Jesus Christ Is Born!

Posted On December 25, 2022

“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

“Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!”

Psalm 96:11 NLT

Merry Christmas, my friends! On this day of great joy, I wanted to do something special to celebrate the birth of our Lord. So I have decided simply to let the greatest story ever told speak for itself through Holy Scripture, inspirational readings, uplifting music, and moving portrayals of the Nativity.

All the videos in this week’s post come from The Chosen. There are a couple of songs from their Christmas special last year and a short video of Mary and Joseph on the road to Bethlehem. I have also included the series pilot episode, which is a beautiful depiction of the Christmas story told from the perspective of a humble shepherd. It’s about 20 minutes long, but if you can spare the time to view it, I think you’ll be glad you did.

May these offerings of praise bless you with God’s joy and peace. And may we all experience the wonder and hope this day brings as we worship God for what He has done for us…

“They clung to hope.
The shepherds waited desperately for a Messiah to come and help them.
The Wise Men scanned the skies for who knows how long looking for some sign that God was there.
That’s all it seemed they had to cling to, especially those shepherds. They had no wealth, no prestige, no power. All they had was hope that God would not forget them, that God was still in control of the world.

That’s all they had.
Christmas told them that it was enough.
Hope was born again in Bethlehem.”

Hugh Litchfield

The Story of the First Christmas…

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’

But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’

And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’

And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.'”

~Luke 1:26-37 (ESV)

“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”

~Matthew 1:19-23 (ESV) 

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.”

~Luke 2:1-5 (ESV)

“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

~Luke 2:6-7 (ESV)

“Some of the saddest words on earth are: ‘We don’t have room for you.’
Jesus knew the sound of those words.
He was still in Mary’s womb when the innkeeper said, ‘We don’t have room for you.’ . . .
And when he was hung on the cross, wasn’t the message one of utter rejection?
‘We don’t have room for you in this world.’

Even today Jesus is given the same treatment.
He goes from heart to heart, asking if he might enter. . . .
Every so often, he is welcomed. Someone throws open the door of his or her heart and invites him to stay. And to that person Jesus gives this great promise: . . .
‘In my father’s house are many rooms.’ . . .

What a delightful promise he makes us! We make room for him in our hearts,
and he makes room for us in his house.”

Max Lucado

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'”

~Luke 2:8-14 (ESV)

“An ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. . . .
But God dances amidst the common. And that night he did a waltz. The black sky exploded with brightness. Trees that had been shadows jumped into clarity. Sheep that had been silent became a chorus of curiosity. . . .

The night was ordinary no more. The angel came in the night because that is when lights are best seen and that is when they are most needed. God comes into the common for the same reason. His most powerful tools are the simplest.”

Max Lucado

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.”

~Luke 2:15-16 (ESV)

“And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

~Luke 2:17-20 (ESV)

This week’s Scripture verses celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Like Mary, let’s treasure up all these things, and continue to ponder them in our hearts. And let’s share the Good News with others. The Christmas story brings hope and joy to a weary world. So, let’s go tell it. People must know!

“He became like us, so we could become like him.
Angels still sing and the star still beckons.
He loves each one of us like there was only one of us to love.”

Max Lucado

References:

• “Joseph & Mary On the Road to Bethlehem.” YouTube, uploaded by The Chosen, 5 December 2021, https://youtu.be/ND6Uk2U_SIQ.
• “Joy To The World (Joyful, Joyful) [Live From The Chosen].” YouTube, uploaded by Phil Wickham, 13 December 2021, https://youtu.be/3vnB8xAqzjE.
• Litchfield, Hugh. Preaching the Christmas Story: Ideas and Sermons for the Christmas Season. Broadman Press, 1984.
• Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
• “The Shepherd – A story of the first Christmas.” YouTube, uploaded by The Chosen, 20 December 2019, https://youtu.be/paOjgZZDads.
• “Zach Williams – Go Tell It on the Mountain (The Chosen – Christmas Special Performance).” YouTube, uploaded by Zach Williams, 28 October 2021, https://youtu.be/AyIN0kh7_Q0.

Images:

• Stars featured image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay (edited)
• Shepherd image Tamalee from Pixabay
• Angel image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay (edited)
• Nativity image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay