Center for Evangelists

Joseph must have been frantically looking for a place to stay for the night. Mary was probably already in labor. She was young, it was her first child and she was going through the same pain in childbirth that every mother has when giving birth.

Bethlehem was full of travelers. It was a small village with a very limited number of inns. Maybe only one, and the was no room. The innkeeper took pity on Joseph and Mary and allowed them room in his stable.

Most people look at the innkeeper as unfeeling but if you think about it he really did an act of kindness, plus scripture was being fulfilled.

If the innkeeper had known who was to be born in his stable, maybe he would have given up his own room for JESUS.

JESUS wants the best from us. Our gift to Him this Christmas should be giving Him every room in our heart.

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus was foretold by Micah 700 years before Christ’s birth. Micah named the exact town and Matthew records the event. Bethlehem is still standing today and both Biblically and historically is proven to be the actual place where Jesus was born.

The journey to Bethlehem took Mary and Joseph about 4 days. It was not an easy journey for a woman about to give birth. Tradition says she rode on a donkey but that is not in the Bible account. She may have had to walk that distance.

Today take a few minutes from your busy Christmas preparation and think about the obedience of Joseph and Mary. They were willing to sacrifice time, ridicule, and hardship to bring JESUS into the world.

Two humans that made a difference to everyone from that time for all eternity.

Luke 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting

It’s hard to go anywhere during Christmas without seeing stars hanging from street lamps or sitting on top of Christmas trees.

The star is one of the most recognizable symbols of Christmas. It represents the star that appeared in the sky when Jesus Christ was born. The star led the Wise Men to Jesus and reminds us to follow the light of the Savior just as the Wise Men followed the light of the star to find Him.

Have you found him as the Wise men did? Not as a baby but as Lord and Savior in your life.

Matthew 2:1&2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Candles are a tradition of Christmas. Before electricity they were used to light Christmas trees, as well as light for the home after dark.

Today, we use them as decorations. We scent them with Christmas smells, pine, peppermint and others to make our homes smell like Christmas.

The Christian meaning of the candle is that Jesus is the light of the world. We no longer walk in darkness of sin when we accept Jesus as our Savior.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

In Indiana, a candy maker wanted to make a candy that could be a reminder of Jesus Christ, so he made the Christmas candy cane. 

He started off with a stick of pure white hard candy. The white color symbolized the virgin birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and the hard candy symbolized the solid rock which was the foundation of the church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candy maker made the candy in the form of a J, which represented the name of Jesus and the staff of the Good Shepherds. 

He then stained it with red stripes which showed the scourging Jesus received, and symbolized the blood shed by Christ on the cross. 

When you break the cane, it reminds us that Jesus’ body was broken for us.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

One of the beautiful symbols of Christmas is the pointsettia plant that we like to decorate with for the holiday. In Florida and other warm climates the plants grow and bloom in December. 

The shape reminds us of the star that led the wise men to Bethlehem to worship Jesus. 

The red color the precious blood of Jesus, shed for us, the only we can have our sins forgiven. White plants, a symbol of Jesus’ purity. 

The poinsettia, a wonderful reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.