christ’s enigmatic birthday
DESCRIPTION
CHRIST’S ENIGMATIC BIRTHDAY. Matt 1:18-25. Once, referring to Pharaoh (Gen 20). TWICE of Herod Antipas (Matt 4:6; Mark 6:21). - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
CHRIST’S ENIGMATIC BIRTHDAY
Matt 1:18-25
“If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death – the girl because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.”
(Deut 22:23-24,New International Version)
This is how Jesus Christ was born. A
young woman named Mary was engaged
too Joseph from King David’s family. But before they were
married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God’s
Holy Spirit
“Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding.”
(v. 19, CEV)
“While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said ‘Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.’ ” (v. 20-21, CEV)
“Jehovah saves.”
“So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, ‘A virgin will have a baby, and he will be called Immanuel’ which means
‘God is with us.’
Hebrew language
“That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the
radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.
They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!
has been born tonight in
Bethlehem, the city of David! And this
is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying
in a manger, wrapped snugly in
strips of cloth!”
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.’
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.
They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.”
(Luke 2: 8-16, New Living Translation)
Notice that the exact date of Christ’s birth is
not included in the narrative. It only says
“Christ was born.”
The birth of Jesus Christ is on may 20-
3rd century
Clement of Alexandria
IN 336 A.D. established Christ’s birth
on December 25
Western Church
(Roman Catholic)
chose January 6.
(Greek Orthodox) Eastern Church
Before the Christian religion was established, the followers of the faith celebrated Christ’s birth on December 25th, to coincide with the Roman celebration of their pagan god.
To the early Christians, Christ is the
“Son of Righteousness and Justice.”
The “sun” of the Romans became
the “Son of God.”
“Strange is our situation here on earth. Each of us
comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to
a divine purpose. From the standpoint of
daily life, however, there is one thing we do not know: that we are here for the sake
of others …
… for the countless
unknown souls with whose fate we are
connected by a bond of
sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my own outer and
inner life is built upon the
labors of people, both
living and dead, and
how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have
received.”
We remember Him because He was a Man for others. He died to save us from sin, in order that we may live righteous lives.
Jesus led a life for others.