The prophet Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years before Jesus was born (Isa 9:6): A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler. His names will be Wonderful Advisor and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace. An angel said to Maria (Luke 1:31): “You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!”
Then there was the biggest event ever. God, the Creator of the universe, came to the world as a human being in his Son Jesus (Luke 2:3 – 7): Everyone, then, went to register himself, each to his own hometown. Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, the birthplace of King David. Joseph went there because he was a descendant of David. He went to register with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was pregnant, and while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby. She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger—there was no room for them to stay in the inn.
The announcement of Jesus’ birth was not made in the governor’s palace in Jerusalem or to King Herod in Galilea or in the temple, but to simple shepherds in the field with their sheep. God Himself sent his angels with the joyful message (Luke 2:10 -11): The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David’s town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord!”
Elisabeth Eybers writes (Free translation)
Maria
“An angel brought it himself,
the joyful message – and you
sang a hymn to God’s glory,
Mary, girl from Nazareth!
But when Joseph wanted to divorce you
and suspicious neighbours troubled you,
could you imagine, someday he
would bear the weight of the whole world’s shame?
When sometimes, with a smile,
you stroke along your body… staring into the silence….
Did you know with how much love and anguish
he would accept his descent into hell?
That night in the stable – no one
to stand by you in your need –
Did you know he would
enter Gethsemane alone?
When princes from the East came
to humble themselves and pay homage,
did you know how the soldiers
would crown him king of the nation?
And when he lay in your arms,
his little mouth against your full breast,
did you know he would say,
when it was too late: I am thirsty!
When it was over, and you went
home with his friend John –
Mary, woman of sorrows, did you then
understand the message well?”
The question is: Do we understand the message well?
Lord, help us to understand something of the wonder of Christmas. Amen.
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Listen to English audio here
