{"id":1055,"date":"2017-12-13T17:50:29","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T22:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hickorytown.com\/ccd4\/?p=1055"},"modified":"2017-12-13T17:56:25","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T22:56:25","slug":"birth-of-christ-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburghope.com\/ccd4\/2017\/12\/13\/birth-of-christ-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Birth of Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0A long time ago, in the town of Nazareth, lived a young woman named Mary.\u00a0\u00a0 She was engaged to be married to Joseph, who was a carpenter.<\/div>\n

One day, while Mary was at home, an angel suddenly appeared.\u00a0 Before Mary could say anything the angel told Mary that she was favored by God, and that God was with her.<\/p>\n

Mary was surprised.\u00a0 She was trying not to be afraid, but she had never seen an angel before.<\/p>\n

The angel quickly tried to reassure Mary. “Do not be afraid!” the angel said.\u00a0 “God has found favor with you.\u00a0 You will have a baby boy, and are to give him the name Jesus.”<\/p>\n

Mary was confused;\u00a0she was not yet married to Joseph, so how could she have a baby?\u00a0 The angel thought that this might concern Mary so he said, “The Holy Spirit will perform a miracle, and because of this your baby will be called the Son of God.”<\/p>\n

To Mary’s surprise, the angel had more exciting news: “Even your cousin Elizabeth is going to have a son in her old age.\u00a0 Many thought that she couldn’t have children, but she is already pregnant. Nothing is impossible with God.”<\/p>\n

Mary couldn’t believe what she was hearing; she didn’t know what to say.\u00a0 She realized that she was trembling, and knelt down.\u00a0 When she was finally able to speak she said, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I hope everything you have said will come true.”<\/p>\n

Then the angel disappeared, and Mary was left alone.<\/p>\n

Soon after, Joseph found out that Mary was going to have a baby.\u00a0 Joseph was confused and upset by this, but an angel came to him in a dream and said, “Joseph do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.\u00a0 The child Mary is going to have is God’s son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”<\/p>\n

When Joseph woke up he remembered what the angel had said.\u00a0 He knew that everything was okay, and he wasn’t upset anymore.<\/p>\n

In those days, the government decided that they should count everyone that lived in that area of the world.\u00a0 So Joseph had to take Mary to his town of Bethlehem to register.<\/p>\n

It took Mary and Joseph a long time to get to Bethlehem.\u00a0 They didn’t have cars back then, so it probably took them a lot longer to get there.\u00a0 This was very tiring for Mary because she was soon going to have a baby.<\/p>\n

When they reached the town, all the hotels were full and there was nowhere that they could stay.\u00a0 Finally, someone felt bad for them and offered them a place to stay.<\/p>\n

The Bible doesn’t say for sure where they stayed but most people think that they stayed in a small barn where animals were kept.\u00a0 In any case, doesn’t it seem strange that Jesus, the King of the Jews wasn’t born in a fancy palace or even a hospital?<\/p>\n

Mary and Joseph were thankful that they at least had a place to lie down.\u00a0 It was warm, and there was plenty of straw to lay on.<\/p>\n

That night an exciting, wonderful thing happened: Mary and Joseph had a baby!\u00a0 But this wasn’t just any baby, he was Baby Jesus!\u00a0 The creator of the whole world, the King of Kings, and the one who would save the world.<\/p>\n

The little baby boy fell asleep in Mary’s arms. She wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger on some clean straw.<\/p>\n

Joseph was searching for a place to stay in Bethlehem\u2026
\nWE LOOK FORWARD TO THE BIRTH OF CHRIST!<\/p>\n

Matthew ch.1. NT: Luke Ch. 1, 2. Birth of John the Baptist, Birth of Christ, Christmas<\/strong>
\nBirth-of-John-and-Birth-of-Jesus-Play<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Two different interpretation of the Manager Scene:<\/h3>\n

The Birth of Christ<\/h3>\n