Good evening and welcome to meditation time.
As we near the Christmas season,
Let's spend some time reflecting on the birth of Jesus Christ.
Tonight,
We will start with prayer and then some breathing to slow ourselves down.
Then I will be reading a selection of verses in Matthew and Luke telling the story of Jesus' birth to help calm your heart and mind before sleep.
I will be using the New Living Translation.
After the verses,
The music will continue.
Have a pleasant and peaceful sleep.
Let's pray.
Dear God,
Thank you for giving us another day on this earth.
Thank you for sending your Son so we could be closer to you.
Help us to keep the real reason for the season at the front of our minds.
Let us give to others as you gave to us.
Calm our hearts,
Calm our minds,
Calm our bodies,
And calm our breath.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Let's do some breathing.
In through your nose,
Long and deep.
Out through your mouth,
Long and slow.
In through your nose,
Long and deep.
Out through your mouth,
Long and slow.
Gently close your eyes.
In through your nose,
Long and deep.
Out through your mouth,
Long and slow.
In through your nose,
Long and deep.
Out through your mouth,
Long and slow.
Let your breathing return to its normal rhythm.
Luke 2,
1-20 At that time,
The Roman Emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
This was the first census taken when Quinerius was governor of Syria.
All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
And because Joseph was a descendant of King David,
He had to go to Bethlehem in Judea,
David's ancient home.
He traveled there from the city of Nazareth in Galilee.
He took with him Mary,
To whom he was engaged,
Who was now expecting a child.
And while they were there,
The time came for her baby to be born.
She gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger,
Because there was no lodging available for them.
That night,
There were shepherds staying in the fields nearby,
Guarding their flocks of sheep.
Suddenly,
An angel of the Lord appeared among them,
And the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.
They were terrified,
But the angel reassured them,
Don't be afraid,
He said,
I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
The Savior,
Yes the Messiah,
The Lord,
Has been born today in Bethlehem,
The city of David.
And you will recognize him by this sign.
You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth,
Lying in a manger.
Suddenly,
The angel was joined by a vast host of others,
The armies of heaven,
Praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest heaven,
And peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.
When the angels had returned to heaven,
The shepherds said to each other,
Let's go to Bethlehem.
Let's see this thing that has happened,
Which the Lord has told us about.
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph.
And there was the baby,
Lying in the manger.
After seeing him,
The shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel has said to them about this child.
All who heard the shepherd's story were astonished.
But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
The shepherds went back to their flocks,
Glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.
It was just as the angel had told them.
Matthew 1,
18-25 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born.
His mother Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph,
But before the marriage took place,
While she was still a virgin,
She became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph,
To whom she was engaged,
Was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly,
So he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this,
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
Joseph,
Son of David,
The angel said,
Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife,
For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
And she will have a son,
And you are to name him Jesus,
For he will save his people from their sins.
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet.
Look,
The virgin will conceive a child,
She will give birth to a son,
And they will call him Immanuel,
Which means God is with us.
When Joseph woke up,
He did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife,
But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born,
And Joseph named him Jesus.
Matthew 2,
1-11 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,
During the reign of King Herod.
About that time,
Some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking,
Where is the newborn King of the Jews?
We saw his star as it rose,
And we have come to worship him.
King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this,
As was everyone in Jerusalem.
He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law,
And asked,
Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?
In Bethlehem,
In Judea,
They replied,
For this is what the prophet wrote,
And you,
O Bethlehem,
In the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the ruling cities of Judah,
For a ruler will come from you,
Who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.
Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men,
And he learned from them the time when the star had first appeared.
Then he told them,
Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child,
And when you find him,
Come back,
And tell me so I can go and worship him too.
After this interview,
The wise men went their way,
And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.
It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star,
They were filled with joy.
They entered the house and saw the child with his mother Mary,
And they bowed down and worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold,
Frankincense,
And rosary.
You You You You
