“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
~ Luke 2:11
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you like the most about Christmas holidays? Do you like to listen to the songs that are sung only during Christmas holidays? Do you like the ways that guys and gals over Christmas holidays decorate their houses and their yards with bright colored lights? Do you like the tree that your ma and dad sets up in your house over Christmas holidays on which colored balls are hung and strings of lights are strung? Do you like to go to or be in Christmas programs that the school and the church that you go to put on over Christmas holidays? Do you like to eat the food that your ma fixes for Christmas Day dinners? Do you like to wake up on Christmas mornings to find out that it has snowed or is snowing? Do you like it when you wake up on Christmas mornings and find a number of different size boxes that have been wrapped in wrapping paper that is only used during Christmas holidays under the tree that you, your dad and ma decorated? Do you like to rip the wrapping paper off a box that has your name on it that you find under the Christmas tree to find out and to keep what is in the box? Christmastime is a time to share. Christmastime is a time for family get-togethers. Christmastime is a time to celebrate. Guys, gals and kids all over planet Earth celebrate Christmas. What you do in your home over Christmas holidays, guys, gals and kids are doing similar things here in Guatemala. Something that kids do every year in Guatemala and in Bolivia – where your dad lived for four years, is late on Christmas Eve explode strings of firecrackers as well as shoot off all kinds of bright, loud aerial fireworks. As midnight nears on Christmas Eve in South and Central American countries – such as Guatemala and Bolivia, there is a constant din and an acrid smell hanging in the air from exploding firecrackers and fireworks. Christmas Day is welcomed in at midnight in a lot of countries. A specially prepared meal is eaten and gifts are exchanged and opened right after midnight as Christmas Day begins. Why do you think that December 25 was selected a long time ago to be Christmas Day? Christmas originated from two words. The first word is Christ. Christ is another name for Jesus. Mas is short for mass or a special church service observed by the Catholic Church. A word – Christ (Jesus)-mass, was made up maybe over 1700 years ago which referred to a special church service that was held near the end or near the beginning of each year at which time Jesus’ birth was to be remembered. Christmastime today has sadly turned into a money making time and a selfish expectation for undeserved presents.
God the Father had God the Son – Jesus Christ, be born on planet Earth as an incarnate baby boy. Luke 2 tells the true narrative of Jesus’ life from the day that Jesus was born to when Jesus was about thirty years old. The story of Jesus’ birth is read more than any other story in the Bible. Jesus’ birth birthed Christ-mass. Jesus’ birth took place a little over 2000 years ago. This story of Jesus’ birth took place in Canaan. Canaan is the land that God promised Abraham that his extended family would always have as their land. Canaan is the land that God had His specially chosen guys, gals and kids return to from Egypt to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . this story begins with a decree made by a Roman Emperor. Canaan 2000 years ago was ruled by Romans. Caesar Augustus was Rome’s assigned ruler over the guys, gals and kids who were living in Canaan. Because he wanted to know who and how many guys, gals and kids lived in Canaan, Caesar Augustus decided one day to take a census. To find out who and how many guys, gals and kids lived in Canaan, Caesar Augustus decreed or dictated or ordered every guy who lived in Canaan to register his name personally in the town where his ancestors were born. Every guy had to register his name on the same day. This meant that a guy by the name of Joseph – who lived in Nazareth, had to make the tedious sixty mile trip – by foot, to Bethlehem – which was the birthplace of David – Joseph’s ancestor, to register his name for Caesar Augustus’ census. Bethlehem is located in the Judah tribal clan allotted land area that is located in the southern part of Canaan while the town of Nazareth is located in the Zebulun tribal clan allotted land area in the northern part of Canaan. Joseph was not married yet when it was mandated that he would have to make the dangerous hike from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Joseph had made a commitment to a pregnant young gal – Mary, that he would marry her. Mary at this time was pregnant with Jesus. Your grandpaa does not know how many days that it took for Joseph and Mary to make the trek to Bethlehem. Your grandpaa wants to believe that Mary was able to ride on a donkey for most of the time. Your grandpaa believes that whatever way that Joseph took with Marry to get from Nazareth to Bethlehem that it had to have been a very strenuous road to walk. Jesus was very possibly born the night of the day that Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem. Mary had to have felt awfully uncomfortable during the hike from Nazareth to Bethlehem. When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, they could not find a room in Bethlehem where they could stay and sleep. Every single room in Bethlehem had been taken by guys and their families returning to Bethlehem to register for the census that Caesar Augustus had demanded that the guys who lived in Canaan do. When Joseph and Mary were told that there was a stable – which was actually a grotto or a shallow cave where animals were kept during nights, they went there to spend the night.
Joseph and Mary were all alone in a small cavern where animals were kept at nights when Jesus arrived as a baby on planet Earth. God the Father saw Himself as God the Son being born to Mary. God the Father sent an angel to some nearby shepherds to tell them in verse 11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” ‘Christ-mass’ began as a time to celebrate the day when Jesus was purportedly born in a manager in a stable. Christ’s birth became ‘Christ-mass’ which became Christmas and which is now X-mas to a lot of guys, gals and kids today on planet Earth. Do you think of Christmas each year as Jesus’ ‘birth-day’ or do you think of Jesus’ day of birth as a time for you to get gifts? Your grandpaa hopes that you think of Jesus as a very special gift.
Luke 2 (227)