Today's first reading includes the famous story of Jesus' birth, how the messiah was laid in a manger and then visited by shepherds who had seen a vision of angels. It then continues and shares other glimpses of Jesus' youth -- his official presentation at the Temple (followed by two more prophecies about him) and an odd account of Jesus at 12 (just before he reached the Jewish age of adulthood) returning to the Temple and having learned discussions with the rabbis. All of this, of course, is meant to show how Jesus was different even as a child before he began his ministry of healing and teaching.
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Reading the Bible in Its Entirety
The second reading offers details about the beginning of Jesus' adult ministry, immediately following his baptism. After staving off temptation by Satan (in the most detailed version of that event), Jesus begins teaching in the Nazareth synagogue. However, the hometown crowd is unimpressed with Jesus' words, recognizing him only as the local boy rather than as a wise teacher (and certainly not as the messiah). So Jesus looks to other places where he can teach and, along these travels, he heals and exorcises demons. (Here again, these three things are the essence of Jesus' ministry -- healing the sick, exorcising demons, and teaching.)
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If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read Luke 1-5 today.
