The Nativity Story

On Wednesday nights, we are in the midst of a four-part series called "Christmas Playlist." The song for week one was "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and we talked about how Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the hopes and expectations of Israel. Week two's song was "Silent Night" and we spent time simply digging into the birth narrative of Jesus. I briefly looked around on the web for a compilation of the Matthew and Luke versions but couldn't find one. So I combined them myself, complete with sub-headings that I thought might whet the appetite of my middle-school and high-school readers. Check it out and feel free to use it yourself:

Here’s the story of the birth of Jesus Christ:

To Bethlehem for the Census.

In those days, a decree went out from the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus that everyone in the empire should be registered. So each person went back to his hometown for this census. A man named Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to a town called Bethlehem in Judea, which is the city of King David. He went to Bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of David. And with him was his wife-to-be Mary, who was pregnant.

An Awkward Situation, An Awesome God.

Now Mary had become pregnant before she had ever been with Joseph. The child within her had been placed there by the Holy Spirit of God. When Joseph found out, he decided to divorce her quietly, because he was a just man and unwilling to put her to shame. But as he considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph woke up, he did just as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he did not divorce her, and he was not intimate with her until she had given birth.

Immanuel.

After Joseph and Mary had arrived in Bethlehem, the time came for the baby’s arrival. Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And they called his name Jesus. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

An Announcement from Heaven in a Field with Sheep.

In that same region, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom He is pleased!”

The Witnessing and Worshipping Shepherds.

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And after they saw it, they told many people the saying that had been told to them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.

The Wise Men and the Worried King.

Sometime after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was too. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and he asked them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

The Worship and the Wisdom of the Wise Men.

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and learned from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to King Herod, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they went into the house and saw the child with his mother Mary, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.