In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
... No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1: vs. 1-5,14,18
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from
God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name
was Joseph, of the house of David; and the woman's name was Mary. And he came
to her and said, "Hail, O Favored One, the Lord is with you!" But she
was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of
greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid,
Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your
womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and
will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the
throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel,
"How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to
her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the
Son of God." ... And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the
Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from
her. Luke 2: vs. 26-35; 38
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.
When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together
she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being
a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your
wife, for that which is conceived of her is of the Holy Spirit; and she will
bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from
their sin." And this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the
prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name
shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke
from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife,
but knew her not until she had borne a son, and he called his name Jesus.
Matthew 1: vs. 18-25
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor
of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David), to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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. Luke 2: vs.1-7
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord come upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men". 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."
And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2: vs.8-20
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: 'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.' " Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Matthew 2: vs.1-12
Am I the only person who wishes that all these people who had conversations
with angels had been a bit more conscientious and left a more detailed
description of what they look like? It may have been a common place thing
for them but this mere mortal would like to know!
I apologize if I sound sacriligious but I have often tried to put myself in Mary
and/or Joseph's shoes. I'm not sure which I admire more.
Mary took on a tremendous
responsibility. I've often wondered if she panicked once she'd had time to
think about what she'd done. What if Joseph didn't believe her? What would become of her
and the child? HOW do you raise the Son of God? All very frightening thoughts.In Breath of Heaven,
Mary prays over just these issues. For a more traditional hymn about Mary see Ave Maria.
BUT she did have one advantage over Joseph. She knew this was
a child conceived of the Holy Spirit. Put yourself in Joseph's shoes. Your fiance
goes off for a few months to visit her cousin. When she comes back, she tells you
she is pregnant ... and that the child is the Son of God. Yeah, right? That must
have been one powerful dream! See Joseph's Song for an insight
into what was going on in his mind and heart.
To contemplate what the third person in this little drama (Jesus) gave up can be a bit overwhelming. That He would love us enough to come to this planet, to become human,
to live and to die is beyond comprehension.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
