Birth of Jesus

The Christmas season is a special time of year when we turn our thoughts to the birth of the Savior. I love the story of His birth no matter what time of year it is when I read or hear it. It begins with the account of the angel appearing to old Zacharias in the temple, telling him he and his aged wife, Elisabeth, would be blessed with a son who would prepare the way for the coming of the Savior. Then comes the visit of the angel to Mary of Nazareth, the young virgin who was willing to accept the awesome responsibility as mother of the promised Messiah. Mary's visit to Elisabeth, John's birth, Joseph's delemma about Mary, and his comforting and instructional dream are followed by the account of the trip to Bethlehem - and no room for them at the inn.
Mary gives birth and the shepherds on the hillside are visited by an angel and hear the heavenly choir singing joyous praises that the Savior has been born. The results of the visit of the wisemen from the East brings the story to a tragic close when Herod orders that all little boys two years and younger in the vicinity of Bethlehem must be killed. A warning to Joseph that they must leave immediately for Egypt saves the life of the baby Jesus.

One of the main points brought out in the study guide is that Jesus was literally the Son of God, a completely separate person from the Father, not the physical manifestation of a supreme spirit or influence that He was somehow "one" with or a part of. That is where our understanding of the Godhead differs with the traditional Christian belief in the Trinity.

It does no good to speculate how it happened, but Mary's child was the literal son of the Eternal Father. Quoting from the study guide: "The Child Jesus was to inherit the physical, mental and spiritual traits, tendencies, and powers that characterized His parents--one immortal and glorified--God, the other human--woman." From His Father He inherited the powers of life, and from His mother the power to die. Both traits would be necessary for Him to accomplish His great atoning sacrifice.