Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day and this is why we celebrate Christmas!
About 2,000 years ago, Judea, a part of what is now known as Israel was ruled by a King named Herod. It was during his rule that Jesus Christ was born in a manger in Bethlehem.
In Herod’s reign, there lived in the northern town of Nazareth in Galilee a young girl, Mary. She was engaged to be married to a young carpenter named Joseph. One day, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary who was very surprised and wondered why the angel had appeared to her.
Angel Gabriel told Mary “Peace be with you.You are blessed among women. You shall have a son and you will call him Jesus. He shall be called the Son of God and His Kingdom shall never end."
Mary was afraid but she trusted God. So, she said to the Angel “ I am glad to serve the Lord. Let it happen as God chooses.”
Angel Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth, whom everyone believed to be too old to have a a child would have a baby boy and that the Lord had chosen this little boy to prepare the way for Jesus .
After this, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah . Elizabeth was happy to see Mary for she knew that Mary had been chosen by the Lord to be the Mother of His son and Zechariah had been told that God had chosen their son to prepare the way for Jesus and his name must be John.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three monts and returned home to Nazareth.
Joseph, the young carpenter to whom Mary was to be married was unhappy that Mary was expecting a baby before their marriage and considered putting off the marriage. But he was a good man and did not want to shame Mary by publicly rejecting her. However, an Angel appeared in a dream to Joseph and set his fears at rest. The Angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary for his wife. He explained to Joseph that Mary had been chosen by God to be the Mother of His Son and that he should be named Joseph. He told Joseph that the baby should be named Jesus as it means Saviour and Jesus would save people.
When Joseph awoke he followed the Angel’s advice and took Mary to be his wife.
The land where Mary and Joseph lived was part of the Roman Empire and the Emperor Augustus ordered everyone to go the town where their family originally came from and and enter their names in a register.
At this time, the land where Mary and Joseph lived was part of the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Augustus wanted to have a list of all the people in the empire, to make sure they paid their taxes. He ordered everyone to return to the town where their families originally came from and enter their names in a register. Mary and Joseph travelled about 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Joseph's family originally came from. They traveled slowly as the baby was due to be born soon. However, it was still a very tiring journey for Mary. .
Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem at last and had a problem in finding a place to stay as all inns and other places to stay had been fully booked. Large numbers of people had arrived in Bethlehem because of the census.
Finally, one kind innkeeper took pity on Mary and Joseph and gave them permission to stay in the stable, full of sweet smelling hay. And there BABY JESUS, THE SON OF GOD WAS BORN. Following the custom of those days Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes (a tight, long cloth) and placed him in the manger (from which the animals ate their hay) for there was no other crib or bed for him.
Shepherds watched their flocks during the night in fields and around Bethlehem. Suddenly an Angel appeared before them and God’s glory shone all around.
The shepherds became very frightened but the Angel told them not to be afraid. He said, “There is nothing to fear. I come to bring you news of great joy for you and everyone. For a child is born this day in Bethlehem – a Saviour who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. You will find the babe lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes.”
Many more angels appeared and the sky was all lit up. The Angels were praising God singing “Glory to God in highest and peace to everyone on earth”. When the Angels went away the Shepherds decided among themselves to go to Bethlehem and seek out the new born Saviour.
They went to Bethlehem and found the stable where Baby Jesus lay. When they saw the Holy Babe they told everyone what the Angels had said and all who heard it were astonished. The shepherds went back to their fields and hills thanking and praising the Lord for giving his Son as their Saviour.
At Jesus’s birth a bright new star appeared in the sky. When Jesus was born, a brand new bright star appeared in the sky. Three Wise Men in the East saw it and came to Jerusalem looking for Baby Jesus. They met King Herod and asked "Where is He who is born the King of Jews?" We saw His Star and we have come to worship him."
King Herod was very angry when he heard this for he feared that someone might take his throne. He did not show his anger but told the Wise Men to let him know when they found him so that he too could go and worship him. But, what Herod really wanted to do was to kill the new born king.
The Wise Men set off and the Star they had seen earlier went before them and stood over the place where the Holy Baby lay. The Wise Men bowed down and worshipped the Baby and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
God warned the Three Wise men not to go back to Herod so they went back home to East by a different way.
After the Wise Mens’ visit, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Mary and the Baby Jesus and flee to Egypt and to stay there till the Angel tells them for King Herod was going to look for Baby Jesus to kill him. Joseph did as the Angel told him and they stayed in Egypt till King Herod’s death. After Herod died an Angel appeared in a dream to Joseph and told him to go back to Israel as those who were trying to kill jesus were dead. Joseph did as he was told and went back to Israel with Mary and Jesus.