THE FIRST CHRISTMAS - [ALTERNATE LESSON]
[Luke:2:7-20 [7] And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. [8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. [10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. [11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. [12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. [13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, [14] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. [15] And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. [16] And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. [17] And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. [18] And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. [19] But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. [20] And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. ]; [Isaiah:11:1-5 [1] And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: [2] And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; [3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: [4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. [5] And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. ]; [Matthew:2:1-12 [1] Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, [2] Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. [3] When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. [4] And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. [5] And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, [6] And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. [7] Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. [8] And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. [9] When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. [10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. [11] And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. [12] And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. ].
“He shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
A Wonderful Baby
One night long, long ago, a Baby Boy came to live with a kind and gentle young woman in the land of Palestine. Can you guess her name? Yes, it was Mary! Mary and her husband Joseph lived in the town of Nazareth, but this night when her little boy was born they were in Bethlehem.
The House of Jesse
Many years before, a man named Jesse had lived in this same little town of Bethlehem. Jesse had several sons; and David, his youngest boy, took care of his father’s sheep. Sometimes David had to take the sheep a long way from home to find the good pasture, and grass for them to eat. No doubt David talked with God many times when he was alone with the sheep on the hillsides or in the valleys. God helped David to protect the sheep when a lion and a bear came to kill them.
David loved and served God all his life. Even when he was a great king, he took time to pray to God three times a day
-– in the morning, probably the first thing after he dressed; at noontime he prayed again; and also in the evening. And David read God’s Word, the Bible, so that he would know just what God wanted him to do. One day God sent a message to David and told him that someday one of his relatives would be king forever and ever.
This great King who was to come would be wise and kind to everybody, and He would help the poor and sick people. Many people who read the Bible knew that this King was coming, but they did not know that that very night He had been born in Bethlehem.
Men of the East
Far away in the East there were some men who we are sure loved God. These men were wise, and they often watched the stars at night and perhaps talked about God and the King whom God was going to send to help all the people of the earth. No doubt they prayed and told God how much they needed a king who would love the people and teach them how to be good, just as we pray today and ask God to send Jesus again to take His people away from this wicked world.
A Special Baby
Mary’s Baby was different from any of the little boys who have ever been born in all the world. Mary knew this was a very special Baby because the angel, Gabriel, had come right down out of Heaven and told her about Him. The angel told Mary that God was pleased with her sweet, gentle ways and her good heart, and He was going to give her a Son. In a way, this little Boy really would not belong to Mary because He would be the Son of God, but Mary was to take care of Him until He grew up. His name was to be Jesus, and someday He would be King forever and ever. Mary may have wondered why God had chosen her from all of David’s relatives to be the mother of His very own Son, but she must have thought: I will be the very best mother I can be, and every day I will ask God to help me.
In a Manger
There were many visitors in Bethlehem at that time, because all the people who were related to King David had come to be taxed, to pay money to the government. There wasn’t room for Mary and Joseph in the Bethlehem inn, or hotel, but no doubt some kind family let them sleep in the place where the cows, sheep, and camels usually stayed at night. Perhaps Joseph put clean straw on the floor and then spread out the quilts and blankets the family let them have on which to sleep. But when the Baby Jesus came, Mary wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger.
The Shepherds
Suddenly they heard footsteps; and when Joseph went to the door, there were some shepherds. Probably one of them said, “Is there a baby here?” And as they caught sight of the Baby Jesus in the manger, they perhaps said: “Oh, this is the One the angel told us about! This is the Saviour, the Christ, we and our people have been waiting and watching for these many years. An angel came to us as we were watching our sheep out in the field tonight, and told us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and that we would find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
The shepherds surely knelt in worship before the tiny Child, and thanked God that they were among the first to see Jesus, the Son of God, who had come to save His people from their sins.
The Wise Men
One night a bright star shone right over the house where Mary and Joseph and the Child Jesus were staying, and some men who were most likely riding camel-back, came down the stony roadway to Bethlehem. Oh, they are the wise men from the East! Now they have found the Child, and they know He is the great King God had said He would send, and they fall down and worship Jesus. The wise men open the presents they have brought and give Him pieces of gold, and sweet-smelling frankincense and myrrh.
Perhaps they tell Mary and Joseph that one night as they were watching the stars and thinking about the King who was to come they felt very close to God, and suddenly one of them saw a bright star they had never seen before, and someway they knew that if they followed the star they would find Jesus, their Saviour and King.
Jesus Is Coming Again
The shepherds, the wise men, and all who loved God and read His Word in those days were looking for Jesus to come because the Bible said He would come, and everything the Bible says always comes true.
Now we know Jesus is coming again for those who are saved and love and serve Him every day, because the Bible tells us He is coming. We want to tell everyone that Jesus is coming very soon, so they will pray and be saved and be ready to go to be with Him, too.
1. Where did Mary first lay the Baby Jesus? [Luke:2:7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
]
2. How did the shepherds know that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem? [Luke:2:10-11 [10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
[11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
].
3. How did the wise men find Jesus? [Matthew:2:2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
], [Matthew:2:9When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
].
4. Jesus was born in what family? [Isaiah:11:1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
]; [Psalms:89:20I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
], [Psalms:89:29His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
].
5. What kind of King is Jesus? [Isaiah:11:2-5 [2] And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
[3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
[4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
[5] And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
].
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