Today Christians all over the world are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, where his parents traveled from their hometown of Nazareth to register during a census decreed by Caesar Augustus.   Bethlehem was the registration city for descendants of King David, who was born in Bethlehem.  Jesus’s  birth in Bethlehem fulfilled this prophecy by Micah, given 700 years earlier:

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans^[a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”

This was one of over 300 prophecies fulfilled during the life of Jesus, with the first being His virgin birth (Genesis 3:15).   Who was this Jesus?  The Apostle John  introduced his gospel with these words:

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

So God came to earth that night in the form of a baby boy who would grow to manhood without sin and die to atone for the sins of the world.   But the story didn’t end there.  He was resurrected on the third day –  hence our Easter celebration – and ascended to Heaven, where He sits beside His Father and advocates for His people.  Christians look forward to His return and His eternal kingdom.

But today we celebrate the day he was born as a Jewish infant, fully God and fully man.  Happy birthday, Jesus!

And on behalf of our authors at SPIB,  I want to wish all of our readers, Christian or not,  a very Merry Christmas!

As Governor Palin said in her Facebook note:

Christmas is a holiday for all, whether you are a Christian believer or not.  The message of Christmas is full of hope, peace, joy, and the fellowship of all mankind

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