The Christmas Story

In the Gospels there are a couple different versions of the Christmas story, not different versions, more like told from different points of view. This is the version as seen in Luke; straight from my Bible, NIV.

The Birth Of Jesus Foretold
1:26) In the Sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27) to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28) The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29) Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30) But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31) You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33) and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34) "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35) The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36) Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who has said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37) For nothing is impossible with God."


The Birth of Jesus 
2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2) (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3) And everyone went to his own town to register. 4) So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5) He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6) While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7) and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8) And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9) An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10) But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. 11) Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12) This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 


16) So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.


Now imagine how hard it was for Joseph to understand that his fiance, a woman whom with "had never been laid with" was having a baby. In Matthew it explains a part of the story not mentioned in Luke. Joseph was going to divorce Mary but an angel came to him in a dream assuring Joseph to stay with Mary that she was a virgin and she was going to have the Son of God.

Also, in Matthew, it tells the story of king Herod. After Jesus was born he sent the Magi to find Jesus, he claimed he wanted to go and worship him, yet they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they went home another way.
After Jesus was born the angel of the Lord came back to Joseph and told him to go to Egypt, Herod was going to search the baby and kill him. After Herod died, the angel appeared again to Joseph in a dream telling him to go back to Israel. Hearing the Herod's son was still ruling in Judea, they went the Nazareth.


Matthew 2:23      So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."



If this doesn't prove that God is on control of all situations I don't know what will. He was able to send prophets hundreds of years in advance to tell the coming of his son, and it was as the prophets said.

This is the meaning of Christmas. God sent his son to us. We are to celebrate the greatest gift: Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He was born to the virgin Mary, and he died for to save us from an eternal hell. He provides us with the eternal life we do not deserve nor can we earn. Nothing we do will ever make us worthy. All he asks is that we ask for forgiveness from our sins. Trust in him and do his will. Not just to save your soul- but because he is our heavenly Father and he created us. He created the way to save us.