A long time ago, in the Garden of Eden, the very first humans, Adam and Eve, sinned. God made a promise, out of love, to deliver them from their punishment of eternal death and separation from God. He promised that he would send a Savior into the world to pay the penalty for all mankind’s sins, once for all.
Years went by, and this promised Savior had not come. But prophets foretold his coming. The prophet Isaiah said, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].” (Isaiah 7:14) And the prophet Micah said, “But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you will come forth unto me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2) When would this Savior come?
Then, one night, in a small Israelite town, the angel Gabriel appeared to a young girl named Mary. “Mary, I bring you good news! You are going to have a baby! His name will be Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Mary must have been shocked! It’s not every day that an angel just shows up and gives you important news! She loved God, though, and she said, “Let it be to me as you have said.”
A few months later, the angel also appeared to Joseph, who was engaged to be married to Mary. Gabriel said, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The baby she is carrying is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus, which means Savior.” So Joseph married Mary in the little town of Nazareth.
At this time, the Romans ruled over a large part of the world, including the land where the Israelites lived. And the Roman ruler, Caesar Augustus, wanted to make a record of all the people who lived in his kingdom so they could be taxed. He ordered that everyone in the land return to their family’s hometown so their names could be written down in a special record. Now Joseph’s family was from Bethlehem, so he had to make the long trip there. Mary went with him, even though she was due to have her baby soon.
When they arrived at Bethlehem, tired from their long journey, the town was crowded and full of all the people needing to be recorded on the tax list. Joseph tried to find a place for them to stay, but there was no room for them anywhere he went. What was he going to do? Finally, someone allowed them to stay in a stable where animals were usually kept. And there it was that Mary gave birth to her baby boy, Jesus. Now don’t you think that this is very strange? Here was the promised Savior, born at last, but he had no special crib or bed in which to be laid. Instead, they wrapped him snugly in soft cloths and laid him in a manger for his bed.
That very night, on a hillside outside of the town, some shepherds were keeping watch over their sheep. Suddenly, in the quiet, still night a bright and shining angel appeared to them! The shepherds were very afraid! But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I’m, here to bring you good news for all people, which will fill you with joy. The Savior has been born today! This is how you will know who he is. He is the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Then all of the sudden, the sky was filled with angels saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will toward all people!”
When the angels left, the shepherds said to each other, “We should go and see this baby!” So they went into the town of Bethlehem. After looking around, they found baby Jesus with his mother Mary and Joseph. And baby Jesus was wrapped up tight in soft cloths and lying in a manger, just like the angels had told them.
When the shepherds left, they told everyone they met about this special baby. Everybody that heard their story was amazed by it. Mary tried to remember the shepherd’s story about the angles coming to them in the field at night, and she kept it like a special treasure in her heart.
Far, far away in a land in the east, some very wise men saw a special star shining brightly in the night sky. They knew this star was proclaiming the birth of a special king of the Jews. They were very excited! They packed their bags, loaded their camels, and set off on the long journey to Judea. The star led the way. They followed the star until it shown over the house where Mary and Joseph and little Jesus were now living in Bethlehem. When the wise men came into the house, they bowed down before Jesus and worshipped him. Then they gave him the gifts they had brought just for him. They gave him gold, frankincense an myrrh. They were very happy!
This is the story of Jesus’ birth. He would grow up to tell people about God, do many miracles, and then die on a cross to pay the punishment for everyone’s sins. Three days after he died, he came to life again! Jesus was the long awaited Savior of the world. And at Christmas we celebrate the day he was born! Happy Birthday, Jesus!