When we talk about Christmas stories, often we imagine scenes from the North Pole, snow and Santa

Claus. At other times, we imagine the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, with Scrooge and the three ghosts of past, present, and future. But today we will remember the most important story of Christmas. A few weeks ago we talked about the preparation for a Savior. Today we will talk about the Provision of that Savior. We will read about each event and learn together some things that maybe we had not seen before. The birth of Jesus was like this: While Mary was engaged to Joseph, it was revealed to her that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit and give birth to a baby. When Joseph realized that she was pregnant, being a good man, he did not want Mary to suffer the punishment for having been unfaithful to her fianc, so he thought of abandoning her. But an angel appeared in his dream and revealed God's plan to use Mary to bring the Messiah sent by God to bring salvation to the people. The baby's name would be Jesus, which means God Saves. With the birth of this baby, the prophecy that God was with his people would be fulfilled. Before this, God had not sent

any message to his people for 400 years. 400 years of silence. Silence interrupted when the angel Gabriel reveals to Zechariah (the name means "God remembers") that the time has come for the coming of the Savior. Joseph, as we saw, is a righteous man, that is, a man who does the will of God. He married Mary. After the marriage, the emperor Caesar Augustus issues a law ordering a census which requires families to return to the original place of their ancestors. Joseph, a descendant of David, goes to Bethlehem in Judea to be registered along with your wife. During that time, Marys pregnancy comes to term. They went through the city looking for a place to rest but the only place they found was a stable. Inside the stable, Mary gives birth to her baby and wraps him in swaddling clothes and lays him in a manger, which was the box where the animals ate their food. While this was happening, an angel announced Jesus' birth to some shepherds in the region. After this announcement the shepherds in

Bethlehem searched for the baby and arriving at the birth scene, have they shared everything they saw and heard. Upon leaving, they worshipped God because of the experience that they had to know the Savior Some days later, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple and meet Simeon. Simeon was a priest to whom it had been revealed that he would not die before seeing the Savior that God would provide. When Simeon sees the child, he takes the baby, blesses God, blesses the baby and blesses them, while confirming the future of this baby. There also was Anna, a prophetess who saw Jesus; she begins to also bear witness to all that looked for the Savior that the time of redemption had come After some time, perhaps several months or even over a year, some wise men came from the east known as the magi (we do not know how many), to worship the King of the Jews that had been born. When Herod the king heard this, he worried that perhaps he would lose his kingdom. He consulted with the priests and scribes to know where the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed of God,

would be born. They said that the birth would be in Bethlehem. Speaking with the magi about the time of the birth of Jesus he tells the magi that they must go to Bethlehem and asks them to find Jesus and to come back and inform him of where Jesus is so that he will worship him also. The Magi, guided by the star, get to where Jesus was, who is no longer in a stable but in a house. When they get there, they give him 3 gifts: Gold - Gift fit for a king - a symbol of his reign Incense - A fragrant oil resin used by priests - a symbol of his priesthood Myrrh A fragrant oil resin used to prepare a body before burial - symbol of his death Upon leaving, it is revealed to the magi to not return to Herod. Joseph also receives a message about the evil intentions of Herod, and is commanded to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt until the danger passes. When Herod realized that the Magi would not return, he orders to kill all children less than 2 years old in and around Bethlehem because that was the

approximate age the magi had given Herod. After Herod's death, Joseph is told to return to the land of Israel because the danger was over. But realizing that Herod's son was the new king of Judea, he was afraid, so he went to Nazareth in Galilee which was the hometown of Mary, as it had been revealed in his dreams. And this is how Jesus came to be called "Jesus of Nazareth." As we can see, God had a plan for the provision of the Savior of the world. Throughout the story we see His revelation to different people about His plan. God sent His Son, as John 3:16 says so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Through Jesus' death on the cross, the punishment for our sins was paid. And this is why we celebrate Christmas. And this is why we remember the Christmas story. Because God loved us so much that He gave us His Son. The question is having you accepted His Gift this Christmas? I invite you today to receive this gift.

A 10 Minute Devotional Remembering the 1st Christmas Based on Matthew 1 & 2 and Luke 2. Ready to share with your family.