The Messiah is the promised deliverer of the Jews and Jesus Christ is the liberator of the oppressed people, who were inspired with hope and belief in the Messiah as found in the Holy Bible which is revered by all Christians. As Christians the world over celebrate the Holy message of this joyful day of Christmas, there is also extravagant spending, with Christmas commercialized, forgetting the true meaning of the Word.
No doubt, it is the most joyful event in a Christian’s life, but eventually leads us to remember we all are responsible for nailing Him upon the cross by our misdoings, sins, and disobedience to God. It is this innocent perfect baby who will make the sacrifice to save us sinners.
Let us meditate, ponder and think on these terms as we welcome the Messiah to our homes, who will begin his 33 years of his short life caring for and nurturing His scattered sheep, bringing them together with love and kindness to fulfill His mission on earth and spread the Word of God who sent Him to do so. In the list of his ancestors, Jesus Christ was a descendent of David, so descended from Abraham to King David and there was the long list of royal patronage that came from the lineage of Joseph who married Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
Then, there were 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile in Babylon and 14 from them to the birth of Christ.
How it all began
As promised, God sent Angel Gabriel to visit Mary who lived in Nazareth in the town of Galilee. She was already pledged to marry a man named Joseph who was a descendent of King David. The angel came and said, “Peace be with you. The Lord is with you and He has greatly blessed you.”
The message troubled her as she wondered what Gabriel’s words meant, but the Angel assured her, “Don’t be afraid Mary. God has been generous to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a King, as his ancestor David was and he will be the King of the descendants of Jacob and his Kingdom will never end.”
“How can this be? I am virgin. The Angel Gabriel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
Mary and Joseph remained in Bethlehem until the baby was born. Herod was king when Jesus was born. Days later, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem searching for the baby who was to be the King of the Jews. They saw the star when it came up in the East and they came to worship him.
When King Herod heard about this he was very upset and so were the people of Jerusalem. All chief priests were called by the King who asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”
“In the town of Bethlehem in Judea for this is what the prophet wrote.” Herod summoned the visitors from the East to find out the exact time the star had appeared. He asked them to go to Bethlehem and find out where the Baby Jesus was so that he too could go and worship the baby.
And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. They were happy and filled with joy when they saw Joseph and Mary with the baby.
They returned to their country by another road since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.
Joseph took the child and His Mother to Egypt. They set out during the night. They lived there until Herod died.
Joseph and Mary took the baby for the purification ceremony as the Law of Moses commanded, to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as every first-born male is to be dedicated to the Lord. They named him Jesus. In today’s context, it is the baptism of a male child.
As the holy scriptures reveal, this miracle took place on a wintry night when the Prince of Destiny was born in a manger to a virgin, the immaculate Mary, when elsewhere some men who studied the stars came to Jerusalem searching for the baby who was destined to be the King of the Jews. They went to the inn and found the child with his mother Mary. They knelt down and worshiped Him and presented Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, fit for a king.
As Jesus became man, with time growing up with his sheep, he became one of us and needed to be baptized by the Holy Spirit.
So, don’t we need to do the same?
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.
And when Jesus was baptized, he went out of the water, and behold the heavens were opened and John saw the spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him.
Power of the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as
it is heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin
against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory.
Forever and ever, Amen.
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