About two thousand years ago, in the town of Nazareth, there lived a young woman named Mary. She was engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. One day an angel appeared before her and told her she had been chosen to have a special baby. The baby would be God's son and she must call him Jesus.

Soon after the angel's visit, Mary and Joseph were married. Mary was due to have her baby when they were told they had to go on a long journey to Bethlehem, which was where Joseph came from.This was because they had to pay a special tax. Mary had to ride on a donkey for a few days over the hills of Gallilee.

At last Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem. It was crowded with other people who needed to pay their taxes. Mary was very tired and needed a place to stay. At each inn, the story was the same. There was no room for them. Eventually, one kind innkeeper said he had a stable where he kept his animals. They were welcome to stay there.

And so it was that a few hours later, Mary gave birth to her son in that stable. She wrapped Jesus in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger full of hay.

At the same time, on a hillside overlooking Bethlehem, some shepherds were watching over their sheep. A bright light appeared in the sky. They were very afraid. It was an angel sent by God. The angel told them not to be afraid, because he had some good news. He said the Son of God had been born and they would find Him in Bethlehem.

The shepherds wanted to go and see the baby. When they arrived at the stable, they were filled with joy at seeing Jesus lying in the manger. They knelt down and worshipped Him. They told Mary and Joseph how the angel had appeared in the sky and told them that Jesus was to be the Saviour of the world.

Far away in the East, three wise men named Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, saw a new star shining high in the sky. These men, who were kings, studied the stars and they knew this was a very special star. They studied their scrolls where it said that whenever a bright new star appeared it meant that a great ruler had been born.

The wise men set off to find the baby. They were guided by the star to the stable in Bethlehem. Here they knelt down and worshipped Jesus. They gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That night, the three men had the same dream where an angel warned them that King Herod wanted to kill Jesus and told them not to go back to his palace.

The wise men went back to their own country without calling to see Herod. Soon after Joseph had a dream where an angel told him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt as King Herod had ordered that Jesus be killed. They left Bethlehem right away. When the wise men did not return, Herod ordered that baby boys in Bethlehem be killed. They did not find Jesus as he was safe.

The Nativity Story

~Retold by Teri Ann Berg Olsen~

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." ~Isaiah 9:6

More than two thousand years ago, a miraculous event that changed the course of history took place in an area known as the Holy Land, located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, in the desert nation of Israel.

The largest settlement in this region was the city of Jerusalem, an important religious center and busy trading place. Bethlehem was a tiny hilltop town in Judea, set on a ridge in the mountains just six miles south of Jerusalem. About 65 miles north of Jerusalem, the small village of Nazareth was nestled in a sheltered valley among the hills of Galilee, 1200 feet above sea level.

Homes of the period were typically square structures made of mud bricks on stone foundations, usually having two floors and flat roofs. A family would often live upstairs and keep their animals in the lower level. At the same time, the prosperous city of Jerusalem had splendid villas, a magnificent palace, a newly-built temple, an open-air theater, and a stadium for chariot races.

While most people in the Holy Land were Jewish, they were ruled by the Roman Empire. The Romans treated the Jews harshly. Herod the Great, a cruel tyrant and a friend of Rome, was the local king of Judea. His subjects were God-fearing, hardworking shepherds, farmers, and craftsmen. These Jewish people never gave up hope that someday God would send a Savior to deliver them from their oppressors, as the prophets had foretold.

In the village of Nazareth there lived a peasant girl named Mary, who was faithful, kind-hearted, and virtuous. She was pledged to marry a young carpenter named Joseph, who was strong, level-headed, and righteous. Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David, the second king of Israel. Even so, they were common people and were used to making do with what little they had.

One day the angel Gabriel appeared before Mary. She was startled and trembled with fear, not knowing what to expect. "Do not be afraid, Mary," he said. "Blessed are you among women. God has chosen you to be the mother of His son. The child will be called Jesus. He will reign over the Kingdom of David and his rule will never end."

Mary knelt in front of Gabriel with her head bowed and responded simply, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything that you have told me come true." Then when she looked up, the angel had gone.

Another angel visited Joseph in a dream and said, "Mary is to be the mother of God's son. You should go ahead with your wedding ceremony, because God has chosen you to be the guardian of His child." Joseph did what the angel commanded.

Soon after Joseph and Mary were married, the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, decreed that a census would be taken throughout the Roman Empire. Caesar demanded that everyone immediately return to the city of their origin to be counted and to register as taxpayers. Failure to obey would result in strict punishment.

For Mary and Joseph, this meant that they must go on a long journey when Mary was with child, and close to the time of birth. They would have to travel all the way to Bethlehem, a distance of over seventy miles, and they could not delay the trip until after the baby was born.

Joseph harnessed their donkey and filled its saddlebags with food, water, clothing, blankets and other supplies. Joseph helped Mary climb up onto the donkey's back. He led the donkey away from their home, down the streets of Nazareth, and into the wilderness.

Mary and Joseph traveled by day under the bright glare of the sun. They plodded down dusty trails to the sandy river valley, and trudged up steep winding paths over rocky hills. On the way, they saw mountain gazelles and desert foxes. The couple camped out at night under a clear starry sky. The temperature dropped rapidly after sunset. Roaming jackals and wolves howled in the dark.

The road stretched on and on. Mary and Joseph were weary, hungry, and thirsty. They comforted each other and had faith that God would provide for them and keep them safe. Eventually, they came to an oasis of lush greenery, date palm groves, and clear spring water at which they were able to refresh themselves.

After about a week of travel, Mary and Joseph encountered more people along the route. This meant that they were close to the city. Soon they could see Jerusalem up ahead and they knew their destination was just beyond it. The couple hurried through the noisy, crowded city in order to reach Bethlehem before dark. Mary sensed that the time of birth was approaching and she was anxious to find proper shelter.

By the time Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, the sun was setting and the town was overflowing with visitors. The village inn was already filled to capacity. They walked down the narrow streets, looking for a place to stay, but no accommodations were available at any house or lodging. Then they came to the edge of town, where a split level structure was built on a hillside. They climbed up the stairs to the main floor, knowing that this was their last hope.

When the owner answered the door and said that he had no spare room, Joseph pleaded, "My wife is about to have a baby. Is there any place where we can stay, to get her out of the cold night air and provide her with some comfort?"

The kind gentleman offered to let them spend the night in the lower part of the house, which was used as a stable. Excavated into the side of the hill, it consisted of rough limestone walls on three sides, posts and beams supporting the upstairs floor, and a wooden overhang across the front. "At least you will have a roof over your heads," he said, "and my animals will keep you warm."

Finally, Joseph and Mary had a place to rest. Joseph cleaned up the cave-like room as well as he could and made some beds of fresh hay. There, during the night, Mary's son was born. They named him Jesus, as the angel had told them to do. Mary wrapped him snugly in strips of linen cloth, according to custom. Joseph filled an empty feeding trough with soft straw to use as a crib. There was no place else for the baby to sleep.

That night some shepherds were sitting around their campfire in a field outside the village, keeping watch over their sheep. Suddenly, an angel appeared among them and the glory of the Lord shone around them. The shepherds were terrified, speechless, and hid their eyes, but the angel said:

"Fear not! I bring tidings of great joy. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign: you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

Then the angel was joined by a multitude of others, whose heavenly voices rang out like bells, singing: "Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth, and good will toward men."

The shepherds were guided to the hillside stable by the light of a star hovering overhead. Peeking inside, they were somehow not surprised to see the newborn baby Jesus, who lay in a manger just as the angel of the Lord had said. The soft coos of the tiny infant mingled with the bleating of sheep and the mooing of cows. The shepherds understood that this simple setting was more marvelous than any palace, and their hearts were filled with gladness.

Praising God as they went, the shepherds ran through the village and told everyone they met about what they had seen and heard. The townspeople were amazed by the news of this baby who was the son of God. As the word spread, people came from miles around to see the Christ child and bring him gifts. Mary gracefully accepted every present, no matter how small, while she quietly pondered to herself about everything that had happened.

Meanwhile, in different faraway lands to the east, three wealthy wise men were each gazing at the same star; a star that none of them had ever seen before. It glowed much more brightly than other stars in the sky. These men had no doubt that this star signaled the birth of a great king. They had read the book of Daniel, who 600 years earlier predicted the year in which the king and savior of Israel would arrive.

The three wise men set out independently to follow this star, believing that it would lead the way to the newborn king. They each carried with them a valuable treasure: gold, a precious metal; frankincense, a perfumed resin; and myrrh, a fragrant gum. After traveling for a while, the three men met in the desert. Realizing that they were all on the same pilgrimage, the men decided to continue on their journey together.

When the three wise men arrived in Jerusalem, they believed that the birthplace they were seeking must be nearby. As they walked through the bustling streets of the city, the wise men asked passersby for news of the child. "Where is the newborn king of the Jews?" they inquired. "We have seen his star and have come to worship him."

One of King Herod's soldiers overheard what the wise men were saying. He hurried to the palace to notify King Herod about the three strangers. "They ride fine camels and wear rich robes," he informed the king, "and they speak of an ancient prophecy, that a child will be king of the Jews."

Herod bellowed in anger, "I am the rightful king! There can be no other!" Nevertheless, just to be sure, he gathered together all of the Jewish priests and scribes. They consulted their books (including Micah 5:2) and confirmed that the prophecy was true. King Herod, deeply disturbed by this, secretly plotted to destroy the baby.

King Herod sent a messenger to summon the three wise men to his palace. When they stood before his throne, Herod pretended that he wished to worship the new child-king. "As soon as you locate this newborn king," Herod said, "come back and tell me where I may find him." Ironically, King Herod was unaware that the stable where Jesus slept was in plain view of his own fabulous fortress.

That evening, the star once again guided the three wise men. As they neared Bethlehem, they saw that the light was just ahead of them. The closer they came to the stable, the brighter the light shone over the place where the Christ child was. The wealthy men, dressed in their fancy silk robes adorned with jewelry, stepped inside the lowly stable.

Upon seeing the baby Jesus in Mary's arms, the wise men fell to their knees and worshipped him. All of the animals in the stable had bowed their heads to honor the newborn king as well. Then the three men brought out their treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and placed them on the dirt floor before the baby.

Later that night, in their campsite outside of Bethlehem, an angel appeared to the three wise men. "Do not report back to King Herod," said the angel. "When Herod finds out where the child-king is, he plans to harm him, not worship him."

The following morning, the wise men were eager to bring the wonderful news of Christ's birth back to their own countries. They remembered to take a different route home, so as to avoid Jerusalem where King Herod was waiting for them.

The night after the wise men had gone, an angel came to Joseph as he slept and said, "Get up at once! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother. Herod's soldiers are searching for the baby to kill him."

The family slipped away under cover of darkness, and by daylight they were far from Bethlehem. Although Joseph and Mary had to take baby Jesus on a trek across the desert for almost one hundred miles, they arrived safely in Egypt and remained there until King Herod died.

Thus, the ancient prophecy was fulfilled. A Savior had indeed been delivered unto the people. God's gift of Jesus came for everyone - young and old, poor and wealthy, people of all races and nations. Wise men, women, and children continue to seek Him.

The coming of Jesus brought the good news of God's love to the world, serving as a bright light in the middle of darkness, a beacon of hope in the midst of despair, and a message of peace in a time of turmoil. This is the reason for the Christmas season, that joyous time of year when we celebrate the birth of a blessed baby in a humble stable long ago.