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As usual, the Bible provides only what we need to
know about what happened when word got out that Christ was coming. Of course we all know that the angel Gabriel is
an angel of Christmas, as he has appeared to Zechariah and Elizabeth, the future parents of John the Baptist,
to let them know that even at their age they had better start knitting some booties. A little later, Gabriel also appeared
to the Virgin Mary with a similar message that Jesus would soon be on the way.
Matthew 1:18-19
Now the birth
of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was
found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example,
was minded to put her away secretly.
Just to make sure Mary's husband Joseph didn't jump to any false conclusions about how
his virgin bride happened to get pregnant, another angel appeared in a dream to fill him in.
Matthew 1:20-25
But while he
thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of
David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will
bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
So
all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated,
“God with us.”
Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded
him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
Just to make sure Mary's husband Joseph didn't jump to any false conclusions about how
his virgin bride happened to get pregnant, another angel appeared in a dream to fill him in.
Matthew 1:20-25
But while he
thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of
David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will
bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
So
all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated,
“God with us.”
Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded
him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL
--Luke
1:26-38
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named
Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And
having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed
are you among women!”
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting
this was. Then 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 bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give 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.”
Then Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to
be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this
is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Then Mary said,
“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed
from her.
--Luke 2:1-14
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
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 and lineage 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.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory
of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in
the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling
cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!”
This is probably the most well know of all the angelic
appearances, as it is relived every year at Christmas in song, story, plays, and greeting cards. According to many, this would
be the angels' last major earthly appearance until the second coming of Christ. Many believe with Christ
taking center stage, it was time for the angels to fade away into the wings.
Luke 2:15-20
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the
shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord
has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now
when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who
heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them
in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen,
as it was told them.
“The angels said to Mary: 'Allah bids
you rejoice in a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary. He shall be noble in this world and
in the next, and shall be favored by Allah. He shall preach to men in his cradle and in the prime of manhood, and shall lead
a righteous life.'
The Koran; Surah 3:45-46
Here’s one translation of the Christmas
story. Allah is speaking through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century.
“And you shall recount in the Book the story of Mary: how she left her
people and betook herself to a solitary place to the east. “We sent to her Our spirit in the semblance of a full-grown
man. And when she saw him she said: 'May the Merciful defend me from you! If you fear the Lord, leave me and go your way.'
“'I am the messenger of your Lord,' he replied, 'and have come to give you a holy son.'
“'How
shall I bear a child,' she answered, 'when I am a virgin, untouched by man?'
“'Such is the will
of your Lord,' he replied. 'That is no difficult thing for Him. "He shall be a sign to mankind," says the
Lord, "and a blessing from Ourself. This is Our decree."'
“Thereupon she conceived him, and retired
to a far-off place. And when she felt the throes of childbirth she lay down by the trunk of a palm-tree, crying: 'Oh,
would that I had died and passed into oblivion!'
“But a voice from below cried out to her: 'Do not despair.
Your Lord has provided a brook that runs at your feet, and if you shake the trunk of this palm-tree it will drop fresh ripe
dates in your lap. Therefore rejoice. Eat and drink, and should you meet any mortal say to him: "I have vowed a fast
to the Merciful and will not speak with any man today."'
“Carrying the child, she came to her people,
who said to her: 'This is indeed a strange thing! Sister of Aaron, your father was never a whore-monger, nor was your
mother a harlot.'
“She made a sign to them, pointing to the child. But they replied: 'How can we speak
with a babe in the cradle?' Whereupon he spoke and said: 'I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Gospel and
ordained me a prophet. His blessing is upon me wherever I go, and He has commanded me to be steadfast in prayer and to give
alms to the poor as long as I shall live. He has exhorted me to honor my mother and has purged me of vanity and wickedness.
I was blessed on the day I was born, and blessed I shall be on the day of my death; and may peace be upon me on the day when
I shall be raised to life.'
So far, so good, but then comes the statement that separates believing Muslims from believing Christians:
“Such was Jesus, the son of Mary. That is the whole truth, which they are unwilling to accept. Allah
forbid that He Himself should beget a son! When He decrees a thing He need only say: 'Be,' and it is. “
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