It's true, the Bible story does not match our nativity scene. Matthew and Luke write two very different stories -- Matthew tells the infancy narrative from the perspective of a geneologist who also knows prophecy -- showing the link between Jesus and Abraham, but strangely this link was through Joseph, not Mary. And Matthew's story reiterates that Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit of God. Then suddenly, in chapter 2, Jesus was born in Bethlehem (to fulfill the prophecy) and it's two years later and kings from the East come to visit him in Egypt (to fulfill prophecy). Matthew's telling was all about fulfilling the prophecies made to Israel.
But Luke tells the infancy narrative from a completely different perspective -- a birth story in humble setting complete with angels announcing the news to shepherds. There is no star here . . . or kings from the East.
Both of these tellings have agendas -- but what is wrong with that? Yes, there are literary agendas that state that "Greats" in history were frequently born of virgins and that angels were present, and there are prophetical agendas at play here -- Matthew's telling wants to show the fulfillment of prophecy. And we can ask -- were these written just to fit in Jesus' life to an agenda? Is the Christmas story real?
Getting lost in the details is frustrating at best, but it hides the meaning behind the story -- that whether the birth happened "actually" as it was written in Matthew or "actually" as it was written in Luke, the story tells the same thing -- that a baby was born. And for us who claim to follow Jesus, there is something special about acknowledging his birth-day. The actual day we do not know, but I think it's pretty cool that politically it was added to the calendar in the time of the Winter Solstice so that there would be a Christian agenda in a pagan world. And I think that's what we get to continue to celebrate when the consumer-culture tries to create a different holiday than we are celebrating. Christmas is about Jesus -- whether his beginnings were humble or prophetically scripted does not matter. What does matter is that the One who I believe opened the pathway for humanity to have a relationship with God -- that ONE was finally born. And that's worth a birthday party!!!!
For more detailed information, take a look at Raymond Brown's book An Adult Christ at Christmas -- here is the preview -- http://books.google.com/books?id=Co8Mh-GliPIC&dq=2+christmas+stories,+matthew+and+luke&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=5dFpHxXxUA&sig=Vwy54BC6V1F49-u4L65oB0AJVR8&hl=en&ei=oHQnS5SGHoS1tgeGwpHLCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CA8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=&f=false And here is the link to purchase --
