Lisa Barry: I can remember being in the Christmas pageant at church when I was about seven years old. I played one of the angels and had a halo of gold with a wire that shot up in the air and another halo was above that. I'm not sure if I really understood the Christmas story at all that year. In fact, my most vivid memory was when I spotted my proud parents in the congregation and I slipped out a tiny wave. I doubt if there's a parent listening who would trade an experience like that for anything. But to be honest, many years passed before I really began to understand the ramifications of the whole Christmas story.

Today Elisabeth Elliot is going to take us on a historical journey back to Bethlehem and give us a more vivid picture of that great event 2000 years ago. That's coming up next on Gateway To Joy.

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, talking with you again today about Christmas. And I hope there are some children listening. I had such a delightful letter from one mother.

She said, "I want to share with you an incident with our granddaughter, who is three-and-a-half years old. Her mother had your program on in the car, and Stephanie said, 'Turn that up louder, Mommy. I want to hear it.' So our daughter turned the speaker on in the back of the car. Stephanie was quiet during the whole program, and when it was over, she said, 'I like to listen to that, Mommy. It makes me want to do good things for God.'"

Well, bless your heart, Stephanie, if you're listening. And I hope that these talks on Christmas are going to make some other children want to do good things for God, remembering that God Himself was that little baby, that tiny baby in the manger.

Now I read to you yesterday from Hebrews, the first chapter. It describes Jesus Christ as "radiance of the glory of God, flawless expression of the nature of God, Himself the upholding principle of all that is." That's an expression of power, isn't it? "The upholding principle of all that is."

But can we imagine that it was that same Jesus who made Himself nothing? Let me read you that version of the story from the Book of Luke: "A proclamation was made by Caesar Augustus that all the inhabited world should be registered. This was the first census undertaken while Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And everybody went to the town of his birth to be registered. Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to David's town, Bethlehem, in Judea because he was a direct descendant of David, to be registered with his future wife, Mary, now in the later stages of her pregnancy.

So it happened that it was while they were there in Bethlehem that she came to the end of her time. She gave birth to her first child, a Son. And as there was no place for them inside the inn, she wrapped Him up and laid Him in a manger."

I want to remind you that in the Gospel of Matthew we have an explanation of how it was that Mary became pregnant. She was engaged, you remember, to a man named Joseph, and an angel came and told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. That child that was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary was conceived not by Joseph, not by any human being, but by the Holy Spirit.

I'll read on from the Gospel of Luke: "It happened that while they were there in Bethlehem, she came to the end of her time. She gave birth to her first child, a Son. And as there was no place for them inside the inn, she wrapped Him up and laid Him in"--you children know what, don't you?--"laid Him in a manger." That was the feeding trough of the cows and the donkeys and the sheep. Imagine--the Son of God had to be laid in a manger. There was no crib, no bed, not even a comfortable place for His mother.

"There were some shepherds living in the same part of the country, keeping guard throughout the night over their flock in the open fields. Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by their side. The splendor of the Lord blazed around them and they were terror-stricken. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you glorious news of great joy, which is for all the people. This very day in David's town a Savior has been born for you. He is Christ, the Lord. Let this prove it to you: You will find a baby wrapped up and lying in a manger.'

And in a flash there appeared with the angel a vast host of the armies of heaven, praising God saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven. Peace upon earth among men of goodwill.' When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, 'Now let's go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.'

So they came as fast as they could and they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. And when they had seen this sight, they told everybody what had been said to them about the little child. Those who heard them were amazed at what the shepherds said. But Mary treasured all these things and turned them over in her mind. The shepherds went back to work, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, which had happened just as they had been told."

That is the story of what is called the Incarnation. The word "incarnation" simply means the enfleshing, the being put into flesh. God, who is spirit, became a man in a human body, in a Jewish male body, a human being with a body like any other man's, in order to identify with us human beings--but far more importantly, to show us what a holy life looks like in this sin-stained world and to enable us to identify with Him.

He not only took on Himself the form, the body of a man, but He took our humanity up into the heavenlies. He stooped to save us, and then at the end of His earthly life He ascended back into heaven to raise us. In the flesh--that is, in the Incarnation--He became a baby and was born in that manger.

I want to read to you one of my very favorite Christmas carols that I didn't learn when I was a child, but I think it has become almost my favorite now. This Christmas carol tells a story, the story that I've just read.

"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; 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, and His cradle was a stall. With the poor and mean and lowly, lived on earth our Savior holy."

And I love this verse, and you children be sure to listen to these next two verses very carefully. "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. And our eyes at last shall see Him through His own redeeming love, for that Child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heaven above.

He leads His children to the place where He has gone. 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."

That's a beautiful hymn by Charles F. Alexander. I think that was written in 1848. And I want to read to you again those two special verses for children: "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."

Some of you little children, you know that your Mama and your Daddy don't really know what's going on in your heart and in your mind. But I can tell you Someone who does know. His name is Jesus. Where was He born? In a manger, in a stable, in a little town called Bethlehem. His parents were poor. There was no place for them in the inn. He was a tiny, squalling baby, just like you and me. When we're born, we're absolutely helpless, aren't we?

And He cried, too, and He smiled, as you do. But He feels for your sadness and He shares in your gladness. Sometimes you feel sad, and you can't really explain to anybody why you feel that way. You don't need to explain it to Jesus. Just tell Him you feel sad, and He knows why. Speak to Him. Pray to Him. Remember that there is going to be the day when we're going to see Him, not with oxen standing by, but in heaven, set at God's right hand on high.

Lisa Barry: That's certainly a day I'm looking forward to. But until then, we're to be doing our best to bring God's kingdom on earth. That means learning, growing and applying God's Word. In an effort to help you influence the people you love, we've put together three great holiday packets. These are gifts you can really feel good about. For more information on how to purchase the packet just right for you, give us a call and we'll tell you all about it.

Here's our phone number: 1-800-759-4JOY. That's 1-800-759-4569. Or write to Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501. Our Internet ministry address is gatewaytojoy.org. Gateway To Joy has been a production of Back to the Bible.

Tomorrow be listening as Elisabeth talks about the special significance of Christmas trees. Be with us then as our Christmas tradition continues on Gateway To Joy.