12/25/2022
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (mas means flesh. The Christ has come in the
flesh!!!)
“At
that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should
be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census
taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their
own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph
was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea,
David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of
Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now
obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her
baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She
wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger,
because there was no lodging available for them. That night there
were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of
sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the
radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I
bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The
Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has
been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will
recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in
strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined
by a vast host of others — the armies of
heaven — praising God and saying, “Glory to God in
highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is
pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds
said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this
thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They
hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the
baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told
everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about
this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but
Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told
them.” (Luke
2:1-20 NLT)