christmas

⁶For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given. And leadership is placed upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called: wonderful Counselor, mighty God, father of the future age, Prince of Peace.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh, and he lived among us, and we saw his glory, glory like that of an only-begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁷Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above, descending from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor any shadow of alteration.

¹⁴For this reason, the Lord himself will grant to you a sign. Behold, a virgin will conceive, and she will give birth to a son, and his name will be called Immanuel.

¹⁸Now the procreation of the Christ occurred in this way. After his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they lived together, she was found to have conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Then Joseph, her husband, since he was just and was not willing to hand her over, preferred to send her away secretly. ²⁰But while thinking over these things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to accept Mary as your wife. For what has been formed in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹And she shall give birth to a son. And you shall call his name JESUS. For he shall accomplish the salvation of his people from their sins.” ²²Now all this occurred in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³“Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb, and she shall give birth to a son. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us.”

³⁵I have revealed all things to you, because by laboring in this way, it is necessary to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

¹⁴And there will be joy and exultation for you, and many will rejoice in his nativity.

⁹Rejoice well, daughter of Zion, shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your King will come to you: the Just One, the Savior. He is poor and riding upon a donkey, and upon a colt, the son of a donkey.

²²For on those days, the Jews vindicated themselves of their enemies, and their mourning and sorrow were turned into mirth and joy, so that these would be days of feasting and gladness, in which they would send one another portions of their feasts, and would grant gifts to the poor.

³⁸Now it happened that, while they were traveling, he entered into a certain town. And a certain woman, named Martha, received him into her home. ³⁹And she had a sister, named Mary, who, while sitting beside the Lord’s feet, was listening to his word. ⁴⁰Now Martha was continually busying herself with serving. And she stood still and said: “Lord, is it not a concern to you that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, speak to her, so that she may help me.” ⁴¹And the Lord responded by saying to her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled over many things. ⁴²And yet only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the best portion, and it shall not be taken away from her.”