O Holy Night

 

 

Somewhere in time, approximately twelve hundred and twelve years ago, a child was born in a manger.  This child revolutionized the world.

It’s funny to me that this Holiday used to be something so special, wars stopped so both sides could observe Christmas.  I heard in world war one, Silent Night was sung by both sides on Christmas Eve.  It was a special time, a holy time, a time to remember that love came to earth.  God stepped down from His throne in heaven, to humble himself and be born as a baby. In the most humble of circumstances, in the most humble of places, the creator took on the form of the created in order to show His infinite love for us.

Nativity scenes started because many people were illiterate and couldn’t read the Bible.  Others could read their own language, but the Bible was written in Latin.  How were they to know this special story unless it was told to them?  Living Nativities, involving people and animals, were used to bring the story to life for hundreds of years.  Making the events of that Holy time come alive for the people who watched the Nativity performed, is a tradition we still practice.

Since most people can read and they do have a Bible in their language, we have symbols of the Nativity story that we use to commemorate this Holy night.  I have a small ceramic one.  On my lawn, I have a canvas display of the mother and child.   

So what is the Christmas Story?  I will summarize the story, taken from the books of Matthew and Luke in the Bible.

Mary was a young woman who was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph.  An angel appeared and told her she had found favor with God and had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah.  The Holy Spirit came upon her and she conceived a child.  Joseph was a little upset.  He had pledged to marry what he believed was a virtuous woman, but here she was pregnant and he knew the child was not his.  As he wrestled with what to do, an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him to not be afraid, but to take Mary has his wife.  He was to call the baby Jesus.

At this same time, Caesar Augustus, a leader in the Roman government, decided that everyone needed to be counted and taxed.  To do this, Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem.  Joseph was of the lineage and house of David, so Bethlehem was his ancestral home.  Once there, the child was born, but since there was no room any place else, the child was born in a manger in a stable. 

To celebrate God’s arrival on earth, a heavenly angel appeared to shepherds guarding their sheep by night.

Luke 2:10-14 (NKJV) “Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!””

As we celebrate, the most holy of holidays, let’s give glory to God on the highest.  Merry Chirstmas!

 

David Phelps - O Holy Night [Live] from emimusic on GodTube.