Underneath the starlit sky, surrounded by hay and animal filth, the Savior of the World and Hope of Heaven is born. The climax of creation and crescendo of the cosmos takes place in the most humble of contexts.
Today's Bible verse is Isaiah 7:14, from the King James Version.
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<v Speaker 1>Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold,
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<v Speaker 1>the Virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall
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<v Speaker 1>call his name Emmanuel Isaiah seven fourteen. Lord Jesus, Emmanuel
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<v Speaker 1>God with us. We thank you for coming down in
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<v Speaker 1>human likeness, for fulfilling prophecies, and for providing us with
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<v Speaker 1>a relationship that transcends our understanding. Help us to grasp
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<v Speaker 1>the depth of your love and the significance of your birth.
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<v Speaker 1>May our lives reflect the humility and purity you demonstrate
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<v Speaker 1>it as a child. Then may we embrace the new
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<v Speaker 1>beginning you offer. Amen. Thank you for praying with me
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<v Speaker 1>to day. Stay tuned now for another episode of Stories
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<v Speaker 1>of the Messiah with Rabbi Schneider.
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<v Speaker 2>Stars blanketed the night sky like white paint scattered across
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<v Speaker 2>a dark canvas. Ruling among the candescent lights was a
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<v Speaker 2>new star fixed above Bethlehem. It shone brighter than the others,
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<v Speaker 2>its radiance mimicking that of the moon. The silvery gleams
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<v Speaker 2>trickled downward like a stream from a mountain. Under the
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<v Speaker 2>lights was the stable carved in the hill. Behind the inn,
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<v Speaker 2>Joseph made a space for Mary to give birth. Time
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<v Speaker 2>was of the essence. He frantically swept and laid out
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<v Speaker 2>some blankets the innkeeper had given him. He turned to
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<v Speaker 2>his wife, whose back was against the stone walls. Joseph
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<v Speaker 2>sighed and shook his head. I'm sorry, Mary, this will
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<v Speaker 2>have to do. Mary held her lower back and belly
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<v Speaker 2>and inched her way towards him. I'm ready, she sighed.
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<v Speaker 2>She winced in pain and had Joseph help her onto
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<v Speaker 2>the blankets. Everything smelled like hay and soot, and the
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<v Speaker 2>breeze wafting in from the outside carried with it the
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<v Speaker 2>scent of sheep done. Mary couldn't help but chuckle. She
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<v Speaker 2>leaned back and wondered why the Lord was working in
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<v Speaker 2>this way. She had so many questions, but the sudden
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<v Speaker 2>contractions drowned out her thoughts.
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<v Speaker 3>Oh, he's coming, Joseph, He's coming.
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<v Speaker 2>Mary clenched her fists and with quiet determination, began to push.
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<v Speaker 4>Hello everyone, and welcome to another Christmas episode of the
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<v Speaker 4>Jesus Podcast. I'm Ethan frompray dot Com and it's my
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<v Speaker 4>absolute joy to guide you through this episode. Christmas isn't
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<v Speaker 4>just about the birth of a child in Bethlehem. It's
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<v Speaker 4>the awe inspiring story of God coming down in the
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<v Speaker 4>likeness of man, a theme heralded in the title Immanuel,
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<v Speaker 4>which means God with us. Do you ever pause to
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<v Speaker 4>consider what thrills God? Looking at the entirety of scripture
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<v Speaker 4>reveals that God finds joy in being among his people.
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<v Speaker 4>He was in the garden with Adam and Eve. He
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<v Speaker 4>followed Abraham's family. He dwelt with the Hebrews and the Tabernacle.
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<v Speaker 4>Then he dwelled in the temple among the people of Israel.
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<v Speaker 4>The incarnation of Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of God's
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<v Speaker 4>joyous pursuit of humanity. Let this episode remind everyone that
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<v Speaker 4>God wants to be with you. He wants to transform
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<v Speaker 4>your life, to fill you with His spirit, and to
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<v Speaker 4>guide you daily toward His kingdom. This episode will give
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<v Speaker 4>us an intimate glimpse into the birth of Christ. Mary
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<v Speaker 4>and Joseph behold the new born king and experience awe, confusion, wonder,
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<v Speaker 4>and excitement. The birth of Christ invites us into all
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<v Speaker 4>these feelings. It's a truly baffling thing that the God
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<v Speaker 4>of all creation would humble himself in the likeness of
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<v Speaker 4>a helpless baby. Without further ado, Let's listen to this
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<v Speaker 4>cinematic retelling of the birth of Christ.
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<v Speaker 2>The stable was dark, only slightly lit by the oil
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<v Speaker 2>lamp hanging over Mary and Joseph. Mary's quiet and determined
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<v Speaker 2>breaths echoed through the stable. Beads of sweatlike pearls descended
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<v Speaker 2>down her brow.
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<v Speaker 3>Is this a blessing or a curse?
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<v Speaker 2>She murmured to herself. However, she knew it was a blessing.
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<v Speaker 2>She knew what awaited her on the other side of
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<v Speaker 2>her anguish God had foretold this day, and she was
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<v Speaker 2>determined to step into the promised hope. At her side
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<v Speaker 2>was Joseph, reassuring and steady. Hour after all, Mary strained, Finally,
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<v Speaker 2>her shrieks of distress were replaced with the tender whimpers
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<v Speaker 2>of her new young son. Joseph wrapped him in his
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<v Speaker 2>arms and wiped him with woven wool. He stared into
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<v Speaker 2>the child's eyes. There was nothing different about him. There
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<v Speaker 2>were no lights radiating from his eyes or humming of
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<v Speaker 2>heavenly hosts behind him. He was a baby, crying and
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<v Speaker 2>taking in the newness of life. But as Joseph cradled
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<v Speaker 2>him in his arms, ye knew without a doubt this
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<v Speaker 2>child was exceptional. Chosen, Blessed. All the turmoil, danger, and
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<v Speaker 2>chaos he had to endure was worth it for the
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<v Speaker 2>sake of this treasure he held in his hands. We
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<v Speaker 2>already know his name, he said to Mary. Mary reached
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<v Speaker 2>for her son and cradled him in her arms. She
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<v Speaker 2>stroked his face.
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<v Speaker 3>His name will be Jesus, she whispered, The Lord says.
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<v Speaker 2>Mary pressed Jesus against her chest and cried joyfully. He
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<v Speaker 2>was the fulfillment of God's promise to humanity, the good
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<v Speaker 2>Shepherd of Israel, the savior of the world. But at
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<v Speaker 2>that moment, under the chilly night sky, he was Mary's baby.
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<v Speaker 2>Her heart fluttered at the sound of his whimpers. Jesus,
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<v Speaker 2>she whispered again, Welcome. Joseph crouched beside Mary, and the
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<v Speaker 2>two stared at the child with dirting eyes. It was
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<v Speaker 2>a baffling thing to behold. God himself, the maker of
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<v Speaker 2>the stars, the masters of the sea, was with them.
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<v Speaker 2>Among them the prophecy told by Isaiah rang in their
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<v Speaker 2>minds like wedding bells. Therefore, the Lord himself shall give
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<v Speaker 2>you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear
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<v Speaker 2>a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Which means
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<v Speaker 2>God with us. God was with them in the flesh,
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<v Speaker 2>voice whimpering, and eyes adjusting to the dim lights of
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<v Speaker 2>the oil lamp. A small gust of wind blew through
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<v Speaker 2>the cave, and he shivered. The maker of the wind
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<v Speaker 2>shivered as it blew. Mary could barely wrap her mind
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<v Speaker 2>around it, and perhaps never truly would until it was
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<v Speaker 2>time to behold his power over sin and death. Joseph
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<v Speaker 2>took Jesus from Mary and squadowed him tightly in the
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<v Speaker 2>tattered remains of the blankets Mary used to save his life.
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<v Speaker 2>He placed him in the manger where the donkey fed,
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<v Speaker 2>the same donkey that carried Mary from Nazareth. Joseph, perhaps
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<v Speaker 2>from exhaustion, felt his mind wander. He looked at the
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<v Speaker 2>craftsmanship of the manger and couldn't help but critique it.
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<v Speaker 2>That's when he realized, perhaps for the first time, that
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<v Speaker 2>he would raise this child to be a craftsman like him.
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<v Speaker 2>He was going to raise the son of God to
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<v Speaker 2>be a carpenter. What are you doing, Lord, Joseph wondered.
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<v Speaker 2>He stepped back and watched the boy gently fall asleep
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<v Speaker 2>to the low humming of Mary's voice. The cave filled
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<v Speaker 2>with the warmth of her melody. There in a stable,
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<v Speaker 2>tucked in a mountain, Mary sang the same song of
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<v Speaker 2>redemption she had in the beginning, a song of salvation,
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<v Speaker 2>redemption and hope, undying and unrelenting hope.
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<v Speaker 3>He has shown his strength with his mighty arm, scattered
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<v Speaker 3>the proud, and humbled the hard. He has shown his
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<v Speaker 3>strength with his mighty arm, scattered the proud, humbled the heart.
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<v Speaker 3>He toppled the mighty from their thrones, and lifted the
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<v Speaker 3>humbles and set them upon. Now all generations were calmly
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<v Speaker 3>pleased for the might you want us, darning great things
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<v Speaker 3>for me. Holy, Holy, Holyes, his name, his mercies goes
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<v Speaker 3>who believe.
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<v Speaker 4>On that first Christmas, the Messiah was born under a
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<v Speaker 4>canopy of stars and surrounded by livestock. Jesus' birth fulfilled
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<v Speaker 4>God's promise to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.
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<v Speaker 4>He promised there that one day a son of Eve
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<v Speaker 4>would be born to crush the work of evil. That
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<v Speaker 4>promised son arrived not on a chariot or in a palace,
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<v Speaker 4>but in his stable. His humble arrival tells us that
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<v Speaker 4>God doesn't care for pomp and circumstance. Humility, and passion.
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<v Speaker 4>The circumstances of Jesus' birth were foretold in numerous Old
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<v Speaker 4>Testament prophecies, signifying that God's redemptive plan was unfolding exactly
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<v Speaker 4>as he had intended. Isaiah chapter seven, verse fourteen said, therefore,
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<v Speaker 4>the Lord will give you a sign. The Virgin will
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<v Speaker 4>conceive and give birth to a son, and call him Immanuel.
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<v Speaker 4>This prophecy, given centuries before Jesus' birth, pointed to the
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<v Speaker 4>unique circumstances of his arrival and his divine nature. The
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<v Speaker 4>birth of Christ was not a random occurrence. It was
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<v Speaker 4>a carefully orchestrated Divine plan that fulfilled specific prophecies, providing
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<v Speaker 4>evidence of his messiahship. The title Immanuel carries profound significance.
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<v Speaker 4>It means God with us. That title, saidymbolizes the intimate
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<v Speaker 4>relationship between God and humanity made possible through the incarnation.
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<v Speaker 4>God did not remain distant or detached from human suffering
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<v Speaker 4>and sin. He came down to live among us. In
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<v Speaker 4>Philippians chapter two, verses six and seven, we see that Jesus,
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<v Speaker 4>being in very nature God, did not consider equality with
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<v Speaker 4>God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather,
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<v Speaker 4>he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of
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<v Speaker 4>a servant being made in human likeness. Jesus's arrival as
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<v Speaker 4>a vulnerable child demonstrates a profound humility and an invitation
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<v Speaker 4>to approach God with childlike faith. It also represents a
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<v Speaker 4>new beginning and the hope for redemption and renewal. The
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<v Speaker 4>Nativity story is not merely a historical account. It's a
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<v Speaker 4>story filled with mystery, drama, and profound theological truths. This
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<v Speaker 4>story illustrates God's profound love and willingness to enter our messy,
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<v Speaker 4>broken world. But why did Jesus have to come as
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<v Speaker 4>a child. Theologically this has profound implications. By coming as
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<v Speaker 4>a child, God made himself approachable and relatable. He began
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<v Speaker 4>life on earth in the most humble and vulnerable state,
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<v Speaker 4>indicating his willingness to identify with the human condition. Jesus'
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<v Speaker 4>birth as a child also symbolizes innocence and purity, qualities
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<v Speaker 4>necessary for the one who would take away the sins
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<v Speaker 4>of the world. Lastly, the birth of a child represents
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<v Speaker 4>new life and hope. In Jesus, we see the promise
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<v Speaker 4>of a new creation, a fresh start for humanity reconciled
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<v Speaker 4>to God may this Christmas season be a time to
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<v Speaker 4>reflect on the profound truth that God is with us.
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<v Speaker 4>He's not distant or aloof, but intimately involved in our lives,
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<v Speaker 4>offering hope, redemption, and a relationship that begins now and
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<v Speaker 4>lasts for eternity. Our story is not yet over. God
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<v Speaker 4>has orchestrated visitors to come and behold Jesus, and behind
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<v Speaker 4>the scenes, the plot will be made to find and
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<v Speaker 4>kill the new born Messiah. Continue this epic Christmas tale
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<v Speaker 4>with us for the rest of December and behold God's
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<v Speaker 4>sovereign power.
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