HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!
Let us not forget that it is JESUS birthday, that is what Christmas day is.
Remember the Christmas carol we sung? Christmas is a time to love.
'Christ' means 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One' - the title given to Jesus and 'Mass' was a religious festival.
Matthew & Luke 1 & 2These chapters tell how Jesus was born as a baby to Mary. This was no ordinary birth! She was not married, she was a virgin, and an angel had told her she would bear a special baby. Her husband-to-be, Joseph, did not believe her at first. Who would? Then an angel told him in a dream that it was true! Probably no one else believed it. So when they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem (near Jerusalem), to register their names with the ruling Roman government, they probably escaped many hard words from other people.
Jesus was born that night, and as they had no bed for him, they used an animal feeding box filled with the dry grass the animals ate.
Christmas cards and pictures today make it all seem very nice. In truth, it must have been dirty and frightening for a young couple, far from their home and families. Possibly the birth was premature after the stress of the journey. This was a very poor place for Jesus to start his life on earth.
Christians believe that it was exactly God's plan that things happened this way. They say that it shows that Jesus came as a humble, poor person and not as a strong, rich king. They also claim that the birth of Jesus was told many years before in the books of the prophets.
Five hundred years before, the prophet Micah had said,
"But you Bethlehem, though you are small, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
The prophet Isaiah had written,
"A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, "Wonderful Counsellor," "Mighty God," "Eternal Father," "Prince of Peace."
His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace....
He will rule as King David's successor, basing his power on right and justice, from now until the end of time."
Phil and I were talking about the traditions of Christmas.
The Angel on the top of the Christmas tree represent the angel telling Mary that she will be conceived and shall name Him JESUS!
The star on the top of the Christmas tree represent the star that the 3 wise men followed.