Christmas: The Rest of the Story with Rick Renner

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On the night Jesus was born, an angel appeared to announce the Savior's birth to a group of shepherds who were out tending their livestock near the city of Bethlehem. There were many shepherds in Israel at that time, so exactly why did God choose to make such a heavenly announcement to this particular group of shepherds and not another group of shepherds? Was there something special about these shepherds — some reason the angel appeared to them and not to other shepherds? Was this just a random appearance, or was there a reason why that certain group received this historical announcement?

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Over the course of 2,000 years, the Church of the Nativity and the cave under it has undergone numerous restorations and modifications — but it was there that the Creator of the universe entered the human race and lived among us for 33 years. The greatest miracle of all time took place in that holy moment.

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Every year around Christmastime, millions of people sing the familiar carols "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger." But was the time of the Savior's birth really a silent night? And have you ever stopped to think, What is a manger? or, What are swaddling clothes? I believe the answer to these questions will surprise you and inspire your faith in new ways.

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In this episode, we will see that, just like Mary, Joseph was also amazingly chosen by God above all other men in his time to be Jesus' earthly father. There were many young men in Israel whom God could have potentially chosen to be the earthly father of Jesus, so was there a special reason, or reasons, why God chose Joseph and not another young man?

You are about to discover that Joseph was a man who had, by a relatively early age, already proven himself faithful and trustworthy for such a monumental assignment.

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Have you ever wondered why God chose Mary to give birth to Jesus — to be His mother on the earth and to participate in raising Him? Luke 1:28 says she was "highly favored," but why was Mary so "highly favored" that God would choose her to bring Jesus into the world? There were thousands of young girls in Israel at that time — any one of whom God could have chosen to give birth to Jesus. So was there a special reason, or reasons, why God chose Mary and not another young girl?

Our goal in this episode is to see what the Bible and other early sources tell us about Mary that may give us some answers as to why God chose her as the vessel to bring Jesus into the world in that stable in Bethlehem approximately 2,000 years ago.