This December, we're exploring the Christmas story. Recently, we discussed when humanity first came into being, and learned of the fall of man. At first glance, some might wonder how this relates to the holiday season. Today, we'll discuss Christmas day itself, and what it is.
God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth to speak with the virgin Mary, who was pledged to be married to Joseph.
The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was uncertain why he was there and what sort of message he had to bring. The angel said, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38)
The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was uncertain why he was there and what sort of message he had to bring. The angel said, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38)
Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, though he was unaware it was by the Holy Spirit. Because her husband was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, he planned to send her away secretly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus (which means 'the Lord saves'), because he will save his people from their sins."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. (Matt. 1:18-25)
Around that time, Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. So Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register.
While they were there, Mary went into labor, and gave birth to a son. There was no room for them at the inn, so Mary wrapped the child in cloth and laid him a manger.
There were shepherds in the fields nearby, watching over their flocks during the night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Upon seeing this, they told others what they had heard about the child, and those who heard about it were amazed. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:1-20)
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus (which means 'the Lord saves'), because he will save his people from their sins."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. (Matt. 1:18-25)
Around that time, Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. So Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register.
While they were there, Mary went into labor, and gave birth to a son. There was no room for them at the inn, so Mary wrapped the child in cloth and laid him a manger.
There were shepherds in the fields nearby, watching over their flocks during the night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Upon seeing this, they told others what they had heard about the child, and those who heard about it were amazed. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:1-20)
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. He called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, and asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'" (Mic. 5:2,4)
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. He called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, and asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'" (Mic. 5:2,4)
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
The Magi left, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. Upon arriving at the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
So they left during the night and headed to Egypt, where they stayed until the death of Herod. (Matt. 2:1-15)
The Son of God was born over two thousand years ago, and many people celebrated it. The birth of Jesus had been mentioned in prophecy many times over the generations, and now it had finally occurred. His birth is an important event, and today, Christmas is a holiday focused on celebrating that event.
Jesus was described as the Son of the Most High, Messiah, and Lord. He was, essentially, God incarnate, but he was also human. He was called king of the Jews, but he also had humble beginnings. Jesus could have been born to a rich and/or prestigious family, but instead God chose for Jesus to be born to a poor family.
Jesus also didn't have an easy life, even from the beginning. When Herod heard about a child being 'king of the Jews', he interpreted it as a threat to his position of leadership, and sought to find and kill the baby. For this reason, Jesus and his family had to go into hiding until Herod was dead— in other words, until his life was no longer endangered by Herod.
So why did God choose this? Being the Son of the Lord Almighty, Jesus was worthy of much more than a barn, lying in a manger (a feeding trough). As the King of Kings, he was worthy of more than a poor family.
God wanted his Son to be someone that all people could relate to. In example, a middle or lower class person might be nervous or uncertain how to act if they were meeting the President of the United States. However, they would likely feel comfortable with someone who was on the same level as they were.
Also, Jesus was easier for people to relate to because he had troubles, just as everyone else. Things were not perfect for him, and there were times in his life when he suffered or was in danger.
It's also one of many examples in history that 'you can't judge a book by its cover'. Sometimes, the greatest of people can come from the humblest of origins. Throughout the Bible, God often chose everyday people to do incredible things. Now, he was sending his Son into the world from an everyday background.
Another question to ponder is, why did God send his Son into the world? The angel who explained to Joseph about Mary's pregnancy said 'he will save his people from their sins', and the name they were instructed to give the child means 'the Lord saves'. And when the shepherds were told about Jesus's birth, the angel described the baby as a savior and messiah (deliverer).
But how does Jesus deliver us from our sins, and why did he come to Earth in order to do it? In the next post, we'll find out more about Jesus, and why his birth was so important.
So they left during the night and headed to Egypt, where they stayed until the death of Herod. (Matt. 2:1-15)
The Son of God was born over two thousand years ago, and many people celebrated it. The birth of Jesus had been mentioned in prophecy many times over the generations, and now it had finally occurred. His birth is an important event, and today, Christmas is a holiday focused on celebrating that event.
Jesus was described as the Son of the Most High, Messiah, and Lord. He was, essentially, God incarnate, but he was also human. He was called king of the Jews, but he also had humble beginnings. Jesus could have been born to a rich and/or prestigious family, but instead God chose for Jesus to be born to a poor family.
Jesus also didn't have an easy life, even from the beginning. When Herod heard about a child being 'king of the Jews', he interpreted it as a threat to his position of leadership, and sought to find and kill the baby. For this reason, Jesus and his family had to go into hiding until Herod was dead— in other words, until his life was no longer endangered by Herod.
So why did God choose this? Being the Son of the Lord Almighty, Jesus was worthy of much more than a barn, lying in a manger (a feeding trough). As the King of Kings, he was worthy of more than a poor family.
God wanted his Son to be someone that all people could relate to. In example, a middle or lower class person might be nervous or uncertain how to act if they were meeting the President of the United States. However, they would likely feel comfortable with someone who was on the same level as they were.
Also, Jesus was easier for people to relate to because he had troubles, just as everyone else. Things were not perfect for him, and there were times in his life when he suffered or was in danger.
It's also one of many examples in history that 'you can't judge a book by its cover'. Sometimes, the greatest of people can come from the humblest of origins. Throughout the Bible, God often chose everyday people to do incredible things. Now, he was sending his Son into the world from an everyday background.
Another question to ponder is, why did God send his Son into the world? The angel who explained to Joseph about Mary's pregnancy said 'he will save his people from their sins', and the name they were instructed to give the child means 'the Lord saves'. And when the shepherds were told about Jesus's birth, the angel described the baby as a savior and messiah (deliverer).
But how does Jesus deliver us from our sins, and why did he come to Earth in order to do it? In the next post, we'll find out more about Jesus, and why his birth was so important.
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