A Giving Christmas (2015)

I love Christmas time. The snow, decorations, beautiful lights, special food, music, caroling, and the spirit of Christmas makes me glow with warmth. I love presents--don’t you? I’m happy to receive but most importantly, I love to give.

When my children were small, I shopped and picked out just the right thing to wrap for them to open on Christmas morning. I didn’t wrap the gifts until Christmas Eve after the children were snug in bed. I made sure each package looked pretty and then carried them to the tree.

Excitement filled me. I hardly slept Christmas Eve. I'm not normally a morning person which means I need to sleep in a little and don’t jump right out of bed. I tend to be a night owl. I love to stay up late. On Christmas morning, typically to this day, I’m the first one awake. I lie there in the dark waiting until I think the sun is finally peeking over the horizon.

As soon as possible, I nudged my sleeping husband awake. I crept out of bed and threw on a robe and slid my feet into soft slippers. I scurried into the kitchen and made coffee. Listening to the coffee maker, I turned on all the beautiful Christmas lights. They looked so pretty in the semidarkness.

The tree was gorgeous with packages in reds, green, gold, and silver. Sure enough, the stockings were overflowing with cool trinkets, fruit, and candy.

I couldn’t wait to see my kid’s faces as they saw the gifts. Tradition in our home is to play the Chipmunks on a record, tape, or now a CD. Their father queued it up and the Chipmunks blared Christmas songs. The first chords of the song signaled the children and our faithful dog, Chance, to come out of their rooms.

Their faces, though sleepy, glowed and split into huge grins. Expressions of “Oh,” “Ah,” and “Look!” passed out of their lips. I sat and watched. I was filled with a joy knowing I helped make their Christmas special. We didn’t have a lot of money for gifts but that wasn’t important. The important things are doing for and giving to others.

My children are all grown now, and I have eleven grandchildren with my new husband’s grandchildren, we have 16. I still love Christmas and try to make it as special as I can.

I hope you have a heart that would rather give than receive. Our Christmas’ would not have been as special if we only thought about getting gifts. Then the focus would have been only on the gifts and who got what, and not on others and their needs to feel special.

We should have a heart to give. This time of year, we are reminded again and again to give to others. I hope that is what you love to do all throughout the year.

Have a blessed and merry Christmas!

 

 

 

The Four Dreams Plus One

Dreams are sometimes hard to forget. Have you ever had a dream that felt so real you remembered it all through the next day? I have. I want to tell you about a real man who had four dreams that changed the course of his life.

Long ago, there lived a man named Joseph. He was engaged to a woman named Mary. Before they were married, the Holy Spirit came unto her and she was going to have a baby. Joseph didn’t know what to do with Mary because he didn’t understand God’s plan.

In the night, Joseph had a dream. In the dream the Lord told him to not be afraid to take Mary to be his wife. The Angel of the Lord said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1: 20b-21

He woke up and immediately made arrangements for a wedding. He was faithful. Mary and Joseph became husband and wife. He didn’t understand it completely but he obeyed right then.

A few months later, the government gave orders to all the people to go to their place of birth to be counted. The counting is called a census. Bethlehem is the place where Joseph's ancestors came from. He traced his family back to king David who was born in Bethlehem. Mary also traced her family back to king David, through a different branch of the family tree.

Joseph was a carpenter, meaning, he built things with his hands. He may have taken a few tools with him as he saddled a donkey. He gathered clothes, food, and water and strapped them onto the donkey’s back. When the time came to go to Bethlehem, he helped Mary onto the donkey. Mary was going to have a baby and the trip would be long. She may have walked some of the time and rode on the donkey the rest. Either way, traveling would be difficult and uncomfortable for Mary.

The trek was slow and took many days. Tired and weary from the trip, they came upon the sleepy village of Bethlehem. Inns, which are like Bed and Breakfast places, dotted the little town. Joseph inquired about a room. All the inns were full, not a bed to be found anywhere. Joseph worried about Mary. Her time to give birth may happen any day. He needed someplace to take her to rest. At the last inn, he explained again their predicament. The inn keeper felt compassion for them and offered his stable where he kept his animals. At least they would be out of the wind and be reasonably protected and warm.

Joseph probably cleaned out the stable and put in clean smelling straw making the most of the circumstances. Animals were their companions in the stable. Late into the night, Mary gave birth to the Son of God. What an amazing thing, to give birth in a stable.

Out on the hillside nearby, shepherds took care of their sheep. Suddenly, in the sky above their heads appeared an angel. The angel said don’t be afraid and told them astonishing news.

(Read Luke 2: 8-14 for the complete details) The angel gave a awesome message that a special baby came into this world that night. He is the Savior, Christ the Lord. The shepherds needed to find the baby. The angle gave clues to find Him: he would be in a stable, lying in a manger, which is a dish for animals, and wrapped in strips of cloth, called swaddling.

The whole sky lit up with a multitude of angels who praised God. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:14

 

The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby. The proclamation the angel said rang true. Baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The shepherds worshiped baby Jesus and left telling everyone they met what they witnessed.

Later, Joseph found them a house to live in. They were at home in Bethlehem one day when a knock sounded on the door. At the door stood men they had never seen before. They were called Magi and came from the East. The Magi came in and worshiped Jesus. The Bible doesn’t say how many Magi there were. Tradition says three because of the number of gifts they brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were expensive precious gifts, fit for a king. They had traveled far to bring these gifts because they saw God’s star and had followed it to Bethlehem.

 

The Bible says these men had stopped off at king Herod’s house in Jerusalem before finding baby Jesus. The king asked them to come back and tell him where the baby was.

That night in a dream, God warned the Magi not to go see Herod. The next morning, they left a different way to go back home.

The same night that the Magi had a dream, so did Joseph. His dream had the angel of the LORD saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him” Matthew 2: 13

Joseph woke the next morning and did exactly what the angle of the LORD told him to do. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus traveled to Egypt. Their stay in Egypt probably lasted just a few weeks.

One night, Joseph had another dream. This time the angel of the LORD told him to go back to the land of Israel. Bethlehem and Jerusalem were in this region. What do you think he did? He obeyed. They packed up again and left for Israel. On the journey, Joseph had yet another dream. This time, the angel of the LORD said to go to a different place called Galilee. The city in Galilee they chose was called Nazareth.

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These four dreams of Joseph and the one the Magi had were for a special purpose. The purpose was to protect baby Jesus. Baby Jesus was one-hundred percent God and one-hundred percent man. God's Son, Jesus left His home in heaven to become a baby and live here on Earth.

Satan, God’s enemy wanted to destroy Jesus. He tried by making Joseph afraid of marrying Mary. God gave Joseph a dream to relieve his fear and told him what needed to happen. Joseph obeyed.

Satan wanted to use Herod to destroy Jesus. Herod found out that Jesus was born and became angry and tried to have Him killed. God gave both the Magi and Joseph dreams to tell them what needed to happen. The Magi obeyed. Joseph obeyed.

Herod died and God gave Joseph a dream to tell him what needed to happen. Go back to Israel. Joseph obeyed.

On the way there, God gave Joseph a dream to tell him what needed to happen. Go to Galilee. Joseph obeyed.

While Jesus lived on the Earth, Satan tried many times to kill Jesus. One day, he succeeded. But Satan doesn’t get the credit. Jesus willingly died for you and me. Satan thought he won. He didn’t because Jesus became alive again. He arose. Read more here

We can learn many things from this. First, God loves us. He loves us so much He sent His only Son to be born here on Earth. Jesus loves us enough to come and be a helpless baby, grow up, feel everything any human feels, understand pain and rejection, die a terrible death, and take all the sin of the whole world upon Himself.

Obedience is another thing we can learn. What if Joseph hadn’t obeyed? We need to obey our parents and others in authority over us, right away. Joseph obeyed because he loved God, his wife, and her baby, Jesus. He took his role in Jesus’ life seriously. He showed love.

The Magi obeyed God too, by not telling Herod where to find Jesus. They showed love and devotion to Jesus. The wise men believed He was the promised Savior.

All this gives us a different view of the wonderful true Christmas story. I hope your Christmas is filled with love. Love is the most important thing in Christmas. Share love with others this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Memorize one or more of these verses:

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Matthew 1:20b-21 Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.

 

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated

 

Fear 4 Part 2 Christmas 6

Catch the first part of the story here

Dedicated to teacher, Jessica Bertrand, and her class at Grand Valley Christian High School.

The children are playing in the playground. The December day is unseasonably warm. The children don’t need jackets. They are excited because after play time is a party. It’s a Christmas party, with games and food. Next week is Christmas day and Christmas break starts at the end of today.

 

The bell rings for them to line up to go inside. They line up with anticipation. The teacher says, “I brought snacks in individual sacks for you. When we go in, I’ll get the box and you can take one. The color of the sacks are red, green, blue, and purple with the same snack inside each. Take one and find a place to sit either on the floor or at a table. On each table is a craft and on the floor are games stations. Choose a place to go to eat your fun snack while you play a game or do a craft. I expect you to rotate to each station. I will come around and explain each craft. Now, enter with decorum but try to have fun.” Smiling to the children she opens the door. Her charges file past smiling at her. They love their teacher and she loves them.

The teacher picks up the box of snack filled sacks and sets it on a nearby table so the children can pick a sack. They easily pick one and find a place to sit talking and laughing. She smiles as she walks over to the CD player and soon music fills the room.

She observes her students having a good time. This is a wonderful group of children. I am so blessed to be their teacher. Time flies when we are together. Sometimes there are surprises. I feel something in the air. Maybe it's the excitement radiating out of these small bodies of kinetic energy. I hope I planned enough to keep them occupied until they go home.

Their teacher stops at the closest table and quickly explains the craft and making sure they are equipped with enough to make the beaded ornaments. At the next table she shows them the stable she previously made out of Popsicle sticks. There a few questions she answers.

The following table is holding clay. She tells the children to form the nativity out of the clay. The clay figures will be used for the stable they will make. Instructions for baking the clay is in the take home papers.

 

Abundant supplies of frosting and things needed to decorate cookies previously baked are on the next table. Each child made two cookies yesterday. “Plastic gloves can be worn so fingers will not be licked and wet paper towels are in the plastic bag for quick cleanup.” She says with a wink.

At that moment, one of her children screams, “Aaah! What is that?”

“I think it’s a rat!” yells another.

Amid the chaos she declares, “Settle down!” A hush descends. She points toward the door and every child files out the door.

So this is the surprise I sensed earlier. Rodents creep me out. Hold yourself together. Don't let it show.

Outside the door she calmly says, “It’s probably a mouse. We left the door open to air out the classroom. The mouse or whatever slipped in. I think I saw where it went. I’m going to quietly enter. On my desk is a small box. I will use that to trap the animal. Then I’ll slide both to the door and we can free it.”

The teacher slips noiselessly into the classroom. She found her box and carefully picked it up. Out of the corner of her eye she catches the scurry of the little creature.  It's not a mouse, but a chipmunk! That's better. Awe he’s cute. Maybe we could… No, he needs his freedom. Stick to the plan.

As silent as possible but intrigued with the creature, she snuck up on him. She lifted the box ready to pounce on him, “There you are.” She missed by a fraction. Her trap didn’t work. The children are by the door waiting anxiously. She points to the door and out they go again.

Outside again she says, “It’s a chipmunk. He cleaned up all our dropped morsels of food. He’s about this big.” She used her thumb and middle finger on her right hand to show its size. “We need a better plan. I’ll still try the box maneuver, but maybe an open door will work. He may feel trapped. Therefore, I want everyone to stay away from the door. Don’t let the chipmunk hear you and get more frightened. We don’t want to hurt it. We want to let the poor thing loose. Is everyone alright and understand the plan?” Heads nod. “As soon as the chipmunk is under the box or I think it will leave on its own, I’ll signal.” She turns and rests her hand on one of the boy’s shoulder.s “Jimmy, you open the door wide. Alright?”

Jimmy stood taller. “I’m ready.”

She slips in again and readies herself and her box. I wonder which one of is more frightened? Me or the chipmunk? She thinks she knows where he is, if he hasn’t moved when she was outside. In the corner is a long stick she uses to pull down the maps on the wall. She crouched on all fours, with the box in her right hand and the long stick in her left, she reaches the stick and bangs it on the far side of the cabinet. Even though she is ready she hesitates when she his cute nose poke out. Down the box comes—too late.

“Now, Jimmy!”

She watches as the little creature swerves, hesitates, and takes a few more leaps. He does a strange thing. He looks back at her, blinks, and then like a shot is out the door.

“There he goes!”

“He is so cute!”

“I wish we could have kept him!”

“Look at him go!”

“He runs fast!”

“I wonder if he has a family.”

She listens to the children’s excitement. I knew something exciting was going to happen today.

She says, “Come in children and get back to your stations. We will need to move fast to get everything finished because school is over soon. What a cool story to tell your families.”

As the children work on their projects she says, “We can be thankful for our little visitor today. Perhaps he was a Christmas gift to us. The chipmunk must've been very frightened. I was. He gave us something to think about. Have you ever been afraid? Sometimes we could be afraid when there is nothing to be afraid of. We weren't trying to harm the chipmunk but he was terribly frightened. We meant to help him. He thought we were trying to harm him. We are giants to him and he didn't understand our intentions.

The Lord sometimes leads us through new events or circumstances that seem scary. He wants us to learn something and to grow stronger and closer to him. We need to trust the Lord to take us through the scary events. He does things like that for our good. We will grow best through adversity.

Next time something is frightening for you. Ask the Lord to help you. Ask Him to tell you what you need to learn. Sometimes the thing to learn is to trust Him. Our Chipmunk friend had an open door in front of him and he hesitated and looked back at me. I think he understood we were trying to help him and were letting him go. I doubt he will come back but you never know—I think he loved our candy covered popcorn.”

 

 

Boys and girls, do you go through frightening ordeals and trust the Lord to get you through them? I pray you do. It is a lesson every Christian needs to learn. Trust the Lord and ask Him what you need to learn from the experience. He will impress upon your mind and heart what He wants to tell you. You can hear Him best when you quietly listen.

 

Memorize: 2Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a strong mind.

 

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated

 

 

Fear 4 Part 1

On a unseasonably warm day, a cute chipmunk got lost. Chucky is an inquisitive chipmunk. Inquisitive means he asks questions. As an inquisitive chipmunk, he investigates unknown things which sometimes land him into trouble.

This particular day, Chucky followed an unfamiliar scent. He stood on his back legs to get a good whiff. What is that smell? On all fours again he runs toward the aroma. The path took him farther from home than he realized. In front of him stood a large brick building. A door is open and out of it waifs a fragrance he can’t identify. He sniffs, sweet and probably crunchy.

Without thinking about the consequences, he enters the building. He runs along the wall behind cabinets, shelves, and desks. He breathes deep taking in the smell. This makes his mouth water. Where is it? Chucky zips forward. He follows the scent, weaving around furniture and darting across openings. Finally, he comes to a box where his nose tells him he has found what he is searching for.

He is too short to see inside the box. Chucky jumps up tries to climb the box wall. The box is too tall and slippery. So, he backs up and runs at the box, leaping higher. Still, he slips. Again he tries. This happens many times, each time he backs up farther. He is getting tired. Once more, come on Chucky you can do it! With a burst of speed and a mighty leap he catches the top of the box. He hangs on catching his breath. The odor is very strong. Chucky smiles as he looks at prettily wrapped sacks filled to the brim with colorful bites. He isn’t sure what they are but he imagines them to taste heavenly. A loud bang interrupts his thoughts.

People! Oh no! People! He has been warned about people. “Those giants could squish you,” he remembers his mom saying. Once, he was chased by a boy and his dog. Frightened and shaking, he can’t hold on to the top of the box and slides back down.

Foot falls were coming his way.

He scurries behind a desk. A person picks up the box filled with the sacks of heavenly scented food. Smaller people reach into the box and take out a sack. The smaller people are talking and laughing. Excitement fills the room.

Music starts at the other end of the room. Small people sit in bunches on the floor or chairs. They are eating the colorful food. Chucky watches as tiny bits fall from the small people’s hands. His mouth waters. Those people need to leave so I can eat the fallen pieces.

The taller person shows the smaller people how do something, he can’t see, at the tables. The taller person moves on to another table. At each table the group of smaller people appear to do something different. Chucky is inquisitive and wants a better view.

He scampers closer. Closer.

“Aaah! What is that?” Chucky heard it coming from one of the people.

“I think it’s a rat!” said one.

An eruption of feet and chaos ensued. People bump into each other trying to get away.

“Settle down!” is the command from the taller person.

A hush falls. The room empties out.

Chucky doesn’t know what to do. The people leave from the way he had gained entrance. He scans the room and notices the tiny bits of food on the floor. Should I risk it? Wide-eyed, he shoots toward a morsel and jams it into his mouth as he keeps going to another hiding place.

He chews and pants. This is yummy! I knew it would be good. Sticky and crunchy at the same time, as I hoped. It’s heavenly. He glances this way and that, then skids across the floor snagging another piece. Off he goes after another, then another. He is so engrossed in his passion of the food he forgets the danger he is in.

Again he leaves the protection of his hiding place.“There you are,” startles him as something almost catches him. By a hair’s breadth he escapes. Chucky is running for his life, darting this way and that. He squeezes himself behind a cabinet. Breath comes in gasps as he waits. He is so frightened. What is he to do? He barely got away from the trap but he is still trapped. The door is blocked by people and he doesn’t know of any other way out.

All of a sudden it looks as if everyone is leaving the room. Chucky waits a while and slowly sneaks out of his hiding place. He swerves from a crash beside him. The door opens as if by itself. Wide open space greet his frantic senses.

 

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Boys and girls, will Chucky get out or is it a trick? Who are the small people and tall person? Where do you think he is? What is the heavenly, sticky, yet crunchy food?

Stay tuned. Our story will continue in our next lesson.

Hint and something to think about: There are things out there that frighten us but sometimes things are not as they seem.

 

 

 

Christmas Story Part 3

I’ve been telling you what happened hundreds of years ago around the time of our Lord, Jesus, was born. The real Christmas story. To read what happened before today’s part of the story, click here: Christmas Story PT 1  Christmas Story PT. 2

If you remember, I said it all started with an angel. Gabriel appeared to Zacharias in the temple then he appeared to Mary. In this story we will see another angel, but this time in a dream. Before that dream, young Jesus had some special visitors.

After Jesus was born, Joseph moved his little family into a house. It was there that Jesus received these special visitors. But first, let me back up a bit. You may have heard of the wise men who came to visit Jesus. Some call them kings, or Magi. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many came, only that they looked long and hard for Him and brought three gifts.

These Magi had studied the scriptures and knew there was going to be the birth of the Messiah. These wise men, Magi, were descendants of men who had learned from Daniel that the one true God was going to send His Son to be born. Many years before, Daniel had been taken from his home in Israel to live in Babylon. He rose to be a great man, because God was with him and helped him. The Magi were from the East in the region of Babylon. They searched the scriptures and looked for a sign of the Messiah. When the Lord placed a star in the sky, they knew they must follow it to find the Messiah, the Christ child.

This bright star led these Magi to Israel. They went to the capital city, Jerusalem.

There, they searched and asked where the Child was. Matthew 2:2 says, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

Herod the Great was the ruler of the Jews at that time. He was disturbed that there could be a king to take his throne away. He called the chief priests and scribes to search the scriptures to tell him where this new king would be. The scribes said the scriptures clearly say the king would come from Bethlehem.  But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel. Matthew 2:6.

Herod called the wise men and sent them to Bethlehem to find the Child. Then he lied and said he wanted to worship the Child too. They left Jerusalem and headed toward Bethlehem, and the star stood over the house where they would find the Child. They rejoiced and had great joy in their hearts for they knew this was the place. Matthew 2:11; And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh were wonderful gifts that would normally be given to a great king. They gave those gifts to the greatest King of all, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He didn’t look like a king, but someday when He returns, He will look like  the king He is--King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They worshiped Jesus, even though He was just a child. They knew Who He was, Messiah, Jesus Christ.

That night, the Magi were warned in a dream not to go back to tell Herod where the Child was. They listened to the Lord and departed home another way.

Joseph was sleeping and an angel of the Lord came to him. “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” Matthew 2:13b. Joseph got up and immediately obeyed the Lord and took Jesus and Mary to Egypt. That was a long journey. This also fulfilled prophesy, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Then a terrible thing happened. When Herod heard that the Magi didn’t tell him where to find the child, he killed all the male children two years old and younger in Bethlehem and it outskirts. He wanted to kill the Messiah. He didn’t, because Jesus was safely on the way to Egypt. So many boys were killed because he was jealous that a child could take his throne away. It was a sad, terrible day!

A while passed and Joseph was visited in a dream again. The angel of the Lord said, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Matthew 2:20.

Joseph took his family back to the land of Israel. He had another dream and was told to go to the region of Galilee. He found a place for them to live in Nazareth. There he worked as a carpenter and raised Jesus to work for him.

Mary and Joseph had other children. Jesus grew up in a large family. Joseph was not Jesus' father, but he took good care of him. God the Father was Jesus’ Father. Jesus is God’s Son. He was 100% God and 100% man. That’s hard to understand. God made it possible, so when Jesus grew up he would die on the cross for our sin. He couldn’t do that if He was just a man. He had to be God, perfect and without sin. To learn more about that read: Faith 3

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave it in the comment box at the bottom.

Have a wonderful, joyful, Merry Christmas!

Memorize: Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him…

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated. 

Christmas Story Part 2

The angel Gabriel had appeared to two people, Zacharias and Mary, and an angel appeared to Joseph. If you would like to read last week’s lesson, click here. Angels are a vital part of the Christmas events. I’ll tell you more about angels in a while. But first, let’s continue on with our story. Joseph has just been told to take Mary as his wife. So, they got married. I bet they were both happy.

During this time the ruler, Caesar Augustus, wanted to know how many people lived in all of his provinces. He desired a good count, so he could tax them for more money. To get an accurate number, he had all the families go to the town where their ancestors were from.

Joseph and Mary were from the line of David. King David was born in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph needed to travel there to be counted. They had to go about 70 miles. At that time, there were no cars, busses, trains, or airplanes. They had to travel on foot, horse, camel, or donkey. Well, Joseph was not wealthy, so all he could afford was a donkey. Mary rode on the donkey’s back while Joseph walked. This walk was long and difficult. The area had mountains and was rugged. Mary was also expecting baby Jesus.

There were no phones, so Joseph could not call ahead to make a reservation at one of the inns. An inn is like a motel. When they finally arrived, all the inns were full. There was no room to be found anywhere.  Joseph knocked on one door after another probably saying, “My wife is expecting and we need a room.”

“No room,” was the reply.

Joseph kept knocking on doors until one kind innkeeper told them they could sleep out with the animals in the stable. Can you imagine how discouraged he felt? Here was his new wife whom he loved, ready to give birth, and all he could give her was the stable to sleep in. The stable was the place where animals ate and bedded down for the night. It smelled. He got some clean straw and made the place as comfortable as possible. He tenderly helped her off the donkey and settled her on the straw. They were grateful to have some shelter.

During the night, Mary gave birth to baby Jesus. There was no doctor. It was not a nice place to deliver a baby. Mary didn’t even have a cradle. Joseph got the only thing he could find to lay the baby in. A manger is a large container used for the animal’s food. Cows, donkeys, and other animals eat out of it. They placed sweet little baby Jesus in a manger. I’m sure they cleaned it and placed new straw in it. The Bible says she wrapped him in swaddling clothes. That would have been strips of cloth to bind the baby tightly with. Luke 2:7

On a hillside not far away there were shepherds watching their flock. Sheep need a shepherd to protect them from wandering off and from wild animals. That night when all was quiet, a bright light appeared, and so did an angel. Those shepherds were afraid! Can you imagine?  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:9-14.

Wow! God’s Son, Jesus Christ, was born! Shout it to all who will hear! The promised Messiah finally came. The shepherds wanted to see the babe, so they went to the stable. I’m sure you have seen a nativity. A nativity is a display of statues or people showing what it may have looked like when Jesus was born.

The shepherds were the first to visit baby Jesus. What do you think they did? I think they bowed down to worship. The Bible says they were excited. They told everyone they could about the Christ child. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. Luke 2:17

 

Mary thought about all of it. I wonder just what she thought. The Bible says in verse 19: But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

There is more to come in the real Christmas story in our next lesson.

Memorize all or part of : Luke 2:10-12 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated. 

Christmas Story Part 1

It’s December. There may be snow where you live. It’s the month when we celebrate Christmas. Christmas is a wonderful time for thinking of others. It’s a time when we give and receive gifts. I love giving gifts. Do you?

At this time of year, we hear stories of elves, reindeer, and Santa Claus. Some of us make crafts with snowflakes, candy canes, pinecones, gingerbread men, and other fun stuff. It is a pleasure to bake cookies, pies, breads, and cakes, and it makes the house smell lovely. It’s a time when we drink hot cocoa and cider. Some of us send out Christmas cards. Many of us follow traditions and make memories. What are some of the traditions you do in your home?

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love everything about it. One thing I keep alive is the real meaning of Christmas. Over the next few lessons, I will tell the story of Christmas. You may already know this, or this may be new to you, but the story doesn’t start in the stable. There is more to it than shepherds, a manger, star, and the three wise men. The story starts with an angel.

Gabriel is a special angel God sent to announce the birth of two babies. Zacharias was a priest for the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem. While Zacharias was all alone in the Temple, burning incense to the Lord, Gabriel appeared to him. Zacharias was afraid. He had never seen an angel. I would be afraid too.

Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid. Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife will bear you a son, and you will call his name John.”  Luke 11:13.

God sent Gabriel to Zacharias to tell him that not only were he and his wife Elizabeth  going to have a baby, but that baby would tell people about Jesus, the promised Messiah. Zacharias and Elizabeth had no children and were praying for years to have one. It was wonderful news, but Zacharias didn’t believe the angel. Because of this unbelief, God made Zacharias speechless. He was unable to speak until the birth of his son John.

People were amazed that he came out of the temple dumb, not able to speak. He had to write what he wanted to say. I think he learned his lesson, and if an angel came again, he would believe that angel. You can read more of the story in Luke 1:5-23, 39-46, and 57-80.

Gabriel also appeared to a young woman named Mary. She wasn’t a wealthy girl or a leader in her town. She was an ordinary girl who loved her Lord with all her heart. Mary wasn’t expecting a visit from the angel.

Gabriel came when she was all alone. He said, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” Mary was troubled. Gabriel continued, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:28-33

Mary was amazed. She was engaged to Joseph, but they were not married. The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will over-shadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke1:35

He continued to tell her that her cousin Elizabeth was expecting a baby in her old age. Then he said,“For with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1:37

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to you word.” Luke 1:38. Then the Angel left.

Can you imagine getting such news?  I would have been afraid of the angel and astonished at what he said.  Mary wanted to see Elizabeth her cousin, so she went for a visit. You can read about it in Luke 1:39-56.

Remember I said Mary was engaged to Joseph? Joseph loved Mary, but was troubled about what had happened. The Lord knew his thoughts and sent an angel to him too. This time the angel appeared in his dreams. "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:20-21 

Some of these events were recorded earlier in the Bible. God told his prophets in the Old Testament what was to going to happen many hundreds of years in the future, and they wrote it down. This is called prophesy. Isaiah was one of those prophets. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14. Also, 9: 6 says, For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Micah was also a prophet who wrote about Jesus. Many Old Testament books tell about Jesus and what would happen to him.

In our next lesson, I’ll tell you more about the events leading up to Jesus' birth. The birth of Jesus is exciting and I can’t wait to tell you that part in our next lesson.

Please take time to write to me, and don’t forget to memorize this verse:  Isaiah 7:14 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated.