Christmas_Service

Good evening everyone from Hawaii to all points of the world, as the tears roll down my face, I look back at all the attacks that I have experienced and all the suffering that I have to go through for this church, know one understands as your pastor the elements that all lead up just to do a sermon, my health has gotten so bad, and my spirit is so busted and my heart is so broken and I understand that is what the evil one has been doing to me all this week, no one could ever begin the days that each hour of torment I have to go through just to keep this church a float. And to keep my wits about me with all these stressful situations and all the darts I get into my heart day after day, and being messed with by the world and the evilness and all the prayer and all the fasting I must do just to remain a good Christian man, but it is not our works, we are saved by grace, and the faith in the Lord Jesus and still I carry my cross, and no one can see except the Lord, and sometimes I don’t even know if I can go on day to day, some days if I walk to far I am exhausted, and I wonder when all the trials will be over. I can not ask God when, all I can do is praise Him, I wish sometimes I had some more help or just some more people around to just say Paul you are going to make it everything is fine, I know the Lord is happy with me, but I am still a sinner and I know I am not the best person in the world, I try and keep trying everyday, I sit and watch the candles burn and the tears run down my face, and sometimes I am so hurt in my mind, and still at time I don’t think I even pray enough, I hope the Lord knows that all these doctors are just messing with me, and the world and society have just compounded the suffering, but the other day I had to sit and read that famous book about martyrs, and to know that these people are suffering a lot worse then I, so I have put up with a strange disease for a year, so I have lost all my weight, and so I haven’t been able to eat in over a year, and so I have to live out of a blender, this is all old news, and I just want to praise the Lord for what I have and this church is gone world wide and we are listed as number one all through the world and the states on every major search engine, it doesn’t matter we as a church are not suppose to be big and popular we are just to preach Christ and Him crucified and His love and His salvation and the joy the Lord gives, and if we don’t become friends with Jesus we will end up in hell. I don’t think anyone wants to end up in hell. So my people I love you, and I have gone through great amounts of suffering just to preach these sermons, and I don’t claim to be a great scholar and some genius or some spiritual healer, I am just a simple pastor, that loves everyone and holds no grudges or has anything bad to say about anyone. I got so hurt on the 22nd that the camera just wouldn’t work and I was at the most beautiful parts of the beach with a the black lava rock that forms pools and I could not take the pictures I needed, and by the time it was fixed it was dark so all I have are some pictures of some store fronts and a few people shopping, I was so heartbroken I almost gave up with the Christmas evening sermon, and that is what the devil wanted me to do, but I said press on, I am not giving up so here I am and I am here to welcome all of you to The Church Ministries Special Christmas Service, I hope and pray for all the members and I pass my love to all visitors and we are here to praise the birth of our Jesus, and if it wasn’t for Him I would be somewhere in hell burning up begging God to forgive me. So I hope you all learn to love the Lord Jesus Christ, because He has gone through so much for you and I hope by the end of this sermon you all understand His birth and everything that goes along with the story of Christmas. God Bless you all!!

Dear Heavenly Father, Father we don’t know how to thank you for this unbelievable gift You have given to all of us all through the world. The birth of our Lord Jesus who is the greatest gift you could have possibly given to every one of us. We all are here on this Christmas Eve to honor Your Son. We stand in awe of You Father, the closest thing to you almighty God, would be your Son, nothing else could be so precious to You Lord, than Your Son how could we ever thank You enough. There is no word to describe the baby Jesus who was born in poverty and then became the most precious thing to all of us here on the planet earth. I can imagine the discussion You two had before all of this was taken place. How You and your Son came up with this plan to save the world by grace just by believing in Your Son of born by the virgin Mary so long ago. We don’t know how to praise You enough for all the gifts you have given us already, but to give us Your Son, it is so overwhelming, then plan, the genealogy and how you planned each family to progress from generation to generation with perfect accuracy, and by being able to save our spiritual lives from death and sin. Father, help us all with true repentance to follow and give such glorious celebration for the plan of the recreation of man. Father, You knew ahead of time and You knew how You going to feel, when your Son was on the cross, and you had to turn Your head for that spit second as Jesus had taken on the sins of the world. We honestly don’t know the exact date of the true birth, and we understand there is a lot of facts that are involved but Lord You know our hearts, this is Christmas, the birth of the beloved salvation Jesus Christ to the planet earth, and we can’t stand indifferent with everyone, all the small details must hurt You, the added things and traditions of men that the globe has given to the spirit of Christmas but Father forgive us for these idiosyncrasies that are in involved with all the customs of this world. Father we are here to celebrate the birth of Your Son, and we are gathered here today for You and the gift You have given us all. When You planed for the announcements of the angle to the Shepard’s, and how excited they were when they quickly came into that manger filled with other livestock and how Mary and Joseph were sitting there in awe of such a great accomplishment, and they had his look of sheer amazement, and mixed within there hearts and souls of being tired from traveling and giving the birth, and the baby Jesus was not still real to them yet, they were in type of a shock, that these men arrived and they new about this birth and here lay the Christ Child not laying in royal robes but on straw, I always wondered if it was comfortable for the baby, but I know Father for Your Son the straw was soft without any sharp edges, and even today this bed of straw is one that You can see in millions of households today, to me the straw bed is a royal bed in which You Mary and Joseph made Your Son comfortable. Then when you put up that shinning star for the Magi to find and be directed to that exact spot. Plus they traveled so far and brought with them special gifts for the Christ, who at that time they considered Him king and to worship the new born baby boy. Father I pray that the rest of the world will understand what has truly happened this night 2000 years ago, and still today there are so many that worship Him and all knees will bow when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to us, but Father even now people are dieing for the love and faith in Christ Jesus, many now are worshiping Him and they are on their knees all across the planet. Father we truly want to express the love as we stand here today with the ultimate awe of praise. To release us all from sin, from the big mistake that Adam and Eve made, and You and Jesus came up with this plan to save the rest of the world. We pray and feel so sorry Lord that Your chosen people still don’t believe in Your Son, I wish there was a way this church could make enough holy sense and spiritual realism to bring a few, to the light of God. Your Son Jesus is the only thing in this life that has significance, it is like Simeon he waited his whole life to see Jesus the messiah, and he didn’t want to leave the earth till he could just see the Christ the salvation of the world, and to touch him and hold him, he was thrilled and the man was so joyful. Then you have Anna who worshipped You day and night and went around the whole temple claiming the name of the Son of redemption. Just imagine it is a possibility, even as a child Jesus new what His life was going to entail. Father, You chose young Mary, and she carried him and gave birth to Him and she went up against great trials and odds, explaining everything about her being pregnant to Joseph, and Joseph had to keep this whole thing to himself, and then he had to explain it to his father, in which he almost didn’t understand. Then Mary was almost stoned because of this whole affair, but then you sent another angel to Joseph after Mary and then the two went through so much to keep the child safe, and how Mary had to ponder these great revelations in here heart when she spoke to Elizabeth and the thoughts that went through her mind riding on that donkey for so many miles and the pain she had to go through, and then they arrived in Bethlehem and she couldn’t go on any further and then they were lead by a kind woman to the place of birth. What a story Father, we praise You for all of this Lord, we pray and ask to please forgive us of all our sins, and Lord if there is anyone tonight that is out there in this celebration that wants to experience the love of the Lord Jesus they can. Anyone can contact me or the church at anytime. Jesus even gave us the comforter when he had to leave and return to You and sit beside You, You see this whole plan is probably the greatest thing known to anyone, we are never left alone. Father we ask that the Holy Spirit anoint each and every one us until we have those tears of Joy, and feel the presence of the trinity. We Praise the Name of the Lord! Jesus! Jesus, Merry Christmas to all, this evening, we are poring our hearts out to you Father! In the name of Your Son, Amen and Amen

Part 2 - THE COMING BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IS ANNOUNCED

Luke 1:5-25 - The story begins in the days when Herod was king of Judea with a priest called Zacharias, whose wife Elisabeth was, like him, a descendant of Aaron. They were both truly religious people, blamelessly observing all God's commandments and requirements. They were childless through Elisabeth's infertility, and both of them were getting on in years. One day, while Zacharias was performing his priestly functions (it was the turn of his division to be on duty), it fell to him to go into the sanctuary and burn the incense. The crowded congregation outside was praying at the actual time of the incense-burning, when an angel of the Lord appeared on the right side of the incense-altar. When Zacharias saw him, he was terribly agitated and a sense of awe swept over him. But the angel spoke to him,

"Do not be afraid, Zacharias; your prayers have been heard. Elisabeth your wife will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. This will be joy and delight to you and many more will be glad because he is born. He will be one of God's great men; he will touch neither wine nor strong drink and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment of his birth. He will turn many of Israel's children to the Lord their God. He will go out before God in the spirit and power of Elijah - to reconcile fathers and children, and bring back the disobedient to the wisdom of good men - and he will make a people fully ready for their Lord."

But Zacharias replied to the angel, "How can I know that this is true? I am an old man myself and my wife is getting on in years ..."

"I am Gabriel," the angel answered. "I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. Because you do not believe what I have said, you shall live in silence, and you shall be unable to speak a word until the day that it happens. But be sure that everything that I have told you will come true at the proper time."

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zacharias, wondering why he stayed so long in the sanctuary. But when he came out and was unable to speak a word to them - for although he kept making signs, not a sound came from his lips - they realised that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Later, when his days of duty were over, he went back home, and soon afterwards his wife Elisabeth became pregnant and kept herself secluded for five months.

"How good the Lord is to me," she would say, "now that he has taken away the shame that I have suffered."

Part 3 - THE COMING BIRTH OF JESUS IS ANNOUNCED

(Matthew 1:18-24a, Luke 1:26-56)

Matthew 1:18-24a - The birth of Jesus Christ happened like this. When Mary was engaged to Joseph, just before their marriage, she was discovered to be pregnant - by the Holy Spirit. Whereupon Joseph, her future husband, who was a good man and did not want to see her disgraced, planned to break off the engagement quietly. But while he was turning the matter over in his mind an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife! What she has conceived is conceived through the Holy Spirit, and she will give birth to a son, whom you will call Jesus ('the Saviour') for it is he who will save his people from their sins."

All this happened to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet - 'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel'. ("Immanuel" means "God with us.")

When Joseph woke up he did what the angel had told him.

Luke 1:26-56 - Then, six months after Zacharias' vision (in which he was told of the coming birth of his son John), the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a Galilean town, Nazareth by name, to a young woman who was engaged to a man called Joseph. The girl's name was Mary. The angel entered her room and said, "Greetings to you, Mary. O favoured one! - the Lord be with you!"

Mary was deeply perturbed at these words and wondered what such a greeting could possibly mean. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; God loves you dearly. You are going to be the mother of a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be known as the Son of the most high. The Lord God will give him the throne of his forefather, David, and he will be king over the people of Jacob for ever. His reign shall never end."

Then Mary spoke to the angel, "How can this be," she said, "I am not married!"

But the angel made this reply to her - "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the most high will overshadow you. Your child will therefore be called holy - the Son of God. Your cousin Elisabeth has also conceived a son, old as she is. Indeed, this is the sixth month for her, a woman who was called barren. For no promise of God can fail to be fulfilled."

"I belong to the Lord, body and soul," replied Mary, "let it happen as you say." And at this the angel left her.

With little delay Mary got ready and hurried off to the hillside town in Judea where Zacharias and Elisabeth lived. She went into their house and greeted her cousin. When Elisabeth heard her greeting, the unborn child stirred inside her and she herself was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is your child! What an honour it is to have the mother of my Lord come to see me! Why, as soon as your greeting reached my ears, the child within me jumped for joy! Oh, how happy is the woman who believes in God, for he does make his promises to her come true."

Then Mary said, "My heart is overflowing with praise of my Lord, my soul is full of joy in God my Saviour. For he has deigned to notice me, his humble servant and, after this, all the people who ever shall be will call me the happiest of women! The one who can do all things has done great things for me - oh, holy is his Name! Truly, his mercy rests on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has swept away the high and mighty. He has set kings down from their thrones and lifted up the humble. He has satisfied the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands. Yes, he has helped Israel, his child: he has remembered the mercy that he promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and his sons for evermore!"

So Mary stayed with Elisabeth about three months, and then went back to her own home.

Part 4 - BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Luke 1:57-80 - Then came the time for Elisabeth's child to be born, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relations heard of the great mercy the Lord had shown her and shared her joy.

When the eighth day came, they were going to circumcise the child and call him Zacharias, after his father, but his mother said, "Oh, no! He must be called John."

"But none of your relations is called John," they replied. And they made signs to his father to see what name he wanted the child to have. He beckoned for a writing-tablet and wrote the words, "His name is John", which greatly surprised everybody. Then his power of speech suddenly came back, and his first words were to thank God. The neighbours were awe-struck at this, and all these incidents were reported in the hill-country of Jude People turned the whole matter over in their hearts, and said, "What is this child's future going to be?" For the Lord's blessing was plainly upon him.

Then Zacharias, his father, filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking like a prophet, said, "Blessings on the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has turned his face towards his people and has set them free! And he has raised up for us a standard of salvation in his servant David's house! Long, long ago, through the words of his holy prophets, he promised to do this for us, so that we should be safe from our enemies and secure from all who hate us. So does he continue the mercy he showed to our forefathers. So does he remember the holy agreement he made with them and the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, to make us this gift: that we should be saved from the hands of our enemies, and in his presence should serve him unafraid in holiness and righteousness all our lives.

"And you (John), little child, will be called the prophet of the most high, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for his coming. It will be for you to give his people knowledge of their salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because the heart of our God is full of mercy towards us, the first light of Heaven shall come to visit us - to shine on those who lie in darkness and under the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the path of peace."

The little child grew up and became strong in spirit. He lived in lonely places until the day came for him to show himself to Israel.

Part 5 - BIRTH OF JESUS

(Matthew 1:24b-25, Luke 2:1-38)

Matthew 1:24b-25 - He (Joseph) married Mary, but had no intercourse with her until she had given birth to a son. Then he gave him the name Jesus.

Luke 2:1-38 - At that time (of the birth of John the Baptist) a proclamation was made by Caesar Augustus that all the inhabited world should be registered. This was the first census, undertaken while Cyrenius was governor of Syria and everybody went to the town of his birth to be registered. Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to David's town, Bethlehem, in Judea, because he was a direct descendant of David, to be registered with his future wife, Mary, now in the later stages of her pregnancy. So it happened that it was while they were there in Bethlehem that she came to the end of her time. She gave birth to her first child, a son. And as there was no place for them inside the inn, she wrapped him up and laid him in a manger.

A vision comes to shepherds on the hill-side

There were some shepherds living in the same part of the country, keeping guard throughout the night over their flocks in the open fields. Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by their side, the splendour of the Lord blazed around them, and they were terror-stricken. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid! Listen, I bring you glorious news of great joy which is for all the people. This very day, in David's town, a Saviour has been born for you. He is Christ, the Lord. Let this prove it to you: you will find a baby, wrapped up and lying in a manger."

And in a flash there appeared with the angel a vast host of the armies of Heaven, praising God, saying, "Glory to God in the highest Heaven! Peace upon earth among men of goodwill!"

When the angels left them and went back into Heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Now let us go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us."

So they came as fast as they could and they found Mary and Joseph - and the baby lying in the manger. And when they had seen this sight, they told everybody what had been said to them about the little child. And those who heard them were amazed at what the shepherds said. But Mary treasured all these things and turned them over in her mind. The shepherds went back to work, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, which had happened just as they had been told.

Mary and Joseph bring their newly-born son to the Temple

At the end of the eight days, the time came for circumcising the child and he was called Jesus, the name given to him by the angel before his conception.

When the "purification" time, stipulated by the Law of Moses, was completed, they brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. This was to fulfil a requirement of the Law - 'Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord' .

They also offered the sacrifice prescribed by the Law - 'A pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons'.

In Jerusalem was a man by the name of Simeon. He was an upright man, devoted to the service of God, living in expectation of the "salvation of Israel". His heart was open to the Holy Spirit, and it had been revealed to him that he would not die before he saw the Lord's Christ. He had been led by the Spirit to go into the Temple, and when Jesus' parents brought the child in to have done to him what the Law required, he took him up in his arms, blessed God, and said - "At last, Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised! For with my own eyes I have seen your salvation which you have made ready for every people - a light to show truth to the Gentiles and bring glory to your people Israel."

The child's father and mother were still amazed at what was said about him, when Simeon gave them his blessing. He said to Mary, the child's mother, "This child is destined to make many fall and many rise in Israel and to set up a standard which many will attack - for he will expose the secret thoughts of many hearts. And for you ... your very soul will be pierced by a sword."

There was also present, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, who was a prophetess. She was a very old woman, having had seven years' married life and was now a widow of eighty-four. She spent her whole life in the Temple and worshipped God night and day with fastings and prayers. She came up at this very moment, praised God and spoke about Jesus to all those in Jerusalem who were expecting redemption.

Part 6 - TWO ACCOUNTS OF THE ANCESTRY OF JESUS

(Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23b-38)

Matthew 1:1-17 - In Matthew, the line starts with Abraham and goes Up through King David and his son Solomon to Jesus, to emphasise his royal descent:

This is the record of the ancestry of Jesus Christ who was the descendant of both David and Abraham:

Abraham (c 1,800BC, originally "Abram", a man of great faith, and father of nations, Genesis chapters 11-25) was the father of

Isaac (Genesis 17-35), who was the father of

Jacob (later "Israel" and father of the 12 tribes, Genesis 25-50), who was the father of

Judah (father of the royal tribe of Israel, Genesis 29-50) and his brothers, who was the father of Perez (Genesis 38:29) and Zerah (Genesis 38:30) (whose mother was Tamar - Genesis 38). ....

Perez to David (Ruth 4:18-22):

Perez was the father of

Hezron, who was the father of

Ram, who was the father of

Amminadab, who was the father of

Nahshon, who was the father of

Salmon, who was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab - Joshua chapters 2 and 6).

Boaz (Book of Ruth) was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth - also the Book of Ruth), and

Obed was the father of

Jesse (1 Samuel 16-17), who was the father of ....

Kings of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah c 1,000BC:

.... King David (1 Samuel 16-31; 2 Samuel 1-24; 1 Kings 1-2), who was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Uriah's wife - 2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Kings 1-2).

Solomon (2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Kings 1-11; 1 Chronicles 22-23, 28-29; 2 Chronicles 1-9) was the father of ....

Kings of Judah - good and bad:

.... Rehoboam, who was the father of

Abijah, who was the father of

Asa, who was the father of

Jehoshaphat, who was the father of

Joram (or Jehoram), who was the father (or great-great grandfather, through Kings Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah) of

Uzziah (or Azariah), who was the father of

Jotham, who was the father of

Ahaz, who was the father of

Hezekiah, who was the father of

Manasseh, who was the father of

Amon, who was the father of

Josiah, who was the father (or grandfather, through King Jehoiakim) of

Jechoniah (or Jehoiachin) and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon (c 587BC).

- The lives of the Kings of Judah - and of Israel, can be found in 1 Kings 12-22, 2 Kings 1-25, and 2 Chronicles 10-36;

- When Jechoniah was taken captive to Babylon, his uncle, Zedekiah, was appointed last King of Judah -

After Babylon:

After the Babylonian exile Jechoniah (or Jehoiachin) was the father of

Shealtiel (or Salathiel, 1 Chronicles 3:17), who was the father (or grandfather, through Pedaiah, 1 Chronicles 3:19) of

Zerubbabel (a leader of the exiles who returned to Jerusalem, Ezra 2-5), who was the father of

Abiud, who was the father of

Eliakim, who was the father of

Azor, who was the father of

Sadoc, who was the father of

Achim, who was the father of

Eliud, who was the father of

Eleazar, who was the father of

Matthan, who was the father of

Jacob, who was the father of

Joseph (the carpenter), who was the husband of Mary, the mother of

Jesus Christ.

The genealogy of Jesus Christ may thus be traced for fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen from the deportation to Christ himself.

Luke 3:23b-38 - Luke's genealogy is traced Down through King David's son Nathan all the way to Adam, the first man, to emphasise both Jesus' royal descent and his descent from God:

People assumed that ....

Jesus to King David:

.... Jesus was the son of

Joseph (the carpenter), who was the son of

Heli, who was the son of

Matthat, who was the son of

Levi, who was the son of

Melchi, who was the son of

Jannai, who was the son of

Joseph, who was the son of

Mattathias, who was the son of

Amos, who was the son of

Nahum, who was the son of

Esli, who was the son of

Naggai, who was the son of

Maath, who was the son of

Mattathias, who was the son of

Semein, who was the son of

Josech, who was the son of

Joda, who was the son of

Joanan, who was the son of

Rhesa, who was the son of

Zerubbabel, who was the son of

Shealtiel, who was the son of

Neri, who was the son of

Melch, who was the son of

Addi, who was the son of

Cosam, who was the son of

Elmadam, who was the son of

Er, who was the son of

Jesus, who was the son of

Eliezer, who was the son of

Jorim, who was the son of

Matthat, who was the son of

Levi, who was the son of

Symeon, who was the son of

Judas, who was the son of

Joseph, who was the son of

Jonam, who was the son of

Eliakim, who was the son of

Melea, who was the son of

Menna, who was the son of

Mattatha, who was the son of

Nathan (brother of Solomon - 2 Samuel 5:14, and both sons of Bathsheba - 1 Chronicles 3:5), who was the son of ....

David to Abraham:

.... David, who was the son of

Jesse, who was the son of

Obed, who was the son of

Boaz, who was the son of

Salmon, who was the son of

Nahshon, who was the son of

Amminadab, who was the son of

Arni (or Ram in some manuscripts), who was the son of

Hezron, who was the son of

Perez, who was the son of

Judah, who was the son of

Jacob, who was the son of

Isaac, who was the son of

Abraham, who was the son of ....

Terah to Shem:

.... Terah, who was the son of

Nahor, who was the son of

Serug, who was the son of

Reu, who was the son of

Peleg, who was the son of

Eber, who was the son of

Shelah, who was the son of

Cainan (who only appears in the Greek Septuagint Old Testament, and not in the original Hebrew Bible), who was the son of

Arphaxad, who was the son of

Shem, who was the son of ....

Noah to Adam:

.... Noah, who was the son of

Lamech, who was the son of

Methuselah, who was the son of

Enoch, who was the son of

Jared, who was the son of

Mahalaleel, who was the son of

Cainan (or Kenan), who was the son of

Enos (or Enosh), who was the son of

Seth, who was the son of

Adam, who was the son of

God.

Part 7 - INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD OF JESUS

(Matthew 2:1-23; Luke 2:39-52)

Matthew 2:1-23 - Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, in the days when Herod was king of the province. Not long after his birth there arrived from the east a party of astrologers making for Jerusalem and enquiring as they went, "Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and we have come here to pay homage to him."

When King Herod heard about this he was deeply perturbed, as indeed were all the other people living in Jerusalem. So he summoned all the Jewish scribes and chief priests together and asked where "Christ" should be born. Their reply was: "In Bethlehem, in Judea, for this is what the prophet (Micah) wrote about the matter - 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel'."

Then Herod invited the wise men to meet him privately and found out from them the exact time when the star appeared. Then he sent them off to Bethlehem saying, "When you get there, search for this little child with the utmost care. And when you have found him come back and tell me - so that I may go and worship him too."

The wise men listened to the king and then went on their way to Bethlehem. And now the star, which they had seen in the east, went in front of them as they travelled until at last it shone immediately above the place where the little child lay. The sight of the star filled them with indescribable joy.

So they went into the house and saw the little child with his mother Mary. And they fell on their knees and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts - gold, incense and myrrh.

Then, since they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by a different route.

But after they had gone, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up now, take the little child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you. For Herod means to seek out the child and kill him."

So Joseph got up, and taking the child and his mother with him in the middle of the night, set off for Egypt, where he remained until Herod's death.

This again is a fulfilment of the Lord's word spoken through the prophet - 'Out of Egypt I called my son'.

When Herod saw that he had been fooled by the wise men he was furiously angry. He issued orders, and killed all the male children of two years and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding district - basing his calculation on his careful questioning of the wise men.

Then Jeremiah's prophecy was fulfilled: 'A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they were no more'

Jesus is brought to Nazareth

But after Herod's death (in 4BC) an angel of the Lord again appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Now get up and take the infant and his mother with you and go into the land of Israel. For those who sought the child's life are dead."

So Joseph got up and took the little child and his mother with him and journeyed towards the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was now reigning as king of Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to enter the country. Then he received warning in a dream to turn aside into the district of Galilee (now ruled by Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea) and came to live in a small town called Nazareth - thus fulfilling the old prophecy, that he should be called a Nazarene.

Luke 2:39-52 - When they (Mary and Joseph) had completed all the requirements of the Law of the Lord (in the Temple at Jerusalem), they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew up and became strong and full of wisdom. And God's blessing was upon him.

Twelve years later: the boy Jesus goes with his parents to Jerusalem

Every year at the Passover festival Jesus' parents used to go to Jerusalem. When he was twelve years old they went up to the city as usual for the festival. When it was over they started back home, but the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, without his parents' knowledge. They went a day's journey assuming that he was somewhere in their company, and then they began to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. They failed to find him, however, and turned back to the city, looking for him as they went. Three days later, they found him - in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All those who heard him were astonished at his powers of comprehension and at the answers that he gave. When Joseph and Mary saw him, they could hardly believe their eyes, and his mother said to him, "Why have you treated us like this, my son? Here have your father and I been very worried, looking for you everywhere!"

And Jesus replied, "But why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

But they did not understand his reply. Then he went home with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them. And his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And as Jesus continued to grow in body and mind, he grew also in the love of God and of those who knew him.