12/24 – Matthew 1:1-7 – Characters of Christmas – The Inn Keeper

Text: Luke 2:1-7

¹ At that time the Emperor Augustus ordered a census of the Roman Empire. ² This was the first census taken while Quirinius {kw-EYE-rin-ee-us} was governor of Syria {SEER-ee-ah}.
³ All the people went to register in the cities where their ancestors had lived. ⁴ So Joseph went from Nazareth {NAZ-ah-reth}, a city in Galilee {GAL-li-lee}, to a Judean {jude-EE-an} city called Bethlehem. Joseph, a descendant of King David, went to Bethlehem because David had been born there. ⁵ Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant. ⁶ While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child. ⁷ She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no any room for them in the inn.