About 2,000 years ago there was a land named Judea at present a part of Israel). In the North of this land there was a town called Nazareth where a young woman named Mary lived. At this time, Mary was engaged to be married to a carpenter named Joseph.
Angel Gabriel appears to Mary
One day, the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. The Angel, Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid. Then, he said to Mary that she would soon have a son who would be the Son of God and would someday be the Saviour of the world.
He would be known as Jesus and this meant Saviour.
When Mary’s fiancé Joseph got to know that she was going to have a baby before their wedding he was worried. But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel told Joseph that God had chosen Mary to bear his Son and the baby in Mary’s womb was by the Holy Spirit. He also said that the baby’s name would be Jesus meaning the Saviour of the World. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid to marry Mary and Joseph and Mary got married.
Census
At this time, the land of Judea was a part of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by Emperor Augustus Caesar. He wanted a census or count of all the people in the land. This was so that people could not evade taxes. Everyone had to go to their hometown to register for the census. This meant that Joseph and Mary too had to go to his hometown of Bethlehem to register for the census.
It was a long and arduous journey.
Mary was very tired, especially as she was expecting a baby soon.
Alas, when Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem all the inns were full and they got turned away repeatedly. Finally, one inn keeper took pity on the weary couple and offered them accommodation in his stable. Mary and Joseph were so tired that they gladly accepted the inn keeper’s offer.
Birth of Jesus
And later that night the wondrous birth of Baby Jesus took place.
Mother Mary wrapped Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger for a crib.
Shepherds
In the hills and fields around Bethlehem Shepherds were watching over their flocks by night.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared before them and the Glory of God was all around them. The shepherds were amazed and at the same time they were very scared. However, the angel spoke to them and said,
“Don’t be afraid. I have good news for you and everyone. Today, in Bethlehem a Saviour has been born for you. You will find the baby lying in a manger.”
Angels
Suddenly, many more angels appeared, lighting up the sky around them. The shepherds heard them praising God singing:
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace to everyone on earth.”
Then, suddenly as they had appeared the angels, disappeared among the clouds.
‘When the angels had gone the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem to see what has happened.’
The shepherds reached Bethlehem and found their way to the stable.
Shepherds worship Jesus
When they saw Baby Jesus they were filled with wonder and awe. They promptly knelt and worshipped Baby Jesus. They told people what the angel had said and all who heard it marvelled at the angel’s message.
The shepherds then returned home thanking and praising God for sending his Son as man’s Saviour.
Wise Men
When Jesus was born, a brand new dazzling star appeared in the sky. Some Wise Men saw the star and realised what it meant. These men were very clever. They studied the stars and had learnt from ancient writings that a new star would appear when a great king was born. They set out to find the new king and worship him and give him precious gifts.
The three Wise Men followed the star towards the land of Judea. Once they reached the Capital Jerusalem they asked people: ‘Where is the child who is born to be king of the Jews?’
King Herod
At this time Herod was the King of Judea and he was not a good king. In fact, he was wicked.
When King Herod heard what the Wise Men were asking it made him very angry and afraid. He was frightened that this new born king that the Wise Men were seeking might take his place as king. King Herod summoned the Wise Men to his palace. He told them to follow the star until it led them to the new born king.
He said: ‘When you have found him, let me know where he is, so that I can go and worship him’. This was untrue. King Herod only wanted to harm the new born king but he did not tell the Wise Men about his evil intentions.
The Wise Men followed the star towards Bethlehem. It stopped and shone directly down upon the place where Jesus lay.
The Wise Men entered the house where Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus now lived.
Wise Men worship Jesus
The Wise Men bowed down and worshipped the new born king. They then offered the precious gifts they had brought to Jesus. The gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh.
A dream
Then, God warned the Wise Men in a dream, not to go back to King Herod. So they returned home to their countries in the East by a different route.
Nira Diaz
Dinara Hettiarachchi
