Scripture: Luke 2:1-20 KJV
2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things, which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Additional Scriptures: Matthew 1:18-24; Isaiah 9:6-7
Some thoughts
And so we read the story of the birth of Christ again this year. I used the King James Version because that is probably the most memorized version. If you haven’t memorized it, let me encourage you to do so. I want to make a few comments about the context of the passage without destroying your image of what happened. The story has been so romanticized through the years. Mary and Joseph’s ancestors on both sides of their family were of the lineage of King David (c.1000 BC). That means their ancestry had been traced back a thousand years even without Ancestry.com! How do we know? Their genealogy is in the Bible (Matthew 1 Joseph’s and Luke 3 Mary’s). That is important because Jesus was to be born from the line of King David and the tribe of Judah. In passing, it is interesting that a previous king in Joseph’s line had acted toward God in such an egregious manner that God brought judgment on his line declaring that no king would ever come from his line confirming that Joseph could not possibly be the father of Jesus.
It is quite possible that Mary and Joseph had relatives living in Bethlehem since that was the birthplace and home of King David. Most likely Mary and Joseph had made the roughly 90-mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem several weeks prior to her delivery. Times were slower back then. Often whole groups of people would travel together for community and for safety. It would have been natural for Mary and Joseph to stay with their extended family. Bethlehem was undoubtedly flooded with people from all over returning to their families of origin.
The use of the word “inn” is an unfortunate translation of the text. “Lodging space” would have been more accurate. There was a Greek word for “inn” and Luke did not use that word here, though he did use it in the story of the good Samaritan. Homes in this era often had living spaces on a second story for the family with space for a few animals on the ground floor. Since the lodging space in the home was apparently full of other family, Mary and Joseph moved to the space where the animals were kept, a humbling way for the King of the Universe, the one he created, to enter this world.
I realize these are not particularly inspiring words for a Christmas day! There is a point. With this rather mundane description of the setting pictured in your mind, I’d like you to imagine yourself in the story that night. Tonight, go outside in the dark by yourself, hopefully away from lights if possible. Look up into the sky and visualize thousands upon thousands of angels singing “glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth (and here is that phrase again) to those with whom God is pleased.” Remember the words at the Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary? Let the message soak in. The working of God appears in very ordinary mundane settings for those who see it.
Music: “Messiah” Voces8 This video recording is outstanding! Do not miss it!
George Herbert (1593-1633) A Christmas Poem
The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?
My God, no hymne for Thee?
My soul’s a shepherd too; a flock it feeds
Of thoughts and words and deeds:
The pasture is Thy Word; the streams Thy grace,
Enriching all the place.
Shepherd and flock shall sing, and all my powers
Out-sing the daylight houres;
Then we will chide the Sunne for letting Night
Take up his place and right:
We sing one common Lord; wherefore he should
Himself the candle hold.
I will go searching till I finde a sunne
Shall stay till we have done;
A willing shiner, that shall shine as gladly
As frost-nipt sunnes look sadly:
Then we will sing, and shine all our own day,
And one another pay:
His beams shall cheer my breast, and both so twine,
Till e’en His beams sing, and my music shine.
Prayer:
Almighty God, we give Thee thanks for the mighty yearning of the human heart for the coming of a Savior, and the constant promise of Thy Word that he was to come. In our own souls we repeat the humble sighs and panting aspiration of ancient men and ages, and own that our souls are in darkness and infirmity without faith in him who comes to bring God to man and man to God. We bless Thee for the tribute that we can pay to him from our very sense of need and dependence, that our own hearts can so answer from their wilderness, the cry, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” In us the rough places are to be made smooth, the crooked straight, the mountains of pride brought low, and the valleys of despondency lifted up. O God, prepare Thou the way in us now, and may we welcome anew Thy Holy Child. Hosanna! Blessed be he who cometh in the name of the Lord. Amen.
—Samuel Osgood, 1862 Prayers Ancient and Modern, p.360