Dinah and I have celebrated the advent of Christ’s coming in many different countries and seen many different traditions. We have enjoyed snow-filled Christmases in the northern hemisphere and hot Christmases in Africa and the South Pacific. One of our favorites was Christmas in Israel where we visited the Church of the Annunciation on Christmas Day and attended a midnight worship service at a German church near the site of the feeding of the 5,000. As we approach Christmas 2011, could we share in reading the following passages of both Old Testament prophecy and New Testament accounts of the events surrounding Christ’s miraculous birth?

Old Testament Prophecies

God’s Promise to DavidII Samuel 7:13-14, “He is the One who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be His Father and He will be my Son.”

A Sign Will Be GivenIsaiah 7:14,“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

A Child is BornIsaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

From the Root of JesseIsaiah 11:1-2, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”

The Highway of HolinessIsaiah 35:8a, “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Highway of Holiness.”

Bethlehem will be the birthplace of MessiahMicah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

New Testament Accounts

Jesus' Birth is Announced by an AngelLuke 1:30-33, “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

The Birth of JesusLuke 2:4-7, “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first born, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manager, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

The Angels and the ShepherdsLuke 2:8-14, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Sud-denly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests’.”

The Wisemen Visit JesusMatthew 2:7-12, “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treas-ures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”

Have a wonderful Christmas as we celebrate Christ’s miraculous birth.

J Fred Huff

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