The Christmas story is one that is filled with love and miracles and grace and humility and awe.
There is no modern day, happy, Christmassy story that can come anywhere close to THE Christmas story.
It all started with an innocent virgin girl, promised in marriage to her dream man, Joseph.
But then one day, her life was invaded by the greatest supernatural miracle the world has ever faced, since the creation.
Mary was visited by a majestic angel and told that she will give birth to Gods very own son and He will be called Jesus, the Savior of the world.
This news was incredibly beautiful and equally shattering. How would her husband-to-be, her family and her friends receive the news that she was pregnant. Will they believe that it was a divine conception?
But again, God stepped in and encouraged Joseph to continue with the marriage. God gave Joseph the significant role of being the father to Gods own son.
What a privilege. What a blessing.
So, the wonderful wedding celebrations ensued, followed by a healthy pregnancy and the joyous birth of her baby boy. It was not a lavish affair. He was not born in comfort and cornucopia.
Rather he was born in a stable with a manger for his bed. Mary and Joseph were very normal, very down to earth people, yet God had considered them worthy of giving birth to and bringing up His very own son. What a perfectly humble beginning for a King.
Three Kings traveled from far, far away to be to meet and worship this newborn King of the Jews.
This was and is the greatest GIFT the world has ever received.
A priceless gift. One that cannot be bought and one that was freely given.
The GIFT of a King.
The Gift of a love personified.
The Gift of hope.
The Gift of peace.
The Gift of Christ
John 3:16
‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son’
Don’t be distracted by all the busyness in the world. Remember the true meaning of the festivities.
Remember that Christ is the Gift of Christmas.
Celebrate Him.
Share His love.
Remember His story with joyful cheer.
He is our gift, our gift so DEAR.
Matthew 1:18 – 2:23
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[h] quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[i] for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,[j]
which means ‘God is with us.’”24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Visitors from the East
2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[a] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[b] and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[d]”7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
The Escape to Egypt
13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother,15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”[e]
16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”[f]The Return to Nazareth
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”