The angels at christmas

The Gospel according to Saint Luke.

And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock.

And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.

And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people:

For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.

And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying:

¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us.

¹⁶ And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.

¹⁷ And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child.

¹⁸ And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.

²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Christmas 2012

IN THE 5199th year of the creation of the world, 

from the time when in the beginning God created heaven and earth; from the flood, the 2957th year; from the birth of Abraham, the 2015th year; from Moses and the going-out of the people of Israel from Egypt, the 1510th year; from the anointing of David as king, the 1032nd year; in the 65th week according to the prophecy of Daniel; in the 194th Olympiad; from the founding of the city of Rome, the 752nd year; in the 42nd year of the rule of Octavian Augustus, when the whole world was at peace, in the sixth age of the world: Jesus Christ, the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to sanctify the world by His most merciful coming, having been conceived by the Holy Ghost, and nine months having passed since His conception was born in Bethlehem of Juda of the Virgin Mary, having become man.