The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
Now the Birth of Jesus the Messiah, took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, 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, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;[b] and he named him Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSV)
‘Twas the season of Advent, and whispers abound,
For everyone knew Santa was coming to town.
The kids tried so hard to be extra good,
And the did all the things that they knew that they should.
They cleaned up their rooms. They said, “Thank you!” and “Please!”
And they even ate all of their carrots and peas.
But there were others in town whose actions weren’t great;
Instead, they stole packages and spread words of hate.
So, at that little church in Oldtown, they met
To light a candle in hopes of lessening the threat.
The candle they lit was the candle of love
That carried with it a story from above.
The scripture that day told the story of two
That would become three before the story was through.
The story had angels, and shepherds, and kings,
And it told of all kinds of unexpected things:
A young girl with child, who was not married yet,
And her fiancee, who was beginning to fret.
But an angel came to quell their fears
And assured them that, for many years,
The prophets had promised a chosen one
Whose life, through them, was about to come.
So, instead of reacting with anger and fear,
They praised God, for the message was clear
That even though life doesn’t go as you plan,
You should still love others as much as you can.
‘Cause the choice is ours to love or to hate,
Though some believe it’s all about fate.
But I believe goodness comes when goodness we share,
And love is the gift that we give when we care.
But, back to the story again for a minute,
So that we can remember how to begin it.
A story of a baby, a mom, and a dad,
And the difficult journey that they all had.
But were they filled with anger? Did they curse and shout
In reaction to all that was coming about?
No, they listened to God, and they followed God’s call,
Which led them to a manger stall.
What a strange place for a king to be born,
Which is just what happened on that Christmas morn.
But this king was different, with no judgment or greed.
Instead, he spent his life planting seed,
And teaching the people to love and to care,
Never to hurt others, and always to share.
Watch out for the widow, and the poor, and the weak,
For they are all blessed, including the meek.
But the most important lesson he taught
Goes back to the candle of love, we almost forgot!
The little baby that was born in the hay
Would teach the world an important lesson one day,
To love the Lord with all your heart
And loving your neighbor are the best ways to start.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, if you’re able,
Please talk about love at your Christmas table.
Encourage each other to do what is right,
To love your neighbor, and never to fight.
Let’s brighten our corner of the world if we can,
By carrying the candle of love in our hand,
And sharing the story of the mother and dad,
And the little baby boy that they had.
Sure, there were presents given by kings that day,
Just like the presents Santa brings our way.
But let’s not just be good that we might get a gift.
Instead, let’s work for a societal shift
That hate might cease and love might abound.
That’s something I pray that this Christmas will be found
As we finish this rhyme, may it be so!
And thanks be to God from the people below.
May your Christmas be merry, and your new year be bright,
And may you love your neighbor with all of your might.
With a heartfelt wish for good will to all men,
Let us finish this story with a joy-filled, “Amen!”
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