TLP 323: The Christmas Story

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O weary saddened world, bending thee cares and strife,

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The Lord of heaven in love came down to bring us hope and life.

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Rejoice, for the Savior of men is born! Rejoice, as we celebrate

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Christmas morn! Let boys start singing for joy,

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He is bringing! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!

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Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! The Savior is born! Rejoice! Welcome to this very special Christmas episode of Truth Love Parent.

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I hope that your family is with you now and that you all have your Bibles. And I hope you'll take a family selfie and post it to our

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Facebook page to let us know that you joined us for our special Family Bible Time today. Today I'll be reading a collection of verses and passages.

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I will read the individual verses, and I will invite you to turn to the longer passages to follow along with me.

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I'll be reading from the ESV, the English Standard Version, this morning. You can also download our episode notes at truthloveparent .com

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to see a complete list of all the passages included in today's reading of the Christmas story. Let's begin with a word of prayer.

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Dear Lord, we praise you for becoming a perfect man, so you could live a perfect life, die a perfect death, and raise a perfect victory over sin and judgment.

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Please use these verses from your sufficient word to encourage, challenge, and change us. In your majestic, glorious, and loving name, amen.

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Let's start our reading at the beginning. John 1, 1 -5. In the beginning was the

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Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

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All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

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The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Genesis 3, 5 -16.

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And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the

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Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, Where are you?

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And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.

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He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?

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The man said, The woman who you gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate.

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Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The woman said,

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The serpent deceived me, and I ate. The Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field.

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On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.

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He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Isaiah 7, 14

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The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name

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Immanuel. Isaiah 9, 2 -7 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

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Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy.

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They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

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For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, and the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

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For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult, and every garment rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for the fire.

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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.

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And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.

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The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 11, 1 -5

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There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

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And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the

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Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the

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Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.

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And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

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Micah 5, 2 -5 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

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Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth. Then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.

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And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his

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God, and they shall dwell secure. For now he shall be great to the ends of the earth, and he shall be their peace.

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Luke 1, 26 -56 In the sixth month the angel

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Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was

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Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said,

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Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

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And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name

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Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the

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Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

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And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her,

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The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called

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Holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who is called barren, for nothing will be impossible with God.

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And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.

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And the angel departed from her. In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted

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Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the

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Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

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And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy, and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the

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Lord. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my

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Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed, for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

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And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.

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He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant

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Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his offspring forever.

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And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home. Matthew 1, 18 -25.

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Now, the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the

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Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

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But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take

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Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name

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Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the

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Lord had spoken by the prophet, Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name

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Emmanuel, which means God with us. When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the

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Lord commanded him. He took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son, and he called his name

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Jesus. Luke 2, 1 -36. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

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This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be registered each to his own town.

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And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called

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Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

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And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

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And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the

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Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them, and they were filled with great fear.

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And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.

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For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the

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Lord. And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

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And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.

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When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the

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Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste, and they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.

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And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child, and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

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But Mary treasured up these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising

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God for all they had heard and seen as they had been told. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called

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Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the

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Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the

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Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.

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Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the

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Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the

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Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child

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Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

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Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for revelation to the

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Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.

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And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed, and a sword will pierce through your soul also.

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So that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. Matthew 2, 1 through 23.

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Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,

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Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all

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Jerusalem with him. And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

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They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet. And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.

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For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.

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And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him.

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After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.

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When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.

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Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

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Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.

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And he arose, and he took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.

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This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt I call my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all the region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

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Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping in loud lamentation,

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Rachel weeping for her children. She refused to be comforted, because they are no more. But when

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Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.

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And he arose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel, but when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father

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Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called

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Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

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And now, let us finish where we began, John 1, 10 -13. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

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He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

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We encourage you to share this Christmas reading with all of your friends and family so that they too may hear of the true story of Christmas, and that they too may become children of God.

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Merry Christmas! Fear not, for behold,

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I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a

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Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Rejoice!

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Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee,

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O Israel! Then rejoice with heart and soul and voice, giving heed to what we say.

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Jesus Christ is born today. Outs and outs before him, but he is in the manger now.

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Christ is born today. Christ is born today. Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul and voice.

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Now ye hear of endless bliss, joy, joy. Jesus Christ was born for this.

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He hath opened heaven's door, and man is blessed forevermore.

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Christ was born for this. Christ was born for this.

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Good Christians, all rejoice. Rejoice, O weary, saddened world, bending in cares and strife.

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The Lord of heaven in love came down to bring us hope and life.

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Rejoice, for the Savior of men is born. Rejoice as we celebrate

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Christmas night. Let hearts start singing for joy he is bringing.

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Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! The Savior is born!

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Rejoice! O gentle, wondrous story, how

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God in human form Changed the course of all mankind the day that he was born.

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Rejoice, for the Savior of men is born. Rejoice as we celebrate

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Christmas night. Let hearts start singing for joy he is bringing.

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Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!