Good morning!
Greetings in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12)
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.Mary’s pregnancy was a serious disgrace to Mary’s pregnancy was a serious disgrace to Joseph. Before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, Joseph realized that she was pregnant. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
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. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. Joseph became faithful to God and Mary following God’s message in his dream.
They together arrived in Bethlehem. It was getting dark. They tried to find a room in Bethlehem to stay, but there was no room available for them. They knocked door after door, but nothing was available. In the end, they had to spend that night in a stable with animals, and they settled down in the stable. While they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger. The King of kings and our Savior, Jesus Christ was born, and just Joseph and Mary were there in a winter night. It was the scene of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Why was Jesus born in a stable instead of in a palace like a king? It is a true sign of the gracious God, who is full of mercy and love. Although kings of earth rule over people with power and strength, our Lord Jesus Christ was a humble king ruling over us with his humility, love and mercy. The new born king was not selfish, and did not try to impress others. From the birth, Our Lord Jesus Christ magnified the true nature of our gracious and merciful God, who so loved us that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Yes, God wants our belief in Jesus as the savior. This is the Good News to all of us. This Good News was not proclaimed by an authoritative voice, but as a new born baby in a manager in a stable, which is not a place for humans, but animals.
This marvelous birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ was foretold by Prophet Isaiah, and that night in the stable, the prophecy was fulfilled:
“Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen.
He is my Beloved, who pleases me.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not fight or shout
or raise his voice in public.
He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.
And his name will be the hope
of all the world.” (Matthew 12 16-21, Isaiah 42:1-4)
At that time, nobody in Bethlehem knew the new born baby in the manger was Jesus Christ, as foretold by many prophets, who would give hope and save them by forgiving all sins and transgressions to other humans and God.
This marvelous birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ was foretold by Prophet Isaiah, and that night in the stable, the prophecy was fulfilled:
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:10b-14)
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Yes, our savior, Jesus Christ was born on the Christmas day about 2000 years ago. This Good News has been told again and again generation after generation since the shepherds told to people in Bethlehem. Today we are telling the very Good News. Our Savior, Jesus Christ was born, who came as a humble king, not to be served but to sever others and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45b). This is the amazing love of God, which is given to everyone. Give thanks to God! His mercy is greater than our sins, and His grace is unfathomable. Praise Him. His faithful love endure forever!
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:5)