Many people celebrate Christmas in different ways. While many families enjoy spending time with each other and children enjoy the surprise of Santa coming to visit, it is important to remember the true meaning of Christmas. In honor of the season, we have chosen to share a simple version of the Christmas story:
God sent an angel, Gabriel, to the city of Nazareth to speak with Mary. When Gabriel first appeared, Mary was troubled.
The angel said, “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and 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.”
Mary then asked the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
The angel then answered her and said, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
At this time Mary was betrothed to Joseph, who was a just man. When he learned that she was pregnant, he was considering putting her away privately.
While Joseph was deciding what to do, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel instructed and took Mary as his wife, but he did not know her until after the baby was born.
It came to pass in those days that a decree came from Caesar Augustus that everyone was to be taxed, so each person had to go to their own city.
Joseph and Mary, who was great with child, went to Bethlehem to be taxed. While there, her days were accomplished and Mary gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped the baby in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
That same night, there were shepherds in a field watching their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and they were afraid.
The angel said, “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, lying in a manger.”
Then, there was a multitude of angels in the sky singing praises. When the angels left, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found the baby just as the angels had described. After they saw the baby, they left and shared what they had seen with all those around them.
When Jesus was born, there were wise men that saw a star appear in the east and followed the star to find the Messiah.
When the wise men arrived at the house where Jesus was, they fell down and worshiped the young child and presented him with three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
