The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.John 1:14
This is such an incredible statement. What in the world would it have been like for the God who made everything to humble himself so much that he became a helpless baby who had to be fed and burped and changed when me pooped in his diaper. It is hard to even imagine.... but I tried... here is an extended version of the Birth narrative of Jesus if you are interested.
The baby inside her kicked awakening Mary from her troubled sleep. He would come soon. Joseph slept next to her in a small shelter outside of Bethlehem. They had traveled here because Caesar Augustus had issued a decree mandating a census of the entire Roman world be taken. To facilitate this process, everyone was to return to their hometown to register. Since Joseph was from Bethlehem they had packed up and come here to the ancient city of David, an ancestor of Joseph. The timing could not have been worse, as Mary's pregnancy was now in the final stages and traveling was very uncomfortable for her.
When they arrived from their long journey things had not gotten any better. Due to the census, the small town of Bethlehem was over run with people. Throughout the entire city no one had a guest room for the pregnant couple and they ended up in the stable where they animals were kept. Mary's stirring woke Joseph. He got up and looked at Mary. He had done his best to prepare a place for her to give birth, but this is not what either of them had expected when the angels told them of Mary's pregnancy. What a strange place for the birthplace of God's Messiah.
The stars shone overhead and the moon was now high in the night sky. In the fullness of time God sent his son , and Mary gave birth to her firstborn with Joseph's help. In this way Jesus, the light of the world, entered the world born of a woman in a humble stable while the world slept comfortably in their beds. The baby cried. Mary rocked him gently as Joseph borrowed a feeding trough from the animals of the stable to serve as his crib. They tucked him in and Mary spoke soothingly to him until he fell asleep. Their joy at his birth made the discomfort of their surroundings and the pain of childbirth fade greatly.
Mary and Joseph were not the only ones who spent the night under the stars with animals. There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks that night. As they settled in for the night on a grassy hillside, suddenly an angel appeared to them and the Glory of God burst forth, engulfing the entire hillside. The shepherds were terrified (Angels tend to have that effect on people). The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid! I bring you wonderful news! Today in the town of David, Bethlehem, a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, THE LORD!!!"
The shepherds looked at each other eyes wide in amazement.
"This will be the sign for you," the angel continued, "you will find the baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger that animals eat from." As the shepherds stood speechless, a great heavenly host appeared praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth!"
The joy of heaven concerning the birth of Jesus overflowed into the world in the praises of the angelic Host. As quickly as they appeared, the angels were gone and the hillside was dark again. It took a few moments for the shepherd's eyes to adjust to the dark night after the angels departed. Once they collected themselves, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this wonderful child for ourselves!"
So they hurried off traveling quickly into Bethlehem. In the animal stable on the outskirts of the village they found Mary and Joseph, as well as a beautiful newborn baby lying in a manger. Joseph rose in surprise as the shepherds ran into the stable. The shepherds could not contain their excitement, stumbling over their words as they told Mary and Joseph of their encounter the angel.
After spending some time with the family, the shepherds left glorifying and praising God and went forth telling everyone about the wonderful news that the angels had spoken to them, and about the beautiful baby they had found. They now knew that the angel's words were indeed true. Finally, after all of their suffering as a people, God had remembered them and sent their Savior.
Back in the stable, as dawn's light broke across the horizon, Mary reflected on the night and its strange encounters. She treasured these wonderful things in her heart.
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