The Night That Became Christmas

The night that became Christmas could probably stand alone,
But God added to it with some facts of His own.
Like a trail full of crumbs, He sent prophets and left scripture,
So we can go back and compare, sort of see the whole picture.
This is not the whole puzzle, these are only some pieces,
To add to the facts of the birth of Christ Jesus.
Three visitations, three different hearts and minds,
That would forever establish, The King of All Time.
For unto us a child is born,
Unto us a Son is given
-Isaiah 9:6

Zacharias was tending to the duties of the Temple,
The Angel Gabriel appeared,
And told him something not-so-simple.
He said your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son
But because Zacharias was old, he said ‘How can this be done?’
And because he had questioned what God wanted to accomplish,
His mouth was closed up and the people were astonished.
But when the boy was born, God opened his mouth,
And he gave God the praise, and he said with no doubt,
His name shall be John according to the Angel,
And in the spirit of Elijah, he shall prepare the people.
Behold I will send my messenger
And he will prepare the way before Me.
-Malachi 3:1

Six months after Zacharias, Gabriel visited Mary.
He said blessed are you because soon you will carry.
A child shall be born to you and His name shall be Jesus,
And many will rejoice when they hear of and see this.
He will be great and will be called ‘The Son of the Most Highest,’
God will give Him the throne of David, and He will reign by this.
Over the house of Jacob, forever it will begin.
And of his Kingdom there will be no end.
Mary said ‘How can this be since I do not know a man?’
And although she believed, she did not understand.
The Angel said, ‘Indeed, your cousin Elizabeth,
Who once you called barren
Has conceived and is six months into the child she is carrying.’
He said, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
Therefore He will be called God’s Son,
For with God nothing is impossible, highly favored one.'
And Mary said,
‘My soul doth magnify the Lord.’
Luke 1:46

Now Joseph was a just man, to whom Mary was promised.
He knew her to be a virgin, humble, and honest.
So when Joseph found out that Mary was with child.
He came up with a plan to not have her publicly defiled.
He would quietly divorce her and put her away,
Then Joseph got his visit, in a dream the Angel came:
'Joseph, Son of David, take Mary and do not fear it,
For that which is conceived is of the Holy Spirit.
And she will bring forth a Son And you shall call His name Jesus.'
The same name Gabriel told Mary in the poem that was previous.
'For He will save His people from their sins.'
So Joseph took Mary, as the Angel had instructed him,
And he did not know her till after the birth of her Son.
So all this was done
that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the Lord
through the prophet, saying:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child,
and bear a Son,
and they shall call His name Immanuel,”
which is translated,
“God with us.”
Mathew 1:22, 23

Joseph and Mary travelled to Bethlehem, the city of David,
And while they were there, Mary’s days were completed.
She gave birth to a Son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths tight,
And laid Him in a manger on this first Christmas night.
There was no room anywhere else, because of all of the people,
The birth of Jesus Christ was not under a steeple,
But in a stable full of animals, God chose to bring His Son,
To seek and to save the lost. Anyone could come.
The night that became Christmas, ended with one more visitation,
Shepherds keeping watch received this salutation:
An Angel of the Lord stood before them,
And the Lord’s glory shone around them,
He said,
‘Do not be afraid for I bring you good tidings,
For there is born to you this day in the city of David…
A Savior who is Christ the Lord.
You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
Lying in a manger…
A Savior who is Christ the Lord'

Then a multitude of heavenly hosts next to the Angel did appear,
They gave praises so loud, all the shepherds could hear.
I believe this is a reminder of the praise we should bring,
When we think of Jesus, and the birth of our King!
The night that became Christmas was not just a night,
It’s the nights before and the nights after, all played out just right.
The birth of Christ, the death of Christ,
God’s plan for redemption,
To bring us to himself, His own arm of intervention.
It is more than just Christmas, More than the birth of a Son
It is the eternal consequence (listen carefully here)… of everyone.
This is not the whole puzzle and these are only a few pieces
But these are the facts in the birth of Christ Jesus.

You must meet Him for yourself
And have your own visitation.

Merry Christmas!!!
Sharon Byrd
December 25, 2011