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??Give me a one-word answer for this question! What makes Christmas such a special day？Did you say toys, or Santa, or candy, or lights？Oh, I'm sure one of you said, "Jesus!"
??Actually, the story of Christmas is made up of many special days! Let's hear about one of them! Almost 2, 000 years ago a young woman was going about her ordinary, every-day work. Her name was Mary and she lived in Nazareth, in the tiny country of Israel in the Middle East. Yes, perhaps for Mary it began as an ordinary day of washing, cooking, cleaning, bringing water from the well, when suddenly! Something happened that changed her ordinary day into a very special day!
??An angel from heaven suddenly appeared to Mary! How would you feel if an angel just suddenly appeared in your room! Mary was afraid and confused; but the angel said,
??"Fear not, Mary：for you have found favor with God." The angel went on to tell Mary
??that she would have a son and must call his name Jesus."He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest：" the angel said, "...and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
??Mary had a question："How shall this be？" She knew she did not have a husband yet, and Mary knew she was going to keep herself pure until she had a husband. So then, how could she have a baby without a husband？??The angel explained that this baby would not come from a man, this baby would be the Son of God. Mary then said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; ？Mary was saying, "I am the servant of the Lord, let all that God has said happen."
??The angel left, and everything again looked like an ordinary day. But Mary knew it wasn't! Her life was changed forever!
??Mary was soon to marry Joseph, a carpenter in Nazareth. It was a very special day for Joseph when an angel appeared to him in a dream："Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary for your wife. This baby she is going to have is from the Holy Spirit. And Mary will have a son and you will call his name Jesus：for he shall save his people from their sins." Mary was Jewish, and so Jesus would be born into the Jewish race. The angel said Jesus would save his people from their sins. Did that mean Jesus would only save the Jewish people from their sins？What is sin？Even very young children know sin is doing bad things that God doesn't like, like being greedy and wanting the biggest and best things for yourself. Sin is saying those mean, hateful words to your brother or sister; or disobeying your parents. Do only Jewish people sin？No, we know we have all sinned, and the Bible tells us that as well. Isaiah 53：6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; ？Do just Jewish people need to be saved from their sin？No! We all face the same punishment for sin and that is to be separated from God forever. So we all need a Savior! And that is why God sent Jesus, not just to be a Savior for the Jewish people, but all people.
??Joseph woke from his dream, and he believed God's Word spoken through the angel.
??His ordinary day was changed forever! He married Mary and they both prepared for the day God's Son would be born.
??It was nearing the time for the baby to be born when another ordinary day became a very special one! Perhaps it was Joseph who told Mary, "We must travel to Bethlehem."
??In those days the Roman ruler, Caesar Augustus, had sent out a decree that all the world should be taxed, or registered, and each must travel to the city of their family line. Joseph and Mary were from the family of King David, and so they must travel to Bethlehem.
??They began the 4-5 day journey over rough, hilly roads. Perhaps because they had to travel slowly, the inn in Bethlehem was already filled when they arrived. Their only possibility for a place to spend the night was the stable. No matter that Mary and Joseph were tired and weary, no matter that it was a stable made for animals, this was the night and this was the place God had chosen before the creation of the world for His Son to be born! It was the very first Christmas! Do you think there was a Christmas tree with decorations and lights, or beautifully wrapped presents like we have in America at Christmastime？No. In fact, probably no one knew except Mary and Joseph that this was the first Christmas. Of course God in Heaven knew, and the angels. And very soon some shepherds would know!
??Luke 2 says, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them：and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not：for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
??What a wonderful thing! God chose to show His most glorious sight, He chose to tell His most glorious news to a group of poor, smelly shepherds, rather than to the rich and important people of the world! Does this seem strange to you, boys and girls？Doesn't it prove to us that God loves the poor, unimportant people of the world？I John 4：10 says, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us..." God loves you! No matter how you feel about yourself, God feels a great love and concern for you! He is your perfect Creator, and His love for you is perfect. He has loving plans for your life, and the greatest plan is that you would believe in His son Jesus as your Savior, and be able to live with God in Heaven someday. God loves you so much, and He loved those poor shepherds too! He chose to let them be the first to hear the great news about His Son's birth!
??The shepherd's ordinary night had been turned into a very special night! After the angels left, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to find this Savior. Just as the angels had told them, they found the baby boy lying in a manger. I'm sure they shared with Mary and Joseph everything the angels had said. And when they left the stable, Luke 2：17 tells us the shepherds went and told everybody what they had seen and heard. Luke 2：20 says, "And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
??Later Mary and Joseph took the child Jesus to Nazareth where He grew up. Did you know, boys and girls, that Jesus was once your age, and just about your size？But He was different! Because Jesus was God, He was perfect even as a child. That means He never disobeyed His parents, or pouted and wanted his own way.
??When Jesus grew up, He turned everybody's ordinary days into very special days! If you had been blind all your life, wouldn't it be a very special day if Someone touched your eyes and suddenly you could see？!! That's what Jesus did! He went about the villages and cities teaching about God, and healing and doing miracles among the people.
??Then came a very special day that was a SAD day. Jesus knew this day had to come, the day when He as God's Son would take the punishment for our sin. After all, that is why He had left Heaven to come down into the world. I John 4：14 says, "The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." To become our Savior Jesus faced the day when He must allow His enemies to curse and beat Him, to even spit in His face, and then to nail Him to a wooden cross to die. Even though as God the Son, He had power to stop this cruel punishment, Jesus did not stop it, for He knew He must take our punishment if He were to be able to save us from the punishment of sin. Galatians 1：3 and 4 says, "...our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us..." Three days after our Lord Jesus died and was buried, there came another special day! We celebrate it as Easter, the day our Lord Jesus came alive from the dead! Do you know the big word for that？Resurrection!
??Now the Lord Jesus is alive in Heaven, but He has promised there will be another special day for us. It hasn't come yet, but it surely will! In John 14：2 & 3, Jesus says, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." These words are a wonderful promise to all who believe in the Lord Jesus!
??Are you ready for that most special day？Everyone spends a lot of time getting ready for Christmas. But the day of our Lord's return will be far more wonderful! If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior from sin, are you keeping your life pure as you watch for your Lord's return？I John 3：3 says, "And every man (or boy or girl) that has this hope in him (the hope that Jesus is coming back) purifies himself, even as he is pure." As believers we realize that Jesus could come back at any time. We want to keep our lives pleasing to Him, so that no matter what moment Jesus comes, we will be glad to see Him, and not ashamed. Are you reading and obeying God's Word？Are you taking time daily to praise and thank God and to pray for yourself and for others？Are you checking your life to see if there are things you should stop thinking, saying or doing because you know they are not pleasing to God？Are you telling others about Jesus' These are all ways we can be preparing for our Lord's return.
??If you have never believed on the Lord Jesus, you are not ready for His return. When Jesus appears in the clouds, all those who have believed in Him will go up to meet Him in the clouds. They will be with Jesus in Heaven enjoying all His wonderful treasures. Those who have not believed will be left behind to suffer the most awful judgments from God that the world has ever seen. John 3：36 says, "He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; he that believes not the Son shall not see life but the wrath (or punishment) of God abides (stays forever) on him." Will you go now to ？How to be a Child of God？and follow those steps, so you can be ready for that most special day？
