The beginning of the new world came in Bethlehem when Jesus was born in a barn. His first bed was a manger. It doesn't get more humble than that, but he was loved. Love can make up for all sorts of discomforts. They had to travel there for a census for the Roman government, so the city was packed to it's limit. It had taken them about three days of travel and discover that there was no where else for the young family to go. At least it was no outside with no shelter.
In the region, at the time of Jesus' birth, there were shepherds keeping watch over their herds. An angel appeared before them. They were terrified, but the angel was excited. He came to share the good news. We don't know why God chose to tell angels, but maybe it was because they were up or maybe they needed this new hope. When the angel told them about the birth of their savior, a multitude of angels appeared praising God. Maybe they were always there watching over the people, but in their excitement they could no longer stay invisible to the human eye. The mystery is unfathomable.
No matter what the reason was, the shepherds caught the excitement. It had to be true. They could not all imagined the scene that had just happened. They rushed to the small city of Bethlehem to get a glimpse of their messiah and they found him with his mother, Mary. Mary was taking everything in and treasuring what would become a memory. It was a lot for a young women, teenager really. While Mary was doing that, the shepherds worshipped God. Then he blessed Mary because he understood what the new beginning would bring.
The eighth day after Jesus' birth he was circumcised. It was a purification ritual since Moses' law was set. That day a man named Simeon found Jesus. He was devout and righteous. The Holy Spirit let him know where to find Jesus as a reward of good service throughout his life. He was an old man.
Next came a prophetess named Anna. She was an 84 year old widow. She never left God's temple where Jesus was circumcised. She was always worshipping God. She was praying to God about redemption for the world and realized that it was there.
After the circumcision, Jesus' family took him home to Nazareth. Jesus grew up in wisdom and in the grace of God. He was just like any boy, but different too. Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. They knew how blessed their lives were, so they wanted to take the long tiring journey to worship God.
Jesus was 12 when his family lost him. They started the journey home thinking he was with him. They traveled a whole day before they realized he was not with the traveling band. People traveled in large groups to make the journey safer and easier. The children would all band together and play along the way, so they were not necessarily with their parents all day.
Jesus' parent returned to Jerusalem to try to find him. It took them three days. They were probably a complete emotional train wreck. The culture was different then, so we don't know if they were afraid that he was kidnapped, murdered, or worse. When they did find Jesus he was in God's temple with the teachers.
When his parents chastised him, he was amazed. He was the treasure of his mother's heart, so he thought they would know where to find him. He was in his father's house after all. The whole world had changed and people were still catching up. They didn't understand that God's house was Jesus' father's house. He did understand, so he went home with his parents with no arguments.
Jesus grew in wisdom. Since he was human, he had to learn how to speak and walk and all the other things that baby boys have to learn. His human brain knew who he was and his purpose, but it could only hold so much like any human brain. Some things came to him in time including depth of the wisdom. He had it all in him because he is God, but it came out at the appropriate time. This is how grew in wisdom and stature. He had God's favor and won the favor of people.
Luke 2
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