2024 years ago, God was sad because he knew that people living on earth then didn’t love one another or God, as he had hoped they would and didn’t know just how much God loved each and every one of them.
God decided he must do something to change this, so he sent his Son Jesus to live among us, to show us how to love one another, how to love God and to show just how much God loves each and every person.
To make this happen God sent his Angel Gabriel to a young woman called Mary and the Angel Gabriel told her that she had been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son and that she was to have a baby boy.
Mary was very scared and surprised when she heard this because she was not yet married, but the Angel Gabriel told her not to be scared as it would be God’s doing and because Mary believed and trusted in God she knew that if this was God’s plan all would be OK, so she said to let this happen to her as God had said it should.
And this is how and why the very first Christmas began ……….
But do you know what happened next?
Mary was engaged to be married to a man called Joseph. He was a good man and worked as a carpenter.
When he realised that Mary was pregnant, Joseph decided that he would quietly call-off their engagement.
But God wanted Joseph to be Jesus’ stepfather on earth and to be Mary’s husband.
So, in a dream God sent an angel to tell Joseph that it was all OK to marry Mary as she was going to give birth to God’s son and Joseph was to call the baby Jesus.
Reassured and trusting and believing in God, Joseph did just as God had asked him to in his dream and he didn’t break off the engagement.
Now at this time, Caesar decided he wanted to count all his people, so he organised a great big census and every man with his family had to go to his family hometown to be counted.
This meant that Joseph and Mary travelled on a donkey from Nazareth in Galilee where they lived, to Bethlehem (Joseph’s family town) 90 miles away, to be counted.
By now Mary was heavily pregnant, but when they got to Bethlehem, they found all the places to stay were full and they had nowhere to go.
After much searching a local innkeeper said that Joseph and Mary could have the use of his stable if they didn’t mind sharing it with his animals.
Joseph and Mary accepted this offer – although it was not ideal, it was their only real option
Whilst they were staying in the stable the time came for Mary to give birth.
She had a baby boy and Joseph named him Jesus, just as God had asked him to in his dream.
That night a new bright star shone in the sky and far, far away Three Wise Men saw it.
They realised that it meant a new King had been born and they knew that they must find the new King and worship him as they recognised this King would be incredibly special. So, they set out on a long, long journey to follow the star and find the new King.
But it wasn’t just important people that were made aware of the birth of this very special King, because God sent Angels to a group of shepherds who were out in the fields with their sheep to tell them of Jesus’ birth.
At first the shepherds were terrified, but Angel Gabriel told them not to be scared because God had especially important news for them! The angel said that their Saviour had been born in Bethlehem and that the shepherds would be able to know and find this new baby because he had been wrapped in bands of cloth and was lying in a manger
The angels sang wonderful songs of praise to God and when they left, the shepherds decided they must go and find this new special baby, their Saviour. So, they left their sheep and ran to Bethlehem and found the stable and Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus lying in the manger, just as the Angels had told them.
The shepherds had nothing to give the new baby King – just their love and praise. When they left the stable, they told all those they met about what had happened to them that night and what God had told them of this new baby boy. And they didn’t stop thanking and praising God for everything that God had made happen for them.
The Three Wise Men took a long time to reach Bethlehem in search of the new King and when they arrived, they went to the place they thought such a special King would be – the palace.
But Jesus wasn’t at the palace – this was the home of King Herod and when he heard the news from the Three Wise Men that an incredibly important King had been born in his country, Herod was cross and very worried because he thought this new King would threaten his kingly position.
So, he told the Wise Men to continue their search and when they had found the special King, to return to Herod to tell him where the new King was so he too could go and worship him. In fact, Herod had no such plans to worship a new King, rather he wanted to know the new King’s whereabouts to be able to get rid of him and thus protect his throne.
The Three Wise Men followed the star until it stopped above the exact place where Jesus was living then with Mary and Joseph. When they saw Jesus, they immediately worshipped him and they gave him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
We remember the Three Wise Men visiting Jesus at Epiphany which we celebrate on 6th January
The Three Wise Men never went back to King Herod as they were warned by God in a dream not to do so but returned home by another route.
Joseph too was warned in a dream that he had to get his family out of King Herod’s country and so he, Mary and Jesus escaped to Egypt where the family stayed until King Herod died. Jesus grew up in his loving earthly family and learnt more and more about his heavenly father, God.
When he was about 30 years old, Jesus left his job as a carpenter and began to travel and tell people about God and God’s love for everyone and how people could show their love for God whom Jesus said to people to call ‘Father’.
Jesus did many loving things in the name of God his Father. He helped lots and lots of people come to know of God and to choose to live their lives on earth as God wishes people to.
At Easter, we remember God’s absolute gift of love, when for all the things we do wrong, he allowed Jesus to take the blame and to die for us. But God is greater than death because 3 days later Jesus rose from the dead and showed that God has power over everything, and that God’s love is everlasting and is there for all people always.
So this Christmas enjoy this wonderful story because it is truly wonderful but to make it the absolute best story ever – make it real and know that God wants you to know him and to know that you are loved by him just as much as God wanted that for the people 2024 years ago.
You can come to him at any time, no matter what – as poor as a shepherd or as wealthy as a Wise man – God loves you and no problem is ever too big or too small for God to care about and to manage.
If you want to find out more do contact anyone in our local churches or pick up a bible and just start reading.
God Bless and Happy Christmas xxx
