The story of Jesus' birth
(From the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, verses 1-20)
Shortly before Jesus was born, the Emperor (who was like a king) decided to find out how many people lived in all the lands that he was in charge of. "We need to count every man, woman, and child in the empire!" he told his assistants. "To make this as easy as possible, tell everyone to go to the place where their family tree began - the place they call their home town - and register with the officials there."
This may have sounded easy to the Emperor, but it wasn't easy for Mary and Joseph. Because of this new rule, they had to travel from where they lived in Nazareth to a town named Bethlehem that was about 70 miles away! Mary was about to give birth to Jesus. Neither she nor Joseph was sure that she could make the long trip, but they had no choice. When the Emperor told you to do something, you did it.
Joseph found a donkey to take on their trip. He and Mary packed what they thought they would need, and laid these supplies in bags across the donkey's back. Knowing that God would keep them company, they set off. Sometimes Mary walked beside Joseph, and sometimes she got so tired that she had to ride on the donkey. They stopped often to rest because all three of them got tired, but each day they got a little closer to Bethlehem. By the time they saw their destination off in the distance, Mary could tell that her baby was going to be born very soon.
They looked for a place to stay in Bethlehem, but so many other people were there that all the rooms were full. Finally, someone suggested that they stay in his stable. "At least it will be under cover and a little warmer than sleeping outside," he told them.
So Mary and Joseph and their donkey settled into the stable. They piled up clean straw and spread their blanket on top of it to make a bed. They lit a lantern so that they could see. They fed their donkey and gave him fresh water to drink. And then they laid down and waited for Jesus to be born.
Sometime in the middle of the night, with all the animals in the stable watching, Jesus was born. From the moment they saw him, Mary and Joseph loved Jesus very much. They knew that God had blessed them in a huge way and that this little baby would change their lives forever. They wrapped him in a clean blanket and held him very close, kissing him and singing gently to him, giving him warm milk to drink, and offering prayers of thanksgiving to God.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds was watching their flock, keeping the sheep safe from thieves or wild animals. Suddenly, an angel appeared before them, and a very bright light surrounded them. They were terrified! But the angel smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. I have good news of great joy for you and all other people! Tonight in Bethlehem, the Messiah - God's Chosen One - has been born. Go and find him! He is wrapped in a clean blanket and is sleeping in a stable with his parents." And before the shepherds could say anything, a whole bunch of angels joined the first one and they were laughing and dancing and singing, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among all those whom God favors!"
After the angels had disappeared, the shepherds looked at one another. They couldn't believe what they had just seen and heard! Could it be true? Could the Messiah, the One they had been waiting for - the One they had hoped for - actually be only a short walk away? "We've got to do what the angels told us," one of them said. "He's right," another answered. "We've got to go to Bethlehem right now."
And so they hurried off to Bethlehem, and they found the stable, just as the angel had described. Explaining to his parents that angels from heaven had told them that the baby was the Messiah, the shepherds knelt down before Jesus and worshiped him, giving thanks for the precious gift that God had given the world that night. Mary and Joseph were amazed at what the shepherds said and how they acted. His parents knew how special Jesus was, but they didn't know that anyone else knew it!
After a while, the shepherds returned to their sheep, praising God and glorifying God for all they had heard and seen that night - the night that Jesus was born.
Questions to ponder:
I wonder what your favorite part of this story is.
I wonder what Mary and Joseph did after the shepherds left.
I wonder what the shepherds said and did after they got back to their sheep.
I wonder if you have ever seen or held a new baby shortly after he or she was born. I wonder what that was like for you.
I wonder how your parents show how much they love you.
I wonder what you would say to baby Jesus on the night he was born.