The birth of Christ

Today during children’s church, we are going to cover the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Over the past 2 weeks, we covered the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Last week, we covered the ascension of Christ. Christ is our example of serving others, connecting with them and then teaching them how to connect with God. He did it during His life and after His resurrection, up until the moment that He ascended into heaven. After His ascension, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower His followers to be living testimonies for Him, connecting with others and discipling them, teaching them how to connect with God.

This week, we are taking a step back and looking at the birth of Christ, specifically focusing on the characters involved, namely, Joseph and Mary, and of course, their Son, Jesus Christ.

I. Joseph

Our main text for this section of the article is Matthew 1:18-24. Take a moment to read it before we discuss what we learn. There are several things in this passage that we learn about Joseph. First of all, his name means “blessed by God”. He is truly blessed to be able to marry the mother of Christ and raise Jesus with her. Joseph is a descendant of David, making Jesus the rightful heir of the throne of David. Not only is He the spiritual ruler but He also has the right to be the physical ruler of Israel because of his heritage. Joseph is also called a righteous man. The word righteous means “straight” or “not crooked”. Sin means being crooked to where we miss the mark or target. When we connect with God, He straightens us out and makes us right in His eyes. Joseph has a genuine relationship with God. He communicates with God and God communicates with him. He is obedient to God’s commands. Joseph is also familiar with the teachings of the Old Testament. When the angel delivered the message of good news to Joseph, he make many references to the Old Testament and Joseph knew what the angel meant. Joseph truly is blessed, not because of who he is but because of his relationship with God.

II. Mary

Our main text for this section of the article is Luke 1:26-56. Now that you have had a chance to read this passage, let’s see what we can discover. First of all, we discover that Mary is also a descendant of David. For those who would claim that Jesus is not the natural Son of Joseph and therefore does not have a right to the physical throne of Israel, Dr. Luke informs us that not only is Jesus heir according to his father’s lineage, He is also heir according to His mother’s lineage. Mary is chosen by God. She has a genuine relationship with God and is connected with Him. She and Joseph have been entrusted with the task of raising the Savior of the world. God communicates with her and she communicates with Him. Mary is obedient to God and considers herself His servant, living to carry out His will. Mary is a worshiper of God. After hearing from the angel and joining her cousin Elizabeth, Mary composing a song of praise to the Lord and leads Elizabeth in worshiping God. She was a student of the Word of God. Most of the composed hymn of praise to the Lord comes from Old Testament quotes. Both Mary and Joseph were students of the Word of God. They worshiped the Lord. They were both connected to Him, seeking to serve Him each and every day. This is a model family to be born in to and raised by. From birth, Jesus was taught the Word of God, to connect with God, to love and serve God.

III. Jesus

Now, let’s compile what we learned about Jesus from the previous 2 passages. Jesus is of the lineage of David both on His mother’s and father’s side. He has the right to be the physical ruler as well as the spiritual ruler. He is born of a virgin, a unique case, giving Him the ability to be fully human but without mankind’s sin nature. This is important because it makes Him the perfect sacrifice to appease the wrath of God. He does not have to die for His own sins. He can die for mankind’s sins. His mission is to pay the price for His people’s sins. Not only that, He rescues mankind from ourselves, our sin nature. His resurrection breaks sin’s death grip on our lives. His name is also Immanuel, which means “God with us”. Jesus is not a god. He is God. He came to this earth to help mankind reconnect with God. As we connect with God through Christ, we seek to connect with others and help them connect back with God through Christ.

What about you my dear friend, are you connected with God the way that Mary and Joseph were? Do you seek to obey God each and every day? Are you a worshiper of God? Are you a student of the Word of God? Do you seek to connect with others so that you can help them connect with God? Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? May the Lord help us have the same attitude that Mary and Joseph had.