The Story of Jesus The Christ - Helen Braun Hojt

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watching their

      flocks that night. They

      watched them day and

      night, for it was not

      safe to leave them alone. Angels and Shepherds

      Robbers and wild beasts

      were about, and the sheep might come to harm if left without

      care.

      The shepherds knew that it was time for the Christ to come,

      and this night they were probably thinking of him and talking

      one to another, when all at once a bright light shone around

      them, and the angel of the Lord came before them. They were

      very much afraid, but the angel said: 44 Fear not, for, behold, I

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      A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

      bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people.

      For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour

      which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to you:

      you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a

      manger.»

      And suddenly there w^ere with this angel a great many more

      who sang, “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,

      good will to men.»

      When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the

      shepherds said to one

      another, “ Now let us

      go to Bethlehem right

      away, and see this baby,

      of whom the angels

      have been telling us.»

      They started at once

      and soon came to the

      city, for it was not

      more than a mile away.

      And there they found

      Joseph and Mary and

      the baby.

      The shepherds were

      very happy. They had

      so longed to have the

      Christ come; now he

      had come, and they

      were looking at him.

      Do you not think that

      Mary was happy, too,

      when she learned from the shepherds how they knew of her

      baby’s birth? She did not talk much about it, but the thought

      Adoration of Shepherds

      THE BIRTH OF THE CHRIST

      13

      was a comfort to her for the rest of her life. The shepherds

      went out and talked with every one whom they met about the

      wonderful child, and what the angels had said of him; and

      thanked God for what they

      had seen and heard, as

      they went back to their

      sheep.

      When the child was

      eight days old Mary named

      him Jesus, as the angel

      had told her. When he

      was forty days old he was

      taken to the temple at Je¬

      rusalem. This was done

      in order to obey a Jewish

      law that said that a mother

      must take her child to the

      temple and offer sacrifices

      for him. If she could af¬

      ford it she must take a

      lamb and a turtle dove for

      the sacrifice; if she were

      poor she could take two

      turtle doves or two young

      pigeons. As Joseph and Mary were poor, they took two turtle

      doves.

      There was an old man in Jerusalem, named Simeon, who

      loved God, and who had so longed to see the Christ that God

      had promised him that he should not die until he had seen the

      child. Simeon was in the temple when Joseph and Mary brought

      in the child Jesus. He looked at the baby, and knew at once

      that this was the Christ he had so longed to see.

      Presentation in the Temple

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      A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

      He took Jesus in liis arms, and thanked God that he had

      been allowed to see his Christ. 44 Lord, now I am willing and

      glad to go,» he said, 44 for I have seen thy Christ; the Saviour

      who has come to make the world brighter and better.» Then

      he said, as he gave the child back to his mother: 44 This child is

      born to be a great help to many people, but others will not

      believe him. They will speak against him, and will bring much

      sorrow to him, and his trouble will cause you sorrow too.»

      While these things were happening in Palestine, there were

      in another country in the East some wise men who saw a bright

      new star in the sky. These men studied the stars so much that

      they knew those that generally shone as they did old friends,

      and they knew that they had not seen this before. It seemed to

      tell them that some great thing had happened. They knew that

      the Jews were expecting a king, and they decided that this star

      was sent to tell them that he was born; and they thought they

      should go to honor him.

      So, although they lived a long way from Palestine, they took

      splendid gifts in their hands and went to find the king. They

      followed the star until they came to Jerusalem, where Herod

      the king lived. They were sure that a king would be found in a

      king’s house, so they went to Herod’s palace and asked him :

      44 Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen

      his star in the East, and have come to worship him.»

      Herod could not answer them. If he had ever heard of the

      birth of Jesus, it had not interested him enough to make him

      remember it. But he called together the learned Jews, and asked

      them where they expected the Christ to be born. They told him

      that

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