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Soon after the time when John the Baptist was born, Joseph the
carpenter of Nazareth had a dream. In his dream he saw an angel from
the Lord standing beside him. The angel said to him:
"Joseph, sprung from the line of king David, I have come to tell
you, that Mary, the young woman whom you are to marry, will have a
son, sent by the Lord God. You shall call his name Jesus, which means
'salvation,' because he shall save his people from their sins."
God's people had had several kings. Some of them had been selfish and
cruel, but Jesus was to be a new kind of king, one who would save,
not destroy men.
Soon after Joseph and Mary were married in Nazareth, a command went
forth from the emperor Augustus Cæsar through all the lands of
the Roman empire, for all the people to go to the cities and towns
from which their families had come, and there to have their names
written down upon a list, for the emperor wished a list to be made of
all the people under his rule. As both Joseph and Mary had come from
the family of David the king, they went together from Nazareth to
Bethlehem, there to have their names written upon the list. For you
remember that Bethlehem in Judea, six miles south of Jerusalem, was
the place where David was born, and where his father's family had
lived for many years.
It was a long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem; down the mountains
to the river Jordan, then following the Jordan almost to its end, and
then climbing the mountains of Judah to the town of Bethlehem. When
Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem they found the city full of people
who, like themselves, had come  to
have their names enrolled or written upon the list. The inn or hotel
was full, and there was no room for them; for no one but themselves
knew that this young woman was soon to be the mother of the Lord of
all the earth. The best that they could do was to go to a stable
where the cattle were kept. There the little baby was born, and was
laid in a manger, where the cattle were fed.
On that night, some shepherds were tending their sheep in a field
near Bethlehem. Suddenly, a great light shone upon them, and they saw
an angel of the Lord standing before them. They were filled with
fear, as they saw how glorious the angel was. But the angel said to them:
"Be not afraid; for behold I bring you news of great joy, which
shall be to all the people; for there is born to you this day in
Bethlehem, the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord, the
anointed king. You may see him there; and you may know him by this
sign: He is a new-born baby, lying in a manger, at the inn."
And then they saw that the air around and the sky above them were
filled with angels, praising God and singing:
"Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace among men in
whom God is well pleased."
While they looked with wonder, and listened, the angels went out of
sight as suddenly as they had come. Then the shepherds said one to another:
"Let us go at once to Bethlehem, and see this wonderful thing
that has come to pass, and which the Lord has made known to us."
 Then
as quickly as they could go to Bethlehem, they went, and found
Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, and his young wife Mary, and the
little baby lying in the manger. They told Mary and Joseph, and
others also, how they had seen the angels, and what they had heard
about this baby. All who heard their story wondered at it; Mary, the
mother of the child, said nothing. She thought over all these things,
and silently kept them in her heart. After their visit, the shepherds
went back to their flocks, praising God for the good news that he had
sent to them.
When the little one was eight days old, they gave him a name; and the
name given was "Jesus," a word which means
"salvation," as the angel had told both Mary and Joseph
that he should be named. So the very name of this child told what he
should do for men; for he was to bring salvation to the world.
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