John
the Baptist is Born {Luke}
Elizabeth
gave birth and on the eighth day afterward, according to tradition, the baby
was to be named and circumcised. (Circumcision was a sign God ordered in the
time of Abraham to signify the special relationship between Him and His
people.) Relatives and neighbors celebrated with Elizabeth and expected her to
name the baby after his father. When she declared his name to be John, they
asked Zechariah what he wished and he wrote down “his name is John.” Zechariah immediately
began to speak and praised God. Everyone wondered who this child would be as
God had obviously touched his life.
Jesus
is Born
{Luke}
Caesar
Augustus (ruler of Rome) ordered all citizens to register in their town of
origin for a census. As Joseph descended from King David, he and Mary went to
Bethlehem. With no room in the inn, Mary gave birth in the stable, wrapped her
son in cloths, and placed him in a manger.
Shepherds
guarded flocks of sheep in nearby fields. An angel appeared, and the glory of
the Lord shone about them, terrifying the shepherds. He reassured them. “I
bring good news for everyone. A savior has been born, Christ the Lord. As a
sign that what I tell you is true, you will find him lying in a manger.”
A
great number of angels suddenly appeared and praised God. “Glory to God in the
highest and peace to men on earth.”
The
angels returned to heaven and the shepherds went and found the child.
Afterward, they spoke about their experience to people who were amazed at the
story. Mary treasured all these things in her heart, wondering about them.
Next
time in the Point of the Gospel—Luke
and Matthew’s conflicting stories of the days following Jesus’ birth.
No comments:
Post a Comment