The Story of Christmas
Long ago, in a small town in the Roman Empire, there was a woman named Mary who was engaged to a man named Joseph. They were both from the lineage of King David, and they were to be married soon. But before the wedding, Mary found herself with child, which was a great mystery to both of them.
Joseph, being a righteous man, did not want to expose Mary to shame, so he decided to quietly end their engagement. However, as he was pondering this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, for the child within her was from the Holy Spirit. The angel also revealed that Mary would give birth to a son who would be called Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins.
Joseph woke from his dream and did as the angel had instructed. He took Mary as his wife, and they traveled to Bethlehem, a city in Judea, because Mary was related to King David and it was customary for the census to be taken there.
Upon arriving in Bethlehem, they found that there was no room for them in the inn. Instead, they were given shelter in a stable, where animals were kept. It was there that Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, because there was no room for them in the inn.
That night, while the shepherds were watching their flocks, an angel of the Lord appeared to them. The angel announced the birth of a Savior, who was Christ the Lord. The shepherds were filled with joy and awe, and they hurried to the stable to see the newborn child. They found Mary and Joseph, and they worshipped the baby, who was lying in a manger.
soon after, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking where they could find the newborn King of the Jews. They had seen a star in the sky that had guided them, and they wanted to worship him. King Herod, hearing of this, was troubled and he ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, hoping to eliminate the threat to his throne.
However, the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back to their own country by another route. Meanwhile, Joseph was warned in a dream to take his family and flee to Egypt, because Herod was seeking to kill the child. So they left for Egypt, where they stayed until Herod died.
After Herod’s death, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream again, telling him that it was safe to return to the land of Israel. But when they arrived in the region of Judea, Joseph was warned in another dream not to go to Jerusalem, because Herod’s son was now king and he was still seeking to kill the child.
So Joseph took his family to the district of Galilee, where they settled in a town called Nazareth. This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But while he was considering this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
This all happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”
And so, the story of Christmas is a tale of hope, love, and the promise of salvation, celebrated around the world each year.
