The Birth Of Jesus
“Let everybody fear and tremble! The King of Glory is born tonight at the palace in Rome!” No, not in a palace, but a stable! Not in the world’s capital, but in Bethlehem! And how the angels sang on that glorious night! God had honoured a poor peasant girl to be his promised Son’s mother, as a barn was filled with glory.
The honoured guests of the occasion were sheepherders, personally invited by the messenger from heaven. If you are poor and unknown, remember that God’s own Son was also poor—and eventually abandoned by all.
The Shepherds and the Angels
Luke 2: 8-20
(Matthew 1: 18-25)
That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”
Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:
“Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.”
After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.
When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.
As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.
Eight days later Jesus’ parents did for him what the Law of Moses commands. And they named him Jesus, just as the angel had told Mary when he promised she would have a baby.
