event would have on your life.
The birth of Jesus prompted a supernatural event that impacted the lives of everyday people.
The gift of God, the Son of God born to die so humanity could live as God originally intented—forever in his presence.
It is an amazing story and one that cannot be forgotten. That is why I read it to my family every Christmas morning before the first gift is passed out.
Jesus is the reason, and his (sacrificial) gift is the most powerful gift the world will ever know.
I have been privileged to visit the Holy Land, Bethlehem, and the site under the Church of the Nativity.
After visiting the church, our guide took us to a field and a small cave. He explained the probability of the manger looking more like this and asked us to imagine it filled with animals, smelly, and with straw strewn around.
He said it was a more accurate depiction of what that holy night would have been like.
I appreciated his candor because it was a more fitting image of the biblical account. It painted a picture of the price Jesus paid to step out of eternity, become clothed in infant flesh, and live a human life for the sole purpose of restoring his creation to our original intent.
As you celebrate Christ this 2024, I pray that the power of the message and the joy of the gift overtake you with an appreciation of the sacrifice he made because of love.
Merry Christmas.
You must be logged in to post a comment.