“And it came to pass in those days that decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
selected Scripture from Luke 2
It would have made sense to expect God to tear open the heavens and come down to earth in majesty and power on that first Christmas night—but He didn’t.
Instead, on that quiet night in Bethlehem, a virgin mother laid her squalling newborn baby into a manger designed to feed cattle. The lowing cows, the sweet-smelling hay, and the dark sky lit by a magnificent star provided the setting.
Humble shepherds joined the carpenter-husband to witness the miracle and praise God for what He was doing. The birth of Jesus Christ—the Son of God, our Savior—went unnoticed by the vast majority of the world that first Christmas night, but no event in human history was more significant. May His birth—and all it means—not go unnoticed in our lives!
