The Christmas Story
In the town of Bethlehem, there was great joy and excitement in the air. The people were preparing for the celebration of the Passover, but there was also a sense of anticipation for a special event that was about to unfold.
One night, while the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, an angel of the Lord appeared to them. The angel said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
The shepherds were terrified, but the angel reassured them, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
The angel then told them to go to Bethlehem and see a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. The shepherds were amazed at the angel’s words and decided to go and see for themselves.
As they traveled to Bethlehem, they were joined by 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.”
When they arrived in Bethlehem, they found the baby Jesus in the manger, just as the angel had told them. They were filled with wonder and awe, and they shared the news with everyone they met.
Meanwhile, in a nearby village, there was a woman named Mary, who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Mary was pregnant with her first child, and Joseph was troubled because he knew that the child was not his. But an angel had appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, for the child she was carrying was from the Holy Spirit.
Joseph woke up and did as the angel had commanded him. He took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus.
Several months later, while Joseph was in the city of David, completing the required purification rites for Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the Law of Moses commanded, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
The angel said to Joseph, “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 call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph woke up and did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, but he did not consummate their marriage until after the birth of Jesus. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
That same night, while Joseph was still sleeping in the inn, some wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem. They had seen his star in the East and had come to worship the newborn king. They asked King Herod where the child was to be born, and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “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.”
After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him, “Get up, 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 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, who had been told the location of the child by the wise men from the East. Then he returned, taking the child and his mother to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
And so, the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, began. The world was forever changed, and the celebration of His birth has been a source of joy and hope for millions ever since.
