It’s the day after Christmas.  To light up your heart on a dreary day, here are some beautiful paintings of the events around the Nativity.  Followed by a few of my photographs with the same subject.

The angel Gabriel bringing God’s message to Mary.  “…the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”  Luke 1:35

An angel announcing Jesus’ birth to the shepherds.  “The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”  Luke 2:11

“They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.”  Luke 2:16

“… wise men (Magi, royal astrologers) 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.” Matthew 2:1-2

Adoration of the Magi

 “they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”  Matthew 2:11

 

Some of my Nativity photographs

We don’t know whether Mary rode on a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem- about 80 miles.  But if she did, her donkey may have looked a lot like our daughter’s donkey.

The little village of Bethlehem was full of visitors who had to register for the census.  The inn door was already shut when Mary and Joseph arrived.  They were too late to find lodging.  Perhaps late term Mary wasn’t able to keep up the pace of the others who had gotten there ahead of them.

An animal shelter was the only available sleeping place out of the weather.

Not a very dignified place to give birth, but better than the street.

Two thousand years later, we can still adore Jesus- every day of our lives.