The Birth of Jesus Christ - A Baby Changes Everything
Who among us has not been affected by the birth of a baby, whether it is our child, grandchild, brother, sister, friend, family member, stranger, or neighbor. Suffice it to say that while the birth of a baby typically has some impact or impression on all whose life he or she touches, the birth of Jesus Christ changed “everything” for “everyone” forever.
The beauty and story of the birth of Christ to a virgin teenage girl is touchingly told in "A Baby Changes Everything" sung by Faith Hill on her 2008 album “Joy to the World.” The song was written by Tim Nichols, Craig Wiseman, and Rev. KK Wiseman (a fellow Vandy alum). Please listen to the song at http://www.myspace.com/faithhill/music/songs/a-baby-changes-everything-30237250 or see the video at http://www.cmt.com/videos/faith-hill/291605/a-baby-changes-everything.jhtml
The lyrics for “A Baby Changes Everything” are written below. Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph’s trust and faithfulness, Jesus’ birth in humble surroundings, and the path to salvation can be found in the Bible. Any life can be turned around. We are all sinners and lost, but all can have eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.
In Luke 1: 26 Now in the sixth month [after that], the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth. 27To a girl never having been married and a virgin engaged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women! 29But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean. 30And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace (free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God. 31And listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. 32He will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David. 33And He will reign over the house of Jacob throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end. 34And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have no [intimacy with any man as a] husband? 35Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud]; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God. 36And listen! Your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is now the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. 38Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her.
In Matthew 1: 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit. 19And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly. 20But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God]. 22All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet. 23Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us. 24Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her to his side as] his wife. 25But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.
In Luke 2: 1IN THOSE days it occurred that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole Roman empire should be registered. 2This was the first enrollment, and it was made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all the people were going to be registered, each to his own city or town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5To be enrolled with Mary, his espoused (married) wife, who was about to become a mother. 6And while they were there, the time came for her delivery, 7And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn. 8And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night. 9And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone all about them, and they were terribly frightened. 10But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. 11For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord! 12And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find [after searching] a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. [I Sam. 2:34; II Kings 19:29; Isa. 7:14.] 13Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army of the troops of heaven (a heavenly knighthood), praising God and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor]. 15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing (saying) that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. 16So they went with haste and [by searching] found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known what had been told them concerning this Child, 18And all who heard it were astounded and marveled at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them. 21And at the end of eight days, when [the Baby] was to be circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22And when the time for their purification [the mother’s purification and the Baby’s dedication] came according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord-- 23As it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every [firstborn] male that opens the womb shall be set apart and dedicated and called holy to the Lord-- 24And [they came also] to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout [cautiously and carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been divinely revealed (communicated) to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 27And prompted by the [Holy] Spirit, he came into the temple [enclosure]; and when the parents brought in the little child Jesus to do for Him what was customary according to the Law, 28[Simeon] took Him up in his arms and praised and thanked God and said, 29And now, Lord, You are releasing Your servant to depart (leave this world) in peace, according to Your word. 30For with my [own] eyes I have seen Your Salvation, 31Which You have ordained and prepared before (in the presence of) all peoples, 32A Light for revelation to the Gentiles [to disclose what was before unknown] and [to bring] praise and honor and glory to Your people Israel. 33And His [legal] father and [His] mother were marveling at what was said about Him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against— 35And a sword will pierce through your own soul also--that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed. 36And there was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband seven years from her maidenhood, 37And as a widow even for eighty-four years. She did not go out from the temple enclosure, but was worshiping night and day with fasting and prayer. 38And she too came up at that same hour, and she returned thanks to God and talked of [Jesus] to all who were looking for the redemption (deliverance) of Jerusalem. 39And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back into Galilee to their own town, Nazareth.
In Matthew 2: 1NOW WHEN Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men [astrologers] from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, 2Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east at its rising and have come to worship Him. 3When Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed and troubled, and the whole of Jerusalem with him. 4So he called together all the chief priests and learned men (scribes) of the people and anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5They replied to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are not in any way least or insignificant among the chief cities of Judah; for from you shall come a Ruler (Leader) Who will govern and shepherd My people Israel. 7Then Herod sent for the wise men [astrologers] secretly, and accurately to the last point ascertained from them the time of the appearing of the star [that is, how long the star had made itself visible since its rising in the east]. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search for the Child carefully and diligently, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him. 9When they had listened to the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which had been seen in the east in its rising went before them until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was. 10When they saw the star, they were thrilled with ecstatic joy. 11And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts--gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12And receiving an answer to their asking, they were divinely instructed and warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; so they departed to their own country by a different way. 13Now after they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Get up! [Tenderly] take unto you the young Child and His mother and flee to Egypt; and remain there till I tell you [otherwise], for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him. 14And having risen, he took the Child and His mother by night and withdrew to Egypt 15And remained there until Herod’s death. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called My Son. 16Then Herod, when he realized that he had been misled by the wise men, was furiously enraged, and he sent and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that territory who were two years old and under, reckoning according to the date which he had investigated diligently and had learned exactly from the wise men.
The beauty and story of the birth of Christ to a virgin teenage girl is touchingly told in "A Baby Changes Everything" sung by Faith Hill on her 2008 album “Joy to the World.” The song was written by Tim Nichols, Craig Wiseman, and Rev. KK Wiseman (a fellow Vandy alum). Please listen to the song at http://www.myspace.com/faithhill/music/songs/a-baby-changes-everything-30237250 or see the video at http://www.cmt.com/videos/faith-hill/291605/a-baby-changes-everything.jhtml
The lyrics for “A Baby Changes Everything” are written below. Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph’s trust and faithfulness, Jesus’ birth in humble surroundings, and the path to salvation can be found in the Bible. Any life can be turned around. We are all sinners and lost, but all can have eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.
A Baby Changes Everything
Teenage girl, much too young
Unprepared for what’s to come
A baby changes everything
Not a ring
On her hand
All her dreams and all her plans
A baby changes everything
A baby changes everything
The man she loves she’s never touched
How will she keep his trust
A baby changes everything
A baby changes everything
And she cries oh she cries
Oh……
She has to leave go far away
Heaven knows she can’t stay
A baby changes everything
She can feel it’s coming soon
There’s no place, there’s no room
A baby changes everything
A baby changes everything
And she cries ………
And she cries ………
Oh she cries ………
Choir
Shepherds all (Shepherds all) gather ’round (they gather ’round)
Up above the star shines down
A baby changes everything
Choir of angels say
Glory to the newborn king
A baby changes everything
A baby changes everything
Everything, everything, everything
Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
My whole life is turned around
I was lost and now I’m found
A baby changes everything
A baby changes everything
In Luke 1: 26 Now in the sixth month [after that], the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth. 27To a girl never having been married and a virgin engaged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women! 29But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean. 30And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace (free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God. 31And listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. 32He will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David. 33And He will reign over the house of Jacob throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end. 34And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have no [intimacy with any man as a] husband? 35Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud]; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God. 36And listen! Your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is now the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. 38Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her.
In Matthew 1: 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit. 19And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly. 20But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God]. 22All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet. 23Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us. 24Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her to his side as] his wife. 25But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.
In Luke 2: 1IN THOSE days it occurred that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole Roman empire should be registered. 2This was the first enrollment, and it was made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all the people were going to be registered, each to his own city or town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5To be enrolled with Mary, his espoused (married) wife, who was about to become a mother. 6And while they were there, the time came for her delivery, 7And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn. 8And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night. 9And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone all about them, and they were terribly frightened. 10But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. 11For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord! 12And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find [after searching] a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. [I Sam. 2:34; II Kings 19:29; Isa. 7:14.] 13Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army of the troops of heaven (a heavenly knighthood), praising God and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor]. 15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing (saying) that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. 16So they went with haste and [by searching] found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known what had been told them concerning this Child, 18And all who heard it were astounded and marveled at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them. 21And at the end of eight days, when [the Baby] was to be circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22And when the time for their purification [the mother’s purification and the Baby’s dedication] came according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord-- 23As it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every [firstborn] male that opens the womb shall be set apart and dedicated and called holy to the Lord-- 24And [they came also] to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout [cautiously and carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been divinely revealed (communicated) to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 27And prompted by the [Holy] Spirit, he came into the temple [enclosure]; and when the parents brought in the little child Jesus to do for Him what was customary according to the Law, 28[Simeon] took Him up in his arms and praised and thanked God and said, 29And now, Lord, You are releasing Your servant to depart (leave this world) in peace, according to Your word. 30For with my [own] eyes I have seen Your Salvation, 31Which You have ordained and prepared before (in the presence of) all peoples, 32A Light for revelation to the Gentiles [to disclose what was before unknown] and [to bring] praise and honor and glory to Your people Israel. 33And His [legal] father and [His] mother were marveling at what was said about Him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against— 35And a sword will pierce through your own soul also--that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed. 36And there was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband seven years from her maidenhood, 37And as a widow even for eighty-four years. She did not go out from the temple enclosure, but was worshiping night and day with fasting and prayer. 38And she too came up at that same hour, and she returned thanks to God and talked of [Jesus] to all who were looking for the redemption (deliverance) of Jerusalem. 39And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back into Galilee to their own town, Nazareth.
In Matthew 2: 1NOW WHEN Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men [astrologers] from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, 2Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east at its rising and have come to worship Him. 3When Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed and troubled, and the whole of Jerusalem with him. 4So he called together all the chief priests and learned men (scribes) of the people and anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5They replied to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are not in any way least or insignificant among the chief cities of Judah; for from you shall come a Ruler (Leader) Who will govern and shepherd My people Israel. 7Then Herod sent for the wise men [astrologers] secretly, and accurately to the last point ascertained from them the time of the appearing of the star [that is, how long the star had made itself visible since its rising in the east]. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search for the Child carefully and diligently, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him. 9When they had listened to the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which had been seen in the east in its rising went before them until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was. 10When they saw the star, they were thrilled with ecstatic joy. 11And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts--gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12And receiving an answer to their asking, they were divinely instructed and warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; so they departed to their own country by a different way. 13Now after they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Get up! [Tenderly] take unto you the young Child and His mother and flee to Egypt; and remain there till I tell you [otherwise], for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him. 14And having risen, he took the Child and His mother by night and withdrew to Egypt 15And remained there until Herod’s death. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called My Son. 16Then Herod, when he realized that he had been misled by the wise men, was furiously enraged, and he sent and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that territory who were two years old and under, reckoning according to the date which he had investigated diligently and had learned exactly from the wise men.
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