Luke 2:1-7 “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. 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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”
The Birth of Emmanuel (God with us).
We all have the chance to benefit from the salvation that has been offered to us all. This is the ultimate hope for mankind. There can be no doubt that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the midst of an unquestionable narrative that was told of the birth of Emmanuel, (God with us) the Messiah, and that at his physical birth from the Virgin Mary, God revealed Himself to all of the human race. We are the recipients of the universe, created by God, which He shares with us. Light is brought to us as a result of His love, but more importantly, He brings light to us as a result of sharing His beloved son.
In the book of John 1:14 the author tells us: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In the anticipation of the deliverance that will be brought about by the anointed one, all nations look forward to his arrival. Our Anointed One, Emmanuel, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has been appointed to be the one we are looking forward to throughout the ages. God has spoken it, even in the early days of the Old Testament when Israel excitedly awaited the Messiah the Anointed One’s arrival, and the redemption of Jerusalem. In the dream Daniel had after he had had a vision, he said: “All Jews were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah to be the conquering king, and that is what Daniel had predicted as the exact time when Jesus would appear as the Prince, who would be the long-awaited Messiah.
The Lord God planned his lineage from the very beginning of his miraculous conception when He chose a prophet to speak to the house of king David concerning the coming kingdom that would hold the future of all nations. God had chosen a virgin for the miraculous conception of his son and the revelation of his name, according to Isaiah’s prediction, As Recorded in Isaiah 7:13-14 In addition to the full description of how the birth of the Messiah will be brought about, Isaiah continues through the rest of his revelation. According to the book of Isaiah chapter 7 verses 9 and 11, Isaiah reveals that the entire government will be on His shoulders, that he will provide guidance, and that he is standing as a banner for his people. As a righteous mighty king, he will shepherd all the nations.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (During the time of Jesus’ coming into the world, he was able to redeem the world.)
As stated in Daniel 9:25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench but in times of trouble.
There was a question among the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law regarding the birth of the Messiah. In Bethlehem in Judea, they answered that this is what the prophet has written, for this is what the prophecy says. Furthermore, not only was his lineage prophetically revealed but he was also planned from the very beginning by God. The prophet Micah prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah from the clan of Judah.
There is a promise in Micah 5:2 “But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.
Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem, the city of David
This was now over two thousand years ago, when a young woman from the city of Nazareth named Mary was visited by an angel named Gabriel, who came to talk to her about her future. In Gabriel’s message to the Jewish woman, he tells her that she will have a son named Jesus who will be the son of God and that he will be hers. Mary was undergoing the process of being betrothed to Joseph, the carpenter who would become her husband. In Mary’s revelation, she explained that the conception was miraculously brought about by the Holy Spirit. But Joseph’s lack of belief in Mary caused him anguish and confusion when Mary told him about the pregnancy. After some time, Mary traveled to her relative’s home on the Hill of Judah, where she found herself in communion with Elizabeth. During Mary’s visit, Elizabeth was six months pregnant and had four months to conceive her son; after the birth of her son, Mary traveled back home before returning. Gabriel, the angel of the Almighty, announced to Joseph that Mary would bear a son and he would be named Jesus, the one who would save the people from their sins. We believe in the Immaculate Conception as the cause of Jesus’ birth. The child is acknowledged by Joseph as his own son and he becomes the child’s biological guardian by right, as well as his legally agreed father according to the law of adoption. Joseph’s ancestry as a descendent of David also transfers to his legal son the law of adoption. There was, among other things, a period of time during which Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, a small town in Galilee.
Joseph and Mary were still living in Nazareth when Caesar Augustus issued a decree requiring all the world to be enrolled. “In response to an order from the Roman emperor, Mary and Joseph were required by their homeland, to travel to Bethlehem, to take a census, or record, of everyone living in accordance with Roman regulations. Luke 2:1-2 Having been of the house and lineage of David, Joseph went up with Mary, who was “great with child,” from Galilee, “out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem” as recorded in Luke 2:3-5. In spite of the fact that Mary had traveled pregnant on a donkey for several days, when she and Joseph arrived at Bethlehem, they were told that there were no places to stay. There were no rooms available, and no one would help and open their doors for a stay, so Joseph began to knock on every door and found that Mary was about to give birth at any moment and that the arrival of Jesus would be very soon. But the owner of a room told Joseph that they could stay in his stable. As they were unable to find another place to stay, they had no choice but to stay in the stable chase. While they were waiting for the baby to be born, the time came for the mother to give birth to the child. During the night, Mary and Joseph lay down on hay in a stable, which was filled with cows and other animals sleeping in it. During the time of Mary’s going into labor, Jesus was born in the stable. Mary treasured the moment of her child’s birth. When she placed him on a manger, she was able to cherish the moment forever. This is what we read in Luke 2:6-7 It was during this time when Jesus was conceived in a miraculous way, allowing him to be born into the world.
A Reflection on The Wonderful Night of Jesus’ Arrival.
Each year, as we recall the wonderful night, we are reminded yearly that we are grateful for the splendor of your arrival in our world. Let us not forget to thank you, God, for the gift of your grace that was given to us in the person of Christ Jesus on that holy night. As we tune in to the Scripture passage and rejoice over the good news that was proclaimed that blessed nocturne, knowing that He was sent to earth so that by believing in Him, we would be able to enter the heavenly throne. It is imperative that we continue walking year after year, season after season, and not lose sight of the fact that Jesus Christ was born for a very unique mission, namely because of great love for us. As we speak up and share the good news of salvation with others, may we remember the wonderful gift of grace that was sent into the world 2000 years ago, and may we never lose sight of it. As the Father sent Jesus to be born into a sinful race at a predetermined time in the history of mankind, the Father made all the preparations needed for the unrighteous to be made righteous by His death and resurrection. We aim to prepare our minds and hearts for our eternal home to be found in heaven, having been taught that our place of residence lies in the heavens, and our hope and faith is to spend this time in this earthly temporary place praying and reflecting upon the wonderful truth that Jesus Christ came into the world so that mere sinners such as myself and everyone else could be saved. In this unique act of salvation, we praise and honor our Heavenly Father for the work that he has done, and I thank him for the work that he has done through his beloved son, Jesus Christ
Prayer:
God the Almighty, I thank you for the fact that you incarnated through your son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the personification of your sovereignty. Thank you that you are the second person of the Trinity, the one who came down to earth to be wrapped in flesh and to be enveloped in its fullness.” For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form Colossians 2:9 Thank you, Lord, for the prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, and Malachi all came to pass and were all fulfilled in the accounts of the prophets’ predictions. Thank you, O’God, for the fulfillment of these prophecies is a sign of your wisdom, understanding, power, and strength in which we can trust that there will be no end to our faith in your mercy. The virgin birth fulfilled a prophecy, it was a complete miracle, a telling of God’s plan, a book that told all believers that the Son of God would come to earth, to be born of a virgin, and to come from a line of Abraham. I thank you, Lord, for fulfilling that prophecy through the virgin birth. Our hearts rejoice as we listen to the good news that was proclaimed that sacred night, and we are thankful that the Prophesies also foretold Herod’s slaughter of the children in order to kill Jesus, as well as the fact that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus would have to flee to Egypt in order to survive. Father, thank you for sending our Savior to take the place of our Lord and Saviour in a manger so that we can have a place to live eternally with you in the heavens.
The day you almighty God beheld the earth from your throne wrapped in the flesh made an appearance on this day, we thank you, honor you, we praise and worship you. Thank You, God Almighty, for having devised in the council chambers of your almighty Godhead an incredible plan to save mankind from eternal separation from You, which was only possible by having the eternal Son of the Father become flesh and conceived and born out of a virgin. Furthermore, we are deeply grateful to you for your generosity and compassion in all that you have done for us, God Almighty, for having conceptualized, in the most secret chambers of your almighty Godhead, an astounding plan to save mankind from eternal separation from You, which could only be accomplished through the incarnation of the eternal Son of the Father and the conception and birth of his child from a virgin.
Lord God, what a remarkable thing happened when He was born into the human race as a perfect Son of Man, and he was clothed in the flesh of a human being, represented by the body that He had been given by God, the Father, so that He could be our Kinsman-Redeemer, saving sinners from eternal separation from God, and become our perfect Messiah-Redeemer. There is a feeling of grievance in my heart that you, Lord Jesus, were born to die so that we, Jesus’ followers, could be reborn to live. Father, we thank you for all that has been redeemed and the wonders that have occurred, and we thank You for the good news of great love, joy, peace, mercy, and grace that was proclaimed to men on earth and that this great news came in the form of the Child who was born to Mary and the Son who was given by the Father to be called Jesus, Savior because on this day our Redeemer came to atone for our sins.
Lord, I believe it is very important for us, as Christians, to never forget, as long as we are alive in this world, to thank You for your gift of grace in the Person of Christ Jesus, whom You sent to earth so that we might be able to have everlasting life through faith in Him, even though we did not deserve it. Father God, it is Your good and necessary purpose to make sure sinners will be made righteous through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus in a new and timely way and manner by first sending Him into an unrighteous race at the right time at the right place in order to prepare the ungodly for this enlightenment of truth. Thank You for illustrating the love of Jesus Christ through the example of your life and thank you for fulfilling every need of the human heart through the Person of Jesus Christ.
My prayer is that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, you will find peace in your hearts when searching for answers to the emptiness in your lives. During this very moment, I pray to you O’God, that His love and His peace may penetrate into a great number of hearts and minds, which have been lost and hurting for a long time, who feel abandoned and powerless to experience the incomparable peace that comes from God within, which surpasses all understanding. It is my prayer that every hurting soul will come to know that Jesus is Lord and Savior, that if they confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and Savior, then they will be saved.
“For God be the glory forever through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.” By Elda Sullins.
The Book of Luke (2:1-21) In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. 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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So, they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Daniel 9:25“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
Isaiah 7:13-14 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6-7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
