A Christmas Story

A very long time ago, a girl by the name of Mary was about to get married to her fiancée who’s name was Joseph. Just before they got married, she found out that she was pregnant. Now Joseph was very upset and because he was a good man, decided to call off the wedding in private because in those days, if a woman became pregnant before she was married she would be put to death.

While Joseph was thinking about the situation, an angel appeared to him and told him that he should still go ahead and marry Mary because an old prophesy had stated that  someone like Mary would have a child and they should call him Emmanuel which means God with us. So Joseph being very obedient married Mary.

Close to the time when Mary was to have the baby, the King of the land decided that everyone should be taxed, as a result everyone would have to return to the city they were born to have this done. So Joseph had to leave Galilee where he and Mary were staying to go to the City of David which is called Bethlehem. While they were there, it was time for Mary to have the baby, but unfortunately all the rooms in the city were filled so the Innkeeper gave them the only place he had free which was a Manger. This was a place somewhat like a stable where donkeys, horses and sheep were kept and so the baby was born.

Now that night, while Mary and Joseph were enjoying their new baby, some distance away  there were some shepherds watching their sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared to them. Now the Shepherds were really scared but the Angel told them not to be afraid because he had good news for them. The Angel told them that the Saviour of the world was born that night and to prove it they would find a baby wrapped in torn bits of cloth lying in a manger. As soon as the angel said that, many angels appeared and they started to sing the most beautiful song the shepherds had ever heard,

“Glory to God in the highest and peace goodwill to all men”

The Angels then disappeared and the Shepherds hurried to Bethlehem where they found this beautiful baby whose birth the world remembers at Christmas time.