I invite you this day to come along with me as we take a journey back in time to the holy lands of Israel. We will begin in the District of Galilee, and then the city of Nazareth, and then conclude our journey in the tiny town of Bethlehem, birthplace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I hope that this very special Christmas message will touch your heart, and that after hearing it you will find yourself a little richer in faith, a little stronger in spirit, and once again reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.
The Bible tells us in the Book of Luke, Chapter 1, beginning with verse 26….”and in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH
And the angel came unto her and said “Hail, thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind, what manner of salutation this shall be.”
Almighty God had sent down from Heaven above His angel Gabriel, to the city of Nazareth in the land of Galilee. Gabriel’s mission was to deliver a message from God to a young, virgin woman known by the name of Mary. It would be a message that would forever change our world.
The Bible tells us that Mary was espoused, meaning that she was engaged, to a man named Joseph. Mary and Joseph were planning to be married.
Now an engagement in those early times was taken much more seriously than it is in today’s world. Engagement then was a binding contract that could only be broken by a legal decree similar to a divorce.
It is very important for us to note here that Mary’s fiancée, Joseph, was a descendant of the house of David, for God had promised in His Word that the coming Messiah would be from the ancestry of David.
HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING
The angel Gabriel warmly greeted Mary with these comforting words, “thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women.
Now I have never been visited by an angel that I am aware of, and, perhaps, you haven’t either. However, if I were to receive such a visit I cannot imagine anything that I would like to hear more than the words “thou art highly favored by God and the Lord is with thee.”
Can you just imagine what was going through Mary’s mind at this time? The angel Gabriel, sent to her by the command of Almighty God, was visiting her. This was not an everyday occurrence.
Mary wondered why she had been chosen for such a visit and was understandably troubled by this meeting.
Fear filled Mary’s heart. And the angel Gabriel recognized Mary’s fear and said unto her, “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father, David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, “How shall that be seeing how I’ve known no man?” And the angel answered and said unto her “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall over shadow thee, therefore, also that Holy thing, which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.”
AVE MARIA
Now Mary was a very special young woman, and I suppose that when God looked down from Heaven above that He saw many young virgin women from which to choose, but He chose Mary and this was no accident, for it was all part of God’s master plan.
God was highly pleased with Mary’s life, and the angel told Mary that she had found favor in the
sight of God. Then the angel went on to tell Mary that a child would be conceived in her womb, that she would give birth to a son, and that she was to call him by the precious and wonderful name of Jesus.
This would be no ordinary child. This son would be great. He would be great as a person and great in His works. This child would be known as the Son of God. He would be given the earthly throne of His father, David.
He would be the long awaited, much anticipated Messiah, the Savior of our world. He would reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom, there would be no end.
Mary must have been overwhelmed, wondering with conventional wisdom, human wisdom, how can this possibly be? How can I bare a child when I’ve had no relations with any man?
And although the angel Gabriel did not say so, the answer would be that it would be a virgin birth. It would be a miracle of the Holy Spirit through the mighty power of God.
The Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of God would overshadow her, and she would bare a Son whose name would be Jesus, and He would be God in the flesh.
To reassure her even more, the angel Gabriel asked her to consider her cousin Elizabeth. He said “and behold thy cousin Elizabeth. She hath also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. Now let me say that one more time for you, for truer words have never been spoken but these – for with God, nothing shall be impossible!
According to human wisdom and knowledge, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, should not have been able to bare a child. She was too old. She was well past childbearing years. Physical changes had taken place in her body, which meant that giving birth should have been scientifically impossible for her.
But the angel Gabriel told Mary to consider Elizabeth who was now in the sixth month of her pregnancy. When God is in charge, Mary, nothing is impossible. And Mary said, “Behold the hand maid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to thy Word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary was convinced. She didn’t know exactly how all of the events were going to unfold, but she chose to trust God, and she said, let it be as you have said. Let it be according to God’s plan. And the angel, being satisfied, departed from her.
O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
“And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was Governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to tax with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.”
Caesar Augustus had issued a decree, an order, that the entire world must be registered, that is that a census must be taken throughout his empire, that all persons under his rule must be taxed. This decree brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem at exactly the right time in order that the Messiah might be born there; in the fulfillment of ancient and Old Testament prophesy. God always keeps His Word.
AWAY IN A MANGER
“And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Bethlehem was crowded when they arrived from Galilee. All of the hotels and inns were full. Mary’s time to bare her child had come, and the only place they could find to stay was in the stable of an inn.
And Mary brought forth her first-born son, and wrapping Him in swaddling clothes, she laid him in a manger. God’s only begotten Son, the hope of mankind, the Savior of a sinful world, was brought into this world as a helpless baby in poverty, and in a stable of animals. He began His life in a manger and ended His life on a cross, and along the way had nowhere to lay His head.
O HOLY NIGHT
“And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over the flock by night. And lo, the angel came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them, and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger. And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of their Heavenly Hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”
Now don’t you find it simply amazing and wonderful that the very first announcement of
Christ’s birth was not given to the religious leaders of Jerusalem, but to the lowly shepherds in the hillsides of Judea?
These were humble men who were faithful to their
regular work. Yes, they were very ordinary people, busy about very ordinary tasks, whose eyes first saw the glory of the coming of the Lord.
What message does this give to you and I? First, this means that the place of duty one is in, however humble, is the place of vision.
And it means second, that a man that has kept to the deep, but simple things of life, and has not lost the child-like heart, that the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven open to most easily.
An angel of the Lord had come to the shepherds, and a bright, glorious light had shone all around them. They had become very afraid, but the angel had comforted them with good news of great joy, which would be for all the people.
That very day, in nearby Bethlehem, a baby had been born. And this baby was our Savior, who was Christ the Lord.
Now how would the shepherds recognize Him? Well the angels gave a two-fold sign. First, they told the shepherds that He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and the second part of the sign would be that he would be lying in a manger.
And suddenly the excitement and ecstasy of Heaven above broke loose as a multitude of Heavenly Hosts appeared praising God. The life and ministry of this baby, God’s gift to a sinful world, would bring glory to God in the highest Heaven, and peace on earth, and good will towards men.
O COME All YE FAITHFUL
“And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into Heaven, that the shepherds said one to another, let us now go, even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.”
And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at things which were told them by the shepherds.” But Mary pondered all these things and kept them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen as it was told unto them.
MESSIAH
As soon as the angels had departed the shepherds had hurried to Bethlehem. There they had found Mary and Joseph, and baby Jesus lying in a manger.
And when they left, they gave a complete report of their visit from the angels, God’s Heavenly Hosts, and what they had seen in Bethlehem. The shepherds returned to their flocks, overjoyed at all they had seen, and overflowing in their worship of God.
Christ the Savior was born. The world would be changed forever. And this, my friends, is what Christmas is all about. This is why we celebrate Christmas.
Oh, it’s not because of Santa Claus or because of the presents under the tree. We celebrate Christmas because of God’s greatest gift, God’s most precious gift to us some 2000 years ago, His gift to a sinful, lost and dying world, the gift of Jesus Christ.
Now I have to think that when God looks down upon our world today and watches how we celebrate Christmas, that tears must fill His eyes. For as a people we have allowed the things of the world to blot out the true meaning of Christmas.
We have become wrapped up in earthly things at the expense of Heavenly things.
In years past, many of us have allowed this holiday to depress us for a variety of reasons. For me, I miss my parents who left me so many years ago. My dad was born on Christmas day and I miss him so very much. And I miss the family that lives too far away to celebrate Christmas with me.
In years past, many of us have grown upset with the high cost of buying presents when we had so little money to spend. We have allowed ourselves to become depressed by earthly things when we should be overcome with joy at the celebration of the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
And that is why, that on this day, we all should make a covenant with our God, that we will always remember during this season of the year, the wonderful and true meaning of Christmas.
My good friends and loved ones, I sincerely hope that this very special Christmas message has touched your heart. God has used me as His instrument to deliver it to you.
To each of you and yours I wish you a merry and wonderful Christmas season and may God richly bless each of your families.
