Advent for Amateurs - the Government, Nativity, Angels and Shepherds

It's interesting how seemingly mundane events like a government census worked into God's plans. He left no doubt about His sovereignty in funneling the parents of Jesus to Bethlehem in fulfillment of scripture (Micah 5:2).

Here's Luke 2 :1-14 delivered poetically:

The historical particulars are these, 
While Rome was spreading wherever she pleased, 
Augustus was ruling the then-known world, 
Quirinius was over Syria where the census occurred.

Everyone was counted at the place of their origin, 
So Joseph and Mary, very pregnant, begin, 
To travel to Bethlehem, home of his kin, 
As soon as they got there, her labor kicked in. 

And the birth seemed ignoble and garnered no fanfare, 
And there was an Inn, but they couldn't stay there, 
The nursery bed was an animals' trough,
But the couple accepted these things well enough. 

And camping nearby some Shepherds were greeted, 
By a messenger so intense they needed,
To be told not to tremble or to be troubled. 
"We're announcing a thing that will cause joy to be doubled. 

The Messiah is born, a baby named Jesus, 
He is the Savior, and that's why you see us. 
He's lying in cloths in a feed trough."
And that's when the fireworks really went off. 

That one angel was joined by so many angels in number, 
All the Shepherds could do was wonder. 
As the chorus resounded, "To God be the glory!
And man is the winner in this Advent story!"

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