THE CHRISTMAS STORY

Christmas: Christ - Mass; Celebrating the birth of Christ.
Webster's Dictionary.
Holiday: Hol-i-day: Holy-day: A religious festival.
Webster's Dictionary.

This Christmas Story!

This Christmas story is not about Santa and how he travels around the world every Christmas eve, delivering toys to all the children of the world. This Christmas story is a love story. In fact it is the story about a Father's love for His children.
Actually the children were not His own flesh and blood but He loved them just the same. These orphans were lost in darkness and didn't know it. This Father watched in tears as those orphans stumbled on their way in search of something to fill the emptiness within. This Father knew what He had to do though it grieved His entire being. He must make the ultimate sacrifice. He must sacrifice the life of His own flesh and blood to be able to offer an adoption to those orphans into His family.
The Father planned to give the ultimate gift. The gift of salvation through the shed blood of His only begotten Son. But how to package this special gift?
He planned the perfect time and the perfect wrapping. He chose the perfect shipping form as well. Though the Father was rich, He wanted His Son to be able to understand and relate to all the orphans of the world, the poor as well as the rich. The Father sent His gift into a humble beginning. The Father wanted to make this gift available to all the orphans of the world, rich and poor. So the Father made this gift free. The Father knows how children can be, selfish, greedy, boastful, competitive, and uncaring. The Father wanted to give a gift that the orphans couldn't take credit for or fight over. With the mixture of pain and joy, connected with love, the Father sent His love gift to the orphans of the world.
God chose a virgin among the Jews, her name was Mary. She was to be wed to Joseph. God sent an angel to visit Mary to tell her about God's plan for her.

The angel told her that the Spirit of The Lord would come upon her and she would conceive a Son. God's Son, who would save His people from their sins. Mary was so pleased to be used by God. She said "let it be done unto me as you have said. Luke 1:20-56.
When Joseph found out that his bride to be was pregnant, he decided to put her away quietly. He thought she had been seeing another man and it was against Jewish customs and the will of God for people to be intimate outside of wedlock. Such an act held a great punishment, death by stoning. Joseph did not want to make a public show of Mary or put her through the shame.
That night while Joseph slept the angel of the Lord visited him in a dream. Matthew 1:18-24. The angel told Joseph that the Child conceived within Mary was the seed of The Holy Spirit. Mary must give birth the the Child and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us".
After Joseph woke up he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary as his wife but he did not know her intimately until after the birth of God's Son and he named Him Jesus.
Now the birthplace of this special Child was perfectly planned by God as well. He was to be born in a stable in Bethlehem.
Caesar Augustus sent out a decree that the whole empire must be registered to be taxed. This first registration was to take place while Quirinius was governing Syira.
So each one was to be registered, each to his own town. Because Joseph was of the house and city of David. so he traveled from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem. Luke 2:1-5. Joseph and Mary were registered. The time had come for Mary to give birth. Since so many people had come to the city to be register the inns were full. But a kind inn keeper, feeling compassion for Mary offered the use of his stable. Luke 2:6,7. Mary gave birth to the baby Jesus. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in the manger.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the Glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid. Luke

And the angel said unto them,"Fear not: Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy; which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace, goos will toward men. Luke 2: 8-14
After the angels went away, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us".
And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. And when they had seen it they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning the Child. Luke 2:15-18.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Behold there came wise men in the east to Jerusalem. saying " Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him".
When Herod the king had heard these things and all Jerusalem with him. He summoned the chief priests and scribes together.He demanded of the where Christ should be born. Matthew 2:1-7..

The wise men entered the house where Joseph, Mary and the young Child were living, they fell down and worship the Christ Child. They presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And being warned by God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they returned to their own country another way. Matthew 2:10-12.

Many people celebrate Christmas for many reasons. Some for the gifts and Santa myth, some to celebrate a counterfeit Christ but the Christians celebrate the true meaning, THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. GOD'S GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!

Many people in America are trying to make people think holiday rather than Christmas this Christmas season. They are trying to make this Holy-day just a secular holiday. No matter how hard they try to take Christ out of the celebration of His birthday, they can't change the fact that by saying holiday, they are simply mispronouncing the word. The dictionary says that the word is correctly pronounced Holyday with a long "o" and the " i " pronounced as "e". The dictionary's definition of the word clearly says that it is a religious festival. No matter how hard they try, they can't change that!

What do you celebrate Christmas for?

Before you answer that question think about this: Though it is true that Christians don't know the exact day of Christ's birth, they chose a day in which to celebrate it just the same. What if you adopted a child and there where no records found on that child to prove the exact day he or she was born, you'd know that the child was born, that would be plain to see. You would simply choose a day to celebrate the child's birth. The early Christians wanted to celebrate the birth of their " Our " Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, so they chose a day to set aside to celebrate His birthday. December 25th was chosen. True that through the years allot of things have been added to the celebration that have nothing to do with Christ and His birthday, but it is a historical fact that December 25th has been set aside to celebrate Christ birthday. Christmas: Christ-mass: the Christian's Holiday ( Holy-day ).
Also, think about this: What if the world was trying to eliminate your name and you from the celebration of your birthday so that people who don't like you or what you stand for can join in the celebration without having to think of you. How would you feel!
WHAT MANY PEOPLE IN NATION ARE TRYING TO DO TO CHRIST IS THE SAME THING!

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