Page 26 � Union County GA Magazine � Holiday 2022 Winter 2023
Blairsville Church of Christ
Hwy 129S , Blairsville / 62 Church of Christ Drive www . blairsvillechurchofchrist . com Minister Terry L . Stuart
9:30am Sunday Morning Worship 11:00am Sunday Morning Bible Classes 6:00pm Sunday Evening Worship Small groups 2nd & 3rd Sunday evening at the church Wednesday night 5:30pm Dinner 6:30pm Class 706.745.5997
Formerly Blairsville Church of God
The River Worship Center
110 Church of God Drive , Blairsville , Ga . On Old Blue Ridge Hwy . 2.3 miles from town Pastor John Davis Sunday School 10:00am Morning Worship 11:00am Wednesday 6:30pm
Email : PastorJohn @ BRMEMC . net * 706-897-9660
Redeemer Baptist Church
Pastor Bill Schakat
39 Youngstown Church Road , Blairsville , Georgia
On Hwy . 129N 1.1 mile north of Hwy . 515 www . redeemerblairsville . com www . facebook . com / redeemerblairsville
• Sunday School 9:30 am
• Sunday Worship 10:45 am
• 2nd & 4th Wednesdays 6:30 pm All ages . www . unioncountymag . com � 10th Anniversary
Union County Church Pages
Birth of Christ Child 6,321 miles away from Blairsville and 2,029 years ago
" For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour , which is Christ the Lord ."
Luke records the words concerning an event in Bethlehem that would give the little town global fame throughout the history of mankind . The song O Little Town of Bethlehem has made the little town into a very well known geographical location among Americans .
Bethlehem had never been a place much thought about , although the prophet Micah predicted something significant would happen there . Sometime around 2,029 years ago the streets of Bethlehem were quite busy .
People were coming into the little village to register for the census and pay taxes . Traditional paintings has Mary riding into Bethlehem on a donkey , but there is no historical record which says how Mary got to the town .
Another common belief is that Mary gave birth the night she arrived in Bethlehem , although that is never stated in the historical records . The Biblical record only says that she gave birth while they were there in Bethlehem .
The night of the birth angels appeared in the sky , but did they sing as suggested in the song Hark ! The Herald Angels Sing . The account of the visit to the shepherds never mentions singing .
One angel appeared first to the shepherds and made the announcement of the birth . Then a multitude of the heavenly host joined the first angel praising God and saying , " Glory to God in the highest , and on earth peace , goodwill toward men ."
Nothing about the birth of Jesus was ordinary , from the virgin birth to Joseph
Drawing of the Manger by Jade
By Norm Cooper Editor , Union County GA Magazine
Calendars in history have both “ BC and AD ” BC stands for ‘ before Christ ’ and AD stands for Anno Domini , Latin for “ in the year of the Lord ”.
The year of Jesus birth is actually some time between 7 B . C . and 4 B . C . At first , even though A . D . dating is supposed to begin with the birth of Christ , it was not calculated correctly in the first place . Instead of changing the entire calendar , the year of Christ birth was changed .
having more visits from angels than any other person in scriptural history . It seems rather odd that there was no room in the inn for the couple and they had to stay in a stable . The mother wrapped her newborn in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger .
The date of Dec . 25 is celebrated as Christmas day , but very unlikely that is the actual date . The Romans had a pagan holiday on that date . When Emperor Constantine became a Christian , he began the birthday of the Sun of Righteousness as an alternative to the pagan festivals .
By the end of the fourth century , the Feast of the Nativity of Christ , also known as Christ Mass , was celebrated throughout most of the Christian world . There is no recorded account of Jesus ' birth being celebrated during His time on Earth . Puritans in England outlawed the celebration of Christians in the 1640s . Many people in other parts of the world celebrate Christmas on Jan . 6 .
Bethlehem was the home of King David .
His descendants were required to go there as a result of the decree from Ceasar Augustus .
Bethlehem appears in the Old Testament as Ephrat , where Rachel the beloved matriarch of the Jewish people , the favorite wife of Jacob , died during childbirth . It was the home of Ruth . Abraham , Issac and Jacob lived a mere 15 miles south in a place called Hebren . Joshua commanded the sun to stand still during the famous battle in Gibeon , just 10 miles northwest of Bethlehem .
David slew the giant Goliath in Socoh just 12 miles south of Bethlehem . David and Solomon ruled from Jerusalem , just six miles north .
Luke records , " And Joseph also went up from Galilee , out of the city of Nazareth , into Judaea , unto the city of David , which is called Bethlehem ( because he was of the house and lineage of David )."
The church of the Nativity in Bethlehem , the oldest building in Christendom , was built in 330 A . D . by Helena , the mother of Constantine . The cave like room underneath the church is believed to be the actual room where Jesus was born .
Luke and Matthew were the only two to write an account of the event . Luke ’ s gives an account of the ancestry . The account of Luke describes the nativity , activity of the shepherds in the field , the angel ’ s announcement , the host of angels and the decision of the shepherds to go and seek the babe .
Matthew begins with family history back to the time of Abraham , writes about the prophet Micah identify the city , the announcement to Mary and the angel ’ s visit with Joseph . Matthew leaps forward to a time after the birth , when wise men came from the east . While scenes and plays always place the wise men at the manger , they actually arrived several months later .
When the scriptures record “ they saw His Star , could they have possibly seen the bright Heavenly hosts and it being so far away appeare as a special star ?
Traditional paintings have three men on donkeys . Not so . Wise men , also known as magi , never traveled distances in small
Contuned on Page 27 �
All Saints Lutheran Church
LCMS
www . allsaintslcms . org * facebook . com / allsaintslcms Located on Hwy . 515E , 4.5 miles East of Blairsville Post Office
83 Earl Shelton Road , Blairsville , Georgia Sunday Bible Study ........... 9:00am Pastor Sunday Coffee / Fellowship 9:00am Dave Wesche Sunday Worship Service .... 10:00am Monday Bible Study ........... 10:00am Wednesday Bible Study ..... at G & G Wednesday Women ’ s Study 3:00pm Friday Men ’ s Faith Talk ...... 8:00am 706.745.7777