Gabriel tells Mary that she is going to have a baby, and to call him Jesus.
Also that Elizabeth her cousin is six months pregnant.

In Hebrew Gabriel means God is mighty.

Luke chapters 1:1-2:52 & 3:21-38

Matthew chapters 1 and 2

Angels are messengers or emissaries of God.

Mary was excited because The Angel Gabriel had just told her that she was pregnant.

She visited Elizabeth immediately to share her news.

In Hebrew Mary means bitter.

Joseph married Mary who gave birth to Jesus.

Mary and Joseph were descendants of King David.

Elizabeth welcomes Mary, her cousin, to her home.

Elizabeth is six months pregnant and her baby leaps for joy at the sound of Mary's voice.

In Hebrew Elizabeth means God is my Oath.

Elizabeth is the wife of Zacharias.

Elizabeth (God is my Oath) like her husband, Zechariah (Jehovah remembers) were from the tribe of Levi.

Elizabeth was told to call her son John the shorten form of Jehohanan which in Hebrew means Jehovah's gift or God is gracious

John was to become John the Baptist.

Mary sings a song of praise to God as she and Elizabeth greet each other.

Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem, because all males had to go to their home towns to be registered.
This was required by the Roman census in occupied Israel for taxation purposes.

The Romans had a census, or head count, every fourteen years.

Joseph in Hebrew means: increaser.

arranged marriages

Mary traveling by donkey - At the time of Jesus' birth, people traveled by foot or on an animal or in cart. Nazareth to Bethlehem was a four to six day journey over rough tracks with wild animals and robbers. People usually traveled in groups for their own protection.

We do not know the name or breed of the donkey that was used to carry Mary who was pregnant at the time with Jesus.
Traveling in winter eg December would be unlikely because of the cold and rain.

If the census was take over a period could the time Joseph and Mary could have gone to Bethlehem and been in Jerusalem at One of the three feast all males were compelled to attend.

The three feasts were
1. Unleavened and bread [which included Passover] spring

2. Pentecost, late spring,

3.Tabernacles, autumn

The town was full of people because of the Roman census. Also there may have been a Jewish feast at the same time. One of the few private places available was were the animals were housed. This is where the birth took place.

Jesus was born as a baby and then had to grow up as any baby does to become an adult.

Jesus was born in a feeding place (Greek Phatane - feeding place) were animals lived. Possibly the only private place in a town were many where living in the open. They had come because of the Roman census or head count. They would all go back to their home towns in a few days time.

The custom at a birth of a child born in a house. The musicians played at a birth of a boy but went away without playing if it was a girl. Jesus was born in a common courtyard not a house. So no musicians on hand but God provided heavenly musicians eg Angels who told the shepherds who then went to visit the newly born baby.

Tradition has Jesus born in a stable. More likely place was a rock cave for animals or a sheep pen with three sides. May be he also was born about the feast of sukkot also called the Feast of Ingathering or the Feast of Booths.

Interaction of the shepherds and the angels. The sheherds were keeping watch of their sheep.

The reason why they were there looking after their sheep at night and what the sheep were going to be used for, is an interesting matter for discussion.

The sheperds lived in the open looking after their sheep. They all knew their sheep by name, and each animal knew the voice of its shepherd. Flocks were small, approximately ten to twenty sheep.

Unless these sheep were Temple sheep and that is a different story.

The shepherds found Jesus as a newly-born baby [Greek brephos].

One of the angels spoke to the shepherds. Then, many angels started singing songs of praise to God about the birth of Jesus.

Jesus was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem for the Jewish religious ritual of redemption when he was 40 days old. This ritual was an obligatory ceremony for boys according to the law of Moses.

Two of the many rituals that were performed at the Temple:

1. The redemption of the first born at a cost of 5 shekels. See Exodus 3:2, Numbers 8:17, Numbers 18:15-16
2. The purification of a woman after child birth: A pair of doves or two young pigeons were used by the poorer class and a lamb was used by the rich. See Leviticus 12:1-8; Exodus 13:2; Numbers18:15-16

Simeon, a prophet, was a very old man who was told by God he would see Jesus before he died.

In Hebrew Simeon means hearing or listening.

Anna was a very devoted old lady who lived in the Temple and spent her days in fasting and prayer.

In Hebrew Anna means favor or grace.

Magi, often called the wise men, traveled from the east to find Jesus. They arrived some time after his birth. The Magi may have come from the area we now call Iraq.

Sometimes called the three kings, but the Bible does not call them that. Neither does the Bible mention the number of these Magi.

Tradition has them as three wise men, or kings, and has given them the names of Balthazar, Gaspar, Melchior. Remember, the Bible does not mention either the number of men or their names who followed the star to where they found Jesus in a house.

Check out the information yourself in the Bible.

Herod is angry because the Magi or wise men did not come back to see him.
Then he worked out how to kill Jesus who was born to be King of the Jews.

He would order the killing of all male children under 2 years old in a 16km or 10 mile radius of Bethlehem.

Herod the Great was an Idumean and was made king of Palestine in 37 BC and died in 4BC.