Anticipating the Christ Child – the Original Advent
I am recording a four-part overview of the Christmas story as it appears in the Bible. Families are invited to read and/or listen as part of their celebration of Christmas. Look for part two on Christmas Day, part three on January 2, and part four on January 6, 2015.
Israelites await their promised Messiah
The Israelites were expecting the Messiah as he had been promised through the prophets hundreds of years earlier. Here are only a few of these many prophesies:
Genesis 3:15 God’s first prediction of the Messiah was given to Adam in the Garden of Eden.
“And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
Isaiah 7:14 The prophet Isaiah foretold the Christ’s birth about 700-800 years before he was born.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Micah 5:2 The prophet Micah foretold that the Christ child would be born in Bethlehem, more than 700 years before his birth.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans 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.”
John the Baptist’s birth announced
Before Christ Jesus was born, God sent a messenger ahead of him to prepare people’s hearts to receive him. I have recorded the following passages for your listening pleasure, or you may prefer to read them for yourself using the links below. The translation used in the recording is the New Living Translation.
Luke 1:5-25 Choose your translation and read the passage yourself by clicking this link, or click the link below and listen to the passage as read by Janice D. Green from the New Living Translation.
Jesus’ birth foretold to Mary
God sends his angel Gabriel on a second mission to give a message to Mary who was more receptive to the news than was Zechariah.
Luke 1:26-38 (click to read)
Mary Visits Elizabeth & Mary’s Song of Praise
Mary hurries off to visit her cousin Elizabeth after hearing Gabriel’s message. She stays with her for three months.
The Birth of John the Baptist & Zechariah’s Prophecy
Baby John was born just as the Angel Gabriel had said to Zechariah. When Zechariah was able to speak again, he prophesied about the coming Messiah and about his son John.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Janice D. Green’s timeless treasure The First Christmas which is appropriate for children ages four through one hundred and four.