Christmas Essay 2

The angel choir in heaven reflects the triumph of heaven.

After the angels sang they went back to heaven. The shepherds talked among themselves and decided to go to Bethlehem village to see and worship the Lord Jesus. When the shepherds went to see the Lord Jesus they found a baby in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. They worshipped the Lord Jesus and told others what the angels told them and what they had seen. Then they went back to the fields to continue with taking care of the sheep. They realized that in Bethlehem in the stable they had seen exactly as the the angel had told them. In other words the angel had given them very clear signs. The shepherds did not have to wander all around Bethlehem looking for Lord Jesus. The angel told them Lord Jesus would be a baby. Would be wrapped in swaddling clothes. Would be in a manger.

The wise men were filled with great joy when they saw the star. The angel told the shepherds that the angel was bringing them good news of great joy. Thus the star who guided the wise men to Bethlehem and the angel who broke the news of the child Christ being born in Bethlehem both had to do with great joy. The star brought great joy to the wise men. The angel who visited the shepherds said the news he had that of baby Jesus being born in a stable in Bethlehem was a news of great joy. Is the star the news of baby Jesus being born in Bethlehem. The news of the birth of Jesus ought to bring great joy and not a little bit of joy. The news about the birth of Jesus ought to bring a above normal amount of joy.

Coming back to the song of Mary.

Mary burst into a song in the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. It was Elizabeth who first acknowledged that Mary was blessed above all women because she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Then immediately baby John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth's womb. It would have been such a special moment that a baby who is not even born is cognizant and responds to happenings outside the womb.

As soon as Mary reached Elizabeth's house Mary greeted Elizabeth. The person who heard and responded to Mary's greeting was baby John the Baptist. Elizabeth's child leaped within her and Elizabeth was filled with the holy spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary God has blessed you above all women. Elizabeth said or the holy spirit spoke through Elizabeth that why would the mother of my Lord visit me. Elizabeth goes on to say that Mary is blessed because she believed an unlikely story told to her by an angel from heaven. The story told to Mary is not a common occurrence. Mary was told that before she got married she would have a child. Mary believed the angel. Mary believed because she was actually visited by an angel. Mary did not see some bible verse and arrive at some conclusion on her own. She actually talked to the angel.

Mary burst into song at this point. Mary's song is called the magnificat. It is Mary's song of praise to God and shows the attitude of humility and fear of the Lord.

Mary praises God with her soul.

Mary's spirit rejoices in God her saviour.

Let us pray to God to help us praise God with our soul.

Let us allow our spirits to rejoice in God our Savior.

Heavenly father noticed a lowly servant girl.

Because heavenly father noticed a lowly servant girl all generations will call her blessed.

Mary sings that mighty God is holy.

And the mighty God has done great things for her. Let us look for the great things God has done for us. The fact that we are not in Afghanistan itself is a great thing.

Mary sings that God shows mercy from generations to generations to all who fear Him.

God's mighty arm has done tremendous things.

God has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

I am not sure who exactly is proud and haughty in Mary&# s life. Who is Mary referring to when Mary says God has scattered the proud and haughty people.

Mary sings that God brings down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. Mary means herself when she says God has exalted the humble.

Mary says that God has filled hungry people with good things and rich who are not hungry go away from God with empty hands.

God has helped the people of Israel and remembered to be merciful. I think this is an important thought. God has remembered to be merciful.

For he made this promise to our ancestors

To Abraham and His children forever.

Here the promise Mary is referring to is God's mercy upon us to give us the opportunity to lead godly lives in an unfriendly world.

Mary was given the promise of being Lord Jesus mother but all descendants of Abraham can have the mercy of God I think.

Mary's magnificat is really nice. God is on the side of the humble on those who fear Him.

I do wish to fear God at all times. That is my most important goal of 2022.

Mary went back to her own home after three months of staying with Elizabeth.

The second chapter of Luke has a continuation of the Christmas story. It begins with the news of the census by the Roman emperor Augustus. All the Jews were supposed to go to their ancestral land. Joseph went to Bethlehem with Mary. While they were there it became time for Mary to have her baby. Mary gave birth to baby Jesus and wrapped baby Jesus in swaddling clothes because there was no proper lodging available to them. We have grown to think that the inn keepers of Bethlehem said no room to Mary and Joseph. I wondered if it was the same as the kolby koloff song no room. Is there a connection between what the inn keepers said to Mary and Joseph and the kolby koloff song no room.

I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that something that changed the world happened in a stable. Cattle saw baby Jesus first after Joseph and Mary. That stable would have felt like heaven. The most luxurious palace can feel horrible without Jesus and the most humble place can feel like heaven with Jesus. So although Mary and Joseph would have seemingly been put to great difficulty the consolation would have been great in seeing the savior of the world as a baby in the stable.

We are all given a life to live.

In this life always things are thrown at us.

But if we have the great joy of Christmas and the all encompassing peace of Christmas we can navigate anything.

In this ever changing constantly changing world the peace of Christmas gives us stability assurance, rootedness and steadfastness. The great joy of Christmas helps us to increase our talents and lead an abundant life or a life filled with lots of goodness.

There are so many Christmas songs that encapsulate the myriad messages of Christmas. One Christmas song that I liked a lot this year and last year was o little town of Bethlehem. In the song there is the line in above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. But although the sleep of Bethlehem is deep and dreamless the everlasting light shines in the streets and alleys of Bethlehem. The song paints such a charming picture of a quaint little town it's inhabitants going about their lives because the everlasting light shines there.

The other song I have liked this year is angels we have heard on high. I just like the joy in this song. It is as though the song is exhorting us to experience the great joy of the season.

Hark the herald is a worship song where if we sing along we can worship God. It is good to take the time to just worship.

Then another song I liked a lot this year which I did not even start listening more than a few days ago is while shepherds watched their flocks by night. The last line of this song is that goodwill will begin and never cease. It is a simple song which basically just puts to song the words of Luke 2, especially the section where the angels appear to the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem. It is a simple and straight forward song.

In the gospel of St. Matthew there are two bible verses from the old testament which indicates that the reservations of Christmas started much before Christmas actually happened 2000 years ago.

The first verse in the gospel of St. Matthew from the old testament is that

Look, the virgin shall conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son.

And they will call Him Immanuel

Which means God is with us.

So Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus in the old testament during the time of Isaiah the prophet. The exact manner of the birth of Jesus was all determined during the old testament times. The name of Jesus Immanuel was also determined before hand. The meaning of the name Immanuel is God is with us. Jesus is so very divine yet He is pleased to dwell with us. St. Joseph is asked by the angel to be the earthly father of Jesus.

The other bible verse is about the place where Christ was to be born. Even the place of Christ's birth is determined in the Old Testament. In the book of Micah is contained the verse that tells us about the birth place of Christ.

And you O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities of Judah.

For a ruler will come from you

Who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.

This bible verse was told to Herod by the leading priests and teachers of religious law when he asked them where is the Messiah supposed to be born.

In Bethlehem in Judea they said to Herod and proceeded to tell him the entire verse from the old testament book of Micah.

The question about the birthplace of Jesus arose in Herod's mind because the three kings arrived in Jerusalem asking where is the newborn king of the Jews? They also said we saw His star as it rose and we have come to worship him.

King Herod was deeply disturbed by the words of the three kings as were the other citizens of Jerusalem. King Herod probably saw baby Jesus as a threat because he thought baby Jesus came to take away his power.

But why were the people of Jerusalem perturbed by baby Jesus being born. Are not the people of Jerusalem ordinary Jews going about their lives. Why does it say in the gospel of St Matthew that the people of Jerusalem were also disturbed to know that three people from eastern lands had come looking for the newborn king of the Jews.

Herod's response was to call the leading priests and religious leaders and ask them where the Messiah was supposed to be born.

When the leading priests and religious leaders told Herod that Bethlehem was the place baby Jesus was born Herod requested a meeting with the wise men. He asked them at what time did the star appear to them when they were in the East. Then he told them to go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. He asked them to come back to Jerusalem to tell him where baby Jesus was born so he too could go and worship the Christ child.

Why did Herod ask the wise men about the time the star appeared in the east?

More importantly why did the three wise men reach Jerusalem and ask where is the new born king of the Jews. We saw his star as it rose and we have come to worship Him.

Did they ask because the star was no longer visible to them? Or did they ask because they stopped focusing on the star? It is not likely that the star would actually disappear. Why would the star disappear and then promptly appear after the interview with Herod.

In any case after the interview with Herod the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. The star went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

The sentiments in the very popular and very mournful Christmas hymn titled o come o come Emmanuel was fulfilled during Christmas not just for Jews but also for gentiles. Emmanuel means God is with us. All humanity wanted God to be with them. Both Jews and gentiles.

Scattered throughout the old testament sky like stars shining in a vast firmament are words whose meanings are not fully clear. Words that paint a picture draw an image about a virgin being with child; of a little town from where a great ruler will come; of a child being born to us; the very name of the child is to mean that God is with us. These words are contained in different books they unexpectedly make us think. They are not all organized in a way that is coherent to ordinary humans. The words themselves are lit up. In the tumultuous story of the Jewish people which forms a large part of the old testament these few words that resonate with Christmas words that echo and whisper and faintly draw

images of the Christmas before Christmas happened. When Christmas actually happened 2000 years ago it was the confluence of threads of many stories. Story of Mary the story of Joseph. The story of Bethlehem. The story of the Roman emperor Augustus who made the decree of census. The story of the travellers streaming into Bethlehem causing there to be no room in the inn. The story of the stable. The person who would have constructed the stable. The story of the simple cattle in the stable. The story of the three wise men. The story of their journey. The story of the camel's they travelled on. The story of Herod whom the three wise met on the way. The story of the leaders of the religious law who examined the scripture to find out where the Messiah would be born. The story of the shepherds who were watching their flock in the night in the fields. The story of them going into Bethlehem town and seeing baby Jesus. All these strands came together on Christmas when the son of God was born in a stable in Bethlehem. Christmas means peace. Christmas means great joy.