Caesar Augustus, emperor of Rome, called for a census of the entire Roman empire. To be counted in the census, persons had to travel to their ancestral hometowns. David, a shepherd who became Israel’s greatest king, was Joseph’s ancestor, and so Joseph and his fiancé, Mary, walked the ninety-mile route for four to five days from Nazareth to David’s town of Bethlehem. By the time the couple arrived in Bethlehem; all the inns and perhaps relatives had no rooms available due to the numerous travelers coming to register for the census. Mary was experiencing birth pains; the only shelter joseph could find was a cave for animals. There the baby was born. His crib was a manger (a feed trough for animals).
It was night and in fields nearby crowded Bethlehem, shepherds watched over their sheep. Suddenly the tranquility of the night vanished when an angel appeared in their midst; they were terrified! The radiant being immediately commanded them not to be afraid. Secondly, the angel informed them that the message to them was good news for them and all people. In David’s town of Bethlehem, that day a baby, Christ, the Lord, had been born. A baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger would be the sign to the shepherds. As though heaven could not contain the rapture of the message, masses of the heavenly host burst forth in praise, saying (Greek: saying not singing):
Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will among men.
The shepherds hurriedly agreed to hasten to see the child about whom the angel had spoken. They found the infant lying in a feeding trough. The shepherds were the first to see Emanuel (God with us) for they believed the angelic revelation. They beheld God’s greatest gift to humankind.
David, Israel’s greatest king who was a shepherd, had received the promise of this child. Shepherds in the fields now saw of the Messiah. And the Christ, as a man, would declare,
I am the good shepherd. John 10:11a, NIV
A most blessed and joyous Christmas and prosperous new year to you and your family.
Reflections
Linus: The Meaning of Christmas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_EQR8gO32U
The Nativity Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmPrUFguQ0Y
The Preacher’s Wife
https://myflixer.pw/watch-movie/the-preachers-wife-9771.5307571
The Bishop’s Wife
https://tubitv.com/movies/553650/the-bishops-wife?start=true&utm_source=google-feed&tracking=google-feed
Dorothy Watson Tatem, D.Min., ACC
Senior Associate
Next Step Associates, LLC
Cassandra W. Jones, Ed.D.
CEO & President
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