After waiting many 1000 years and as prophecied in Genesis 3 verse 15 finally, the Saviour of the world is born, the King of all kings is born without any human royal celebration. Yet, far off in the fields outside of the town of Bethlehem, an army of angels appear to a small group of common shepherds, to announce this royal birth.
God works in mysterious ways! ‘God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the insignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no human may boast before God.’ 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NASB2020.
I have included three linked songs that reflect this familiar moment in time when a mother and a father experience, in wonder and awe, the birth of their baby. There is a scene in the videos that shows Jesus as a very young child when the wise men visited him and as a young teenager watching his father crafting something, as a carpenter. I watch those scenes in wonder and awe that the Son of God, the Saviour of the world grew up from a baby, dependent on his mother and father for survival, growing through the stages of childhood to become an adult that showed such love and compassion for his surrounding community and go on to die for the sins of the world, including my sins past and present, providing a way for all of mankind, to reunite with God, his creator, as he did back at the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden. Beverley Joy
The reigning King ordered his whole kingdom
To register for a census
Joseph, and Mary now nine months pregnant,
Walked for days, through hilly country.
There was no vacant room for them to stay
In their over-crowded town of birth
So, they sheltered in an animal shed
Soon, Mary fell to sleep exhausted.
Not long after, Mary went into labour
While staying in the animal stable
In discomfort and birthing pain
The new king was born, stripped of dignity and fame.
Wrapped in common household cloth
Not a royal christening gown
His bed, an animal feeding trough
Not a cradle in a royal home.
Local shepherds were quick to visit
The new family to share their story
Of terror and fright of the previous night
When an angel of God stood before them.
Shining the magnificent glory of God
Saying ‘A saviour is born.’ ‘Christ the Lord.’
Then how an army of angels appeared saying
‘Glory to God’ ‘Peace to men who please Him.’
Now, here they all stood in an animal shed
Poor shepherds, second-class citizens
A young teenage couple with the baby king
Watching, in awe and thinking “What next?”
But Mary treasured God’s words in her heart
What the angel had told her and Joseph
What God’s angels said to the shepherds
And the prophecy foretold in the Old Testament.
The shepherds returned to care for their sheep
But on their way, they told people in the streets
About the angels and the baby king
But the people found their story hard to believe.
Mary and Joseph walked to another city
To present baby Jesus in God’s temple
To dedicate Him and give thanks to God
For the birth of God’s holy Son.
A righteous elderly man,
Filled with God’s Holy Spirit
Came to God’s temple that same day
He took and held the baby in his hands.
Praising God he said “Now I die in peace
For I have seen with my own eyes
God’s Saviour of all people
Who will take away the sin of the world.”
Joseph and Mary were amazed
At what the old man had said
Then he turned to Mary and told her
“Great pain will pierce your heart”.
An old woman who prayed daily in the temple
Came up to the babe and thanked God
She spoke of Jesus to all the people
Who came to the temple to pray.
Down through the ages
God’s people had waited and prayed
For the long-awaited Saviour of the world
Now born into poverty and obscurity.
To be continued…
Beverley Joy © 2019 of Simply Story Poetry
Listen to or read the Christmas stories leading up to this story: The Christmas Story Part 1, Four Unusual Women Part 2, 700BC Part 3, Mary Part 4 and Mary and Elizabeth Part 5, Joseph Part 6.
You can listen to all my poems on several podcast platforms here
A lullaby of Joseph.
A famous Carol about Mary and her newborn baby Jesus.
Here is an interesting article about Bible prophecies fulfilled at the birth of Jesus.
Simply Story Poetry 
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