Friends, it is with great joy that I am able to share the story of our Savior who was born in a stable in Bethlehem.
Now, Bethlehem was just a small village about five miles from the mighty gates of Jerusalem but it was the city of David, and because Mary and Joseph were from the line and lineage of David, they had to go to Bethlehem to fill out the census decreed by Caesar Augustus.
That is how they found themselves in this small town on a night when Mary was on or about her due date with the Savior of the world. And it is in this little backwater of a town, that the Heavenly realms celebrated because God was doing something He had never done before and He would never do again. He was becoming one of us to save the souls of sinners.
This event was so important that the angels of Heaven decided that they needed to do something to make sure that it didn’t go unnoticed. They sent an angelic delegation to a group of shepherds that were watching their flocks close by the town. Why shepherds? Why not run a full-page ad in the Bethlehem Journal?
Well, the truth is God never forces us to love Him. He doesn't want us to love Him because of how mighty He is. He wants us to love Him for what He came to do for us.
And so, for 33 years He preached the truth about our sin and about His salvation; and when He had done all that He had to do, He allowed Himself to be crucified on a Roman cross for our sins. The cradle, cross and the empty tomb all together is the story of our salvation. This is why He came, that we might be saved for all eternity. Jesus is God’s Christmas present to us, and if you would receive Him in faith you will have the most blessed Christmas ever…amen.
