The First Christmas

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Merry Christmas everyone and I mean Merry Christmas not any of that happy holidays stuff.  Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ and even though the Bible does not encourage us to celebrate the birth of Christ, without the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, Jesus would have been just another man.  The fact that Jesus was born of a virgin means he had no biological earthly father and is indeed the Son of God. 

Sadly, a recent poll in Britain revealed that many young people from ages 18-24 are confused about the story of the miraculous birth of Christ as told in the Bible.  The poll revealed the following:

1)      Ten percent believe Father Christmas was a Biblical figure mentioned in the Gospel accounts of Jesus.  (1)   I have read all four of the Gospels several times and not only is there no mention of Father Christmas but the word Christmas is not even mentioned. 

2)      Seven percent believe there was a Christmas tree mentioned in the Bible.  (1)  Once again, how could a Christmas tree be mentioned if the word Christmas does not appear. 

3)      One-third of the respondents believed that the Bible specifies December 25 as the day Christ was born.  (1)  There is no specific mention of the day of Christ’s birth in the Bible for the day of Jesus birth is not important.  It is the fact He was born. 

What this poll reveals is the lack of educating youth about the truth of the story of Christmas.  The best account of the true story of the first Christmas occurs in the Gospel of Luke so why not we let God’s Word do the talking.

The Birth of Jesus

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2(This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own towns to register for this census. 4 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. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancé, who was obviously pregnant by this time.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 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 room for them in the village inn.

The Shepherds and Angels

8 That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, 10 but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! 11 The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!"

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God: 

14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven,and peace on earth to all whom God favors."

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Come on, let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16 They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, 19 but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said (Luke 2:1-20, NLT). 

Merry Christmas everyone and take some time this busy season to remember the true reason for Christmas.  Remember the miraculous virgin birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  The one that would die and rise again to give us salvation from our sins. 

1. Lee, Tony. Young people in Britain are confused about the story of Christ's birth as told in the Bible. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, December 23, 2013. [Cited: December 23, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/12/23/Poll-Youngsters-in-Britain-Confused-About-Story-of-Christ-s-Birth.