The Christmas Story

Birth of Jesus Foretold ‭‭(Old Testament)

“Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.” “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. And he will be the source of peace.” “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭16 ~ Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬-‭5 ~ ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭7)

Birth of Jesus Foretold (Luke 1: 26-38)

Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to Mary (a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph), of the house of David. The angel Gabriel said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be, then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God, and behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am still a virgin?” The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. Behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month of the pregnancy with her who was called barren, for nothing is impossible with God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

The Revealing of Jesus Christ in human form (Luke 2: 1-20)

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria, Everyone went to be registered, each to his own town, Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. Mary, his betrothed, went with him and she was now great with child. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, (because there was no place for them in the inn.)

The Shepherds and the Angels

In the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. All of the sudden an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were filled with great fear. The angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people, unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Then the angels went away from them into heaven, and the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph there, and just like the angel had said the baby was wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. When they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. All who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds then returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Visit of the Wise Men (Matthew 2: 1-15)

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him, he then assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet (Micah‬ 5:2)

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared, he then sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw this, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Then going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Then being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Now when the wise men had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” So he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt, they remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, (Hosea 11:1) “Out of Egypt I called my son.”