The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. The baby will be holy. He will be called the Son of God. Now listen! Elizabeth, your relative, is very old. But she is also pregnant with a son. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months. God can do everything!”
Mary said, “I am the servant girl of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away.
How do you think Mary felt when she heard the angel’s words? What might she have written in her diary that night if she kept one?
Click to download a diary page you can use for writing down her thoughts. ActivityPerhaps you would like to draw your own picture of the annunciation?
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At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were under Roman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register. This was the first registration taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own towns to be registered. So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This town was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David.
I wonder...Is there somewhere you would like to go? Or perhaps something you would like to achieve?
Spend some time thinking about it now. Say a prayer to ask God to help you to reach your hoped-for destination. ActivityDraw yourself a map showing how you will get there and the steps you will take. You could use paper and pens or chalk outside.
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"My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never die. And no person can steal them out of my hand. My Father gave my sheep to me. He is greater than all, and no person can steal my sheep out of my Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
Go for a walk. As you walk talk about: What do you see? What do you hear? How would it feel to walk all day?
You could make a journey stick on the way. Here are two ideas to make them.
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Now this is what the Lord says.
He created you, people of Jacob.
He formed you, people of Israel.
He says, “Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you.
I have called you by name, and you are mine.
You made my whole being.
You formed me in my mother’s body.
I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.
What you have done is wonderful.
I know this very well.
ActivitySometimes ordinary things can have a big impact. We do small things all the time that can actually mean a lot to someone else. A smile, a kind word, help with a difficult chore. Think about the small things you can do in a day that can mean something big to another person.
Write one of those small things down to remind you to do it. You might like to print this picture (download) and write it on the saddle bag. You could colour in the picture as you are thinking. |
The Son of Man will put the sheep, the good people, on his right and the goats, the bad people, on his left.
“Then the King will say to the good people on his right, ‘Come. My Father has given you his blessing. Come and receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made. I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then the good people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’
“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.’
I wonder...What it would be like to have nowhere to go? Or if your house was a place you felt scared?
Ask your grown up if you can hold the key to your house. As you hold the key, give thanks for your place of shelter and safety and think about those who need that. Write a short prayer for those without shelter, warmth and food in the key below. |
‘And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it’. (New King James Translation)
'The Light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overpowered the Light.' (International Children's Bible)
Dig out your torches, wrap up warm and head out in the dark for a torchlit walk together. You might get up early to walk before breakfast or in the evening after the sun has set. How different does the world look in the dark?
Please walk in safe places and avoid exploring places you haven't seen in the daylight. |
That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. An angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and suddenly they became very frightened. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is Christ, the Lord. This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feeding box.” ... So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph. And the shepherds saw the baby lying in a feeding box. Then they told what the angels had said about this child. Everyone was amazed when they heard what the shepherds said to them.
When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. They went to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary. They bowed down and worshiped the child. They opened the gifts they brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The shepherds were not the only visitors. A while later some kings (or wise men) came to visit Jesus. They had been following a star and it had stopped above the place of his birth in Bethlehem. They were astrologers and their studies of the stars had led them on a long journey from the East to where they believed a new king had been born. They brought with them gifts. They were not typical baby gifts! They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.
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