REAL HISTORY
The Birth of Jesus
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About two thousand years ago, when the lands about the Mediterranean Sea were governed by the powerful men of Rome, there lived a man called Joseph and a young woman called Mary. They were expecting the birth of their first child and their hearts grew more and more joyful as the day on which he was to be born drew closer.
When Mary was within a few weeks of bringing the child into the world, they received orders to travel to a town called Bethlehem. Everyone was being summoned to pay a tax to the Emperor of Rome, and even though Bethlehem was many miles away, the young couple set out on their journey.
When they came to Bethlehem it was full of people, and there was nowhere for them to stay. They decided to spend the night in a stable, and it was there, amongst the beasts and the straw, that Mary gave birth to a son. She had no cradle to place him in, so she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in one of the mangers, from which the animals fed. The air was filled with calm, and Mary and Joseph gazed on the face of the little sleeping child.
Meanwhile, on the hills outside Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were keeping watch over their sheep. It was dark, and only a few stars twinkled in the sky. Suddenly, a light fell about them, and a glorious being spoke to them in gentle tones.
"Do not be afraid," it said, "I bring you tidings of great joy. One has been born today who will gladden the hearts of the people. You will find him in Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
As these words were spoken the skies were filled with rejoicing, and songs of praise were sung, blessing the Almighty, and wishing peace to all the people of the earth.
With eyes full of the brightness they had seen, and ears full of the sweet voices they had heard, the shepherds arose, and walked along the silent roads to Bethlehem. Their feet guided them to the stable, and they knelt down beside the manger, and told Mary and Joseph what they had seen.
Mary listened to their words, and although she could not understand them, her heart was glad.
The shepherds told everyone they met about the baby lying in the manger, and returned to their homes, singing and talking together.
The baby was called Jesus, and twelve days after he was born, three wise men arrived from the East to pay him homage. Mary and Joseph watched in wonder as the richly-clad strangers knelt before their little child and offered him gifts which they had carried with them for many hundreds of miles. In their own land they had beheld a star, shining in the West, and they had followed it until it came to a halt, above the place where Mary and Joseph were staying.
All these, and many more, wonders were seen at the birth of the little child, and Mary and Joseph kept them in their hearts, and as Jesus grew in beauty and wisdom, their love for him increased.