Lisa Barry: Depending on what time of day you're hearing this program, you may have already opened your Christmas presents and eaten the turkey or ham dinner. But even so, I'd still like to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas. In the spirit of this glorious holiday, Elisabeth Elliot is going to share the event that set the celebration in motion. Whether you're listening intently or just have us on in the background, you'll appreciate this traditional retelling of the very first Christmas ever. That's coming up next on Gateway To Joy. Here's Elisabeth.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That's what the Bible says. "And underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot, speaking with you about the demonstration of that everlasting love.

Do you know that children's hymn, "Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so"? What does the Bible tell us? Well, it tells among other things that wonderful story of how the God who had kept Himself hidden for ages revealed Himself through creation and through the prophets, and through the law--finally revealing Himself as a human being, as a baby.

Today is the remembrance and the celebration of a true story--more incredible, humanly speaking, than any fairy story; more wonderful, loaded with deeper significance than any other story that has ever been told. It's from Luke 2.

"In those days, a decree was issued by the Emperor, Augustus, for a registration to be made throughout the Roman world. This was the first registration of its kind. It took place when Quirinius was Governor of Syria. For this purpose, everyone made his way to his own town. And so Joseph went up to Judea, from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to register at the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house of David by descent.

And with him went Mary, who was betrothed to him. She was expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them to lodge in the house."

I would like to pause right there and point out that there really isn't anything very unusual about anything so far, is there? Everybody had to go to register at whatever the city was of his ancestors. And here was just one couple, Joseph and Mary, and she happened to be pregnant. And it was time for her baby to be born when she got to Bethlehem, the town in which they had to register. And she gave birth to a son, her firstborn. Nothing terribly unusual about that. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes. That was the custom.

But this is the unusual part. I said that there wasn't anything unusual, but there was certainly one unusual thing here. She laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them to lodge in the house.

The story goes on with Luke 2:8. "Now in this same district there were shepherds out in the fields, keeping watch through the night over their flock, when suddenly there stood before them an angel of the Lord, and the splendor of the Lord shone around them. They were terror-stricken.

But the angel said, 'Do not be afraid. I have good news for you. There's great joy coming to the whole people. Today, in the city of David, a Deliverer has been born to you, the Messiah, the Lord. And this is your sign: You will find a baby, lying wrapped in His swaddling clothes, in a manger.'

All at once, there was with the angel a great company of the heavenly host, singing the praises of God: 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, His peace for men on whom His favor rests.'

After the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, 'Come, we must go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' So they went with all speed and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in a manger.

When they saw Him, they recounted what they had been told about this child, and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them. Meanwhile, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for what they had heard and seen. It had all happened as they had been told."

That's the miraculous part, isn't it? Ordinary duties were being carried on when the shepherds were out there in the fields, but something extraordinary happened. Suddenly there was an angel, and angel choirs, and the angel giving them the message of a Deliverer being born today in the City of David, the Messiah, the Lord. "And this is your sign: You will find a baby lying wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger."

Well, I don't know how the shepherds were guided to that manger, but somehow they knew that this was pretty unusual, because newborn babies are not normally to be found in mangers. But they found Him, and they told what they had heard.

You know, I never noticed this until I was reading this just now. It says, "All who heard it were astonished." I have only pictured Mary and Joseph there. It doesn't say, "Both of those who heard it were astonished," but "all." There must have been some other people there. I don't think it was the wise men yet. But they were astonished at what the shepherds told them.

You don't find Mary saying a single word. She was silent. She treasured up all these things, and the shepherds went back to their work, glorifying and praising God. I hope that those who are listening want to study the old, old story once again.

There is one ancient creed that says, "I believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ." The incarnation simply means the enfleshing--the coming in the flesh--and Christians must believe faithfully that He did in fact come in the flesh. It was not a fairy story.

It happened at a particular time under the reign of a particular authority. The governor of Syria is named Quirinius. And the actual geographic spots--Joseph went up to Judea from Nazareth to register in Bethlehem. This was the place where the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took place. He is God and man.

The creed goes on to say, "God of the substance of the Father, begotten before all worlds; and man of the substance of His mother, born in the world." Let me read that again--those tremendous contrasts. We have to try to grasp it. "God of the substance of the Father, begotten before all worlds; and man of the substance of His mother, born in the world."

I am talking I suppose today to some who are very lonely. Christmas time is a time that exacerbates our loneliness. We may feel cut off from the past, remembering very happy Christmases. Perhaps people you love are very far away, some of them in very dangerous and uncertain places. Some of them you can't even get in touch with. You can't hear from them. Some of you have loved ones in prison. Some of you are in prison. There is nowhere in the world you'd rather be than home today, around the Christmas tree with your family.

Maybe your family is broken. This is your first Christmas after a divorce. Perhaps it is your first Christmas after losing your spouse. Perhaps you were engaged, or you had a relationship with somebody who has simply disappeared.

Do you feel completely forsaken? Do you think that God is distant and indifferent? Maybe you are unemployed and you are filled with fear, wondering how in the world you are going to make it next year.

I remind you of that tremendous doctrinal word "incarnation." God became a man. He understands all of it. He came into the world, and He walked this road with us. Listen to the story of an old hymn.

"Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed, where a mother laid her baby in a manger for His bed. Mary was that mother mild, and Jesus Christ her little child. He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all; and His shelter was a stable, His cradle was a stall.

With the poor and mean and lowly lived on earth our Savior holy, and through all His wondrous childhood He would honor and obey, love and watch the lowly maiden in whose gentle arms He lay. Christian children all must be mild, obedient, good as He; for He is our childhood's pattern. Day by day like us He grew; He was little, weak and helpless. Tears and smiles like us He knew, and He feeleth for our sadness, and He shareth in our gladness.

Not in that poor, lowly stable with the oxen standing by, we shall see Him but in Heaven set at God's right hand on high. When like stars His children crowned, all in white shall wait around."

This story is for you. It was for you and me that He came, but our eyes at last shall see Him through His own redeeming love. But only if we want to, if we receive Him in a simple act of faith and repentance.

Lisa Barry: What better way than to receive the gift of eternal life by placing your faith in God. Maybe you're alone this Christmas for the first time in your life or circumstances have made this holiday a painful one for you. If you're listening today and you haven't yet put your faith in Christ and accepted Him as your personal Savior, it might be the reason why you've tuned in today. God won't beat down your door, but He will knock. Maybe He is knocking.

Will you open the door? If you're saying yes to that question, we would like to know about it. Why not drop us a line at Gateway To Joy? We'd be happy to send you some information that will get you off on the right foot. Just ask for the booklet entitled TEN FIRST STEPS FOR THE NEW CHRISTIAN.

Here's our address: Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501. Now you won't be able to reach us by phone today because of the holiday, but feel free to write to us.

This is Lisa Barry, and for all of us here at Gateway To Joy, we wish you the very merriest Christmas. And God bless you.