It would be great to hear from those who were involved with the birth of Jesus and what they might have to say to us today.
First hear what Mary has to say:
“I am the baby’s mother. There is something vital you should know about my son. He was not conceived in the way children are ordinarily.
“An angel by the name Gabriel was sent by God to prepare me for this momentous event. He told me that I would conceive and bear a son and would call him Jesus. I could not understand this.
“I asked him, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ His answer was that ‘the Holy Spirit of God would come upon me and the power of the Highest would overshadow me so that the Holy One who is to be born would be the Son of God.’ This was to be a miraculous conception.
“I do not understand how God did it, but I can tell you that I never had intimate relations with any man and yet was soon expecting a baby.
“Now as I look at this little baby, he looks like any other baby. He is fully human and though it is not visible now, He is of a divine nature. One day He will do things that will prove His divinity.
“This is what is so vital; my son was Immanuel – ‘God with us.’ It was truly a miraculous birth of a miracle baby.”
Now hear from the ruler of the Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus:
“I was beginning to feel like the mightiest ruler of the ages. The Roman Senate voted to give me the exalted title ‘Augustus.’ From my position of power I could order armies to march, buildings to be built, rulers to be promoted or demoted.
“My command could mean life or death as well as ensuring people paid their taxes or else. Speaking of taxes, I thought of a grand plan to increase the number of taxpayers. I ordered a great census that would help me discover just how many potential taxpayers there really were in my realm.
“How could I have known that the God of heaven was using me to arrange to have His Son born in Bethlehem? The decree I issued that a census be taken of the entire Roman Empire set in motion the events that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem just at the right time for the birth of the Baby.
“I thought I was giving the orders, but God was behind the scenes ordering all things according to His will. I thought the centre of power of the world was in Rome, where I sat, but in reality the centre of power of the whole universe was in Bethlehem where the Christ child lay.
“Let me give you some advice. The best way for you people in the 21st century to celebrate Christmas is to bow low before Jesus the Christ and ask for a place in His eternal kingdom because ‘God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow – and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Philippians 2:9-11).”
Shepherds were involved with the birth of Jesus. What might they say to us today?
“We are common people. Most people look down on us just because we aren’t educated. But you must believe us when we tell you that the child Jesus is exactly who the scriptures say He is. Everything written about Him is true.
“We were on the hillside just outside the town of Bethlehem, taking care of our sheep when an angel appeared out of nowhere. Yes, an actual angel. His appearance terrified us at first, then he calmed us down. He said our Saviour had been born. He told us who this Saviour was, right down to the last detail.
“Now we had to decide, would we go or not and pretend it hadn’t happened? We went! It turned out exactly as the angel had said. There was a new baby, he was in Bethlehem, he was wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. One thing we learned that night is that God does not mislead people.
“The Scriptures are exact and reliable and give a true picture of Jesus Christ. If you seek Jesus, as we shepherds did, you will find Him. That is exactly what the Bible says to do.”
And the people staying at the inn?
“We occupied every room at the inn when Joseph and Mary came looking for a room. We were so busy with ourselves, making sure our needs were met.
“If there had been room, we no doubt would have heard about the child and would have come to see Him, but since we filled up all the rooms we actually kept ourselves from seeing the Christ child.
“The next day we went about our business, continuing life as usual. Unknowingly we missed the very Person who came to give life and to give it abundantly. You could say we crowded Christ right out of our lives – the Person Who can make sense out of life and give it meaning.
“What about your schedule? Is your pace of life swift, your self-confidence high and your ambitions huge? If we are not careful, we may miss Christmas, too. Could it be you are crowding Christ out right now?”
Lorne Moorhead is a retired pastor living in Flin Flon.
