The Wisemen Visit Baby Jesus - Baby Jesus Series

The Star Guided the Wise Men
( picture - dbsjeyaraj.com )

After baby Jesus was born, some wise men from the eastern country came looking for Baby Jesus. They wanted to see the baby Jesus and worship Him. The wise men studied the stars and one night they saw  a bright star in the sky. They knew that this star meant a King had been born. So that is why the wise men came to King Herod and asked him where the baby King of the Jews had been born. The wise men wanted to worship the baby Jesus. King Herod did not know anything about the birth of Jesus or that Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. When King Herod heard that a baby King had been born, he was very upset. King Herod called together the chief priests and religious teachers and asked them where the baby Jesus was to be born. They told him " In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,"(KJV).  King Herod  called for a private meeting with the wise men. He asked them questions about the star. Then he sent them to Bethlehem and he said to the wise men " Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also."( KJV ) Then the wise men went on their way. And to their surprise they saw the star again! It was guiding them to the exact place where Baby Jesus was! They were so very happy and rejoiced with an exceeding great joy! They came into the house where Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus were staying. The wise men bowed down before Jesus and they worshiped Him. The wise men had even brought some gifts for the Baby Jesus. The gifts were precious things - gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

The Wise Men Worship the Baby Jesus
( bibleencyclopedia.com )

The Bible says that God warned the wise men in a dream and told them they should not return to King Herod but rather go back home a different way. They obeyed God and were full of joy and happiness as they went back home. It must have brought them such joy and peace to know that God had guided them the whole way. God had guided them by the star and also through the dream. What an incredibly great and awesome God we serve!

Christmas Coloring page

Now that you have read some stories of the birth of Jesus, would you like to color a nice picture, maybe after you color it, you could give it to your grandma or some other elderly person. I think it 

would make them very happy to receive a special colored picture from you!! Try it and see!

(picture - christianphotos-jesusimages )

Of Angels and Shepherds - Baby Jesus Series

Of Angels and Shepherds

The angel visits the shepherds
(picture -travelwithtraverse)

Would you be afraid if an angel suddenly appeared to you and your friends? Most of us would be afraid, because we have never experienced anything like that ever! Well that is exactly what happened to some shepherds the night that baby Jesus was born. The shepherds were about to have a big huge surprise!  The shepherds were out in the fields taking care of their sheep. For them, the night began in an ordinary way, just like every other night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them in the night sky. I think it would have been very bright, don't you? The shepherds were very afraid. But the angel said "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." (NKJV) ( Notice that the angel gives the shepherds a sign - the sign is that they will find baby Jesus in a manger.)

Suddenly many more angels joined the angel and together they praised God with these words "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!" (KJV)

Then as quickly as the angels had come, they went back to heaven again. The shepherds looked at each other and decided that they would go to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. They knew that God had sent the angels to them for this very reason. God wanted the shepherds to be the first to visit his Son, the baby Jesus. The shepherds hurried to the village of Bethlehem to the stable where baby Jesus was born. There they found Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus sleeping in the manger. The sign the angel gave them was there just exactly as the angel had said - baby Jesus was wrapped in soft cloths and lying in the manger.

After the shepherds left the manger, they went back to take care of their sheep. They were so happy and excited that Jesus our Savior had been born, they told everyone they met that they had seen the baby Jesus. They explained how the angel had announced his birth to them. They praised God for all that He had showed to them and because all that the angel had said was exactly true.

The Shepherds visit Baby Jesus
( picture -becuo.com )

Discussion:

Why do you think God would send the angels to the shepherds? God wanted ordinary people to be the first to see baby Jesus. He wanted ordinary people like you and me to tell our friends about Jesus. God wants us to tell others about all the great and wonderful things He has done. We are His messengers of the Good news that Jesus is our Savior. We can share the good news with our neighbors and friends, in school and everywhere we go.Jesus is with us, He cares for us just like the shepherds cared for their sheep.

Baby Jesus Is Born - Baby Jesus Series

Baby Jesus is Born

Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem 
( pinterest.com )

Now it came to pass that the Roman emperor made a rule. He said that everyone must travel to the town of their ancestors in order to register and to be counted. Because Joseph was a descendant of King David, they would have to travel to Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary were chosen by God to be together. Joseph had obeyed the voice of the angel and had decided to continue to love Mary and marry her even though Mary was pregnant and would be the mother of God's Son. Mary knew it would not be long now till her baby would be born. Mary remembered the message of the angel  and everything was happening exactly as she had been told. The message of the angel was true and Mary was soon going to become the mother of God's Son. But now instead of planning for the their life together and the baby's soon arrival, Joseph and Mary had to obey the rule that the emperor had made. Joseph and Mary would have to leave their home town of Nazareth and go to Bethlehem to be counted. This would be a long, hard trip for Mary. Mary must have been so thankful to have Joseph with her. He was so very kind and he would take good care of her.

Baby Jesus is Born

(desktopnexus.com)

While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for the baby to be born. Mary needed a warm quiet place. Joseph went to the inn and asked for a room. But it was filled up with people and there was no room left at all for Joseph and Mary. Finally Joseph found a nice quiet place for Mary to rest. It was in a stable. A stable is like a barn, it is a place where animals are kept. Perhaps there were a few donkeys and sheep there in the stable. It was here in the stable that baby Jesus was born. Mary wrapped Him in nice soft cloths and laid Him in the manger. A manger is the feeding box that the animals would eat from sometimes. Mary and Joseph loved baby Jesus. God was taking care of them and everything was happening exactly as God had planned.

An Angel Visits Joseph - Baby Jesus Series

An Angel Visits Joseph 

Joseph and Mary were engaged. They were planning their wedding and looking forward to the day when they would be married. But one day, Mary had some shocking news for Joseph and told him that she was going to be the mother of God's son. This caused Joseph to be very surprised. His mind was filled with questions and he did not know what to do. Now Joseph was a very good and kind man. He loved Mary very much but as he thought about these things, he knew he needed to end the engagement. So he decided he would not go through with the wedding with Mary but would break the engagement quietly and so cause no embarrassment to Mary. 

The Angel Comes to Joseph in a Dream 
(picture lds.org )

Then one night when Joseph was sound asleep, an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel spoke to him and said,  “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Then Joseph woke up! How happy Joseph must have been to receive this good news from the angel. He did not need to be afraid but he could go ahead with the wedding plans and marry Mary after all! He loved her so much and he was so happy that he had been chosen by God to have an  important part in raising God's son. The angel said to call the baby Jesus. Soon Joseph and Mary became married and they began to prepare for the birth of baby Jesus.




Discussion:

In this story we learn how very important it is to listen to what God tells us to do. Our problems can seem very big and we often do not know what to do. But when we pray to Jesus and tell Him exactly what our problem is, He will help us to know what to do. That is why it is important to read in our Bible every day, and pray. Jesus is with us and He will show us what to do. We don't need to be afraid even when we encounter hard things in our lives.

The Angel Visits Mary - Baby Jesus Series

The Angel Visits Mary 

The Angel visits Mary 
(picture thanks to jw.org )

One day a very unexpected thing happened to a young girl named Mary. Mary lived in a village called Nazareth. She was not married but she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an angel appeared to Mary and said "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Mary was shocked and surprised and did not know what was happening. Then the angel said "Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High".

Mary was confused when she heard the angel speak and she did not know how Joseph would respond. Would he still love her and go through with the wedding? So she asked the angel,  “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” Then the angel explained that the baby would be God's son and he encouraged Mary to not be afraid. The angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God".
Then Mary was very happy and said to the angel "“I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”  Then the angel went back to heaven again.


Questions to discuss:
Do you think it would be scary to see an angel?
God picked Mary to be the mother of his Son, baby Jesus. How do you think Mary felt when she realized this? I think she would feel special because God picked her for a very important job. What kinds of things do you think God might pick for you to do? What does God want you to do? ( Be kind to other children, love them and share with them, obey your mom and dad, help your teacher, things like that )  You are special to God and to Jesus, He will always love you and you can be sure that He is always with you. Because Jesus is with us we need not be afraid.




*Bible quotes taken from NLT