Last Nights Message.

This was the story we were going to read last night! Take some time to read it out loud and ask the questions at the bottom of the page.

400 years had passed since God had spoken to his people.The Israelites, called Jews, had been
under the control of other nations for hundreds of years. They were now ruled by the Romans, the
most powerful empire that had ever existed. The Jews were still waiting and hoping for a king who
would come to save them and lead them into victory.
Finally, God sent an angel to a young woman named Mary in the town of Nazareth.
She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph who was a descendant of King David.
The angel, named Gabriel, appeared to her and said, “Don’t be afraid Mary, God has chosen to bless
you! You will become pregnant and have a son and you are to name him Jesus. (which means ‘God
saves’). He will become a king whose kingdom will never end!”
Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby, I am still a virgin?”
The angel replied, “This will happen supernaturally by God’s Spirit, so this baby will be called God’s
Son. Remember… nothing is impossible with God!”
Mary said, “I am God’s servant. May everything you have said come true!”
After that Mary sang to God thanking him for choosing to bless her.
And just as the angel had said, Mary became pregnant.
When Joseph found out that Mary was expecting a child, he decided to break off their
engagement quietly. The law would have permitted him to have her killed if she had an affair.
But one night Joseph had a dream. An angel appeared to him and said, “Joseph, do not be afraid to
take Mary as your wife. The child in her is from God. You are to give him the name Jesus for he will
save the people from their sins.”
So Joseph took Mary as his wife, but he did not sleep with her until after the baby was born.
Months later, as Joseph and Mary were traveling to Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth.
No rooms were available for them at the local inns so they found an animal stable, and that is where
their baby was born. They named the boy Jesus, meaning “one who saves”, just as the angel had
told them. Mary wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a feed trough.
That night a group of shepherds were out in the fields taking care of their sheep when an
angel suddenly appeared and frightened them. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, I am bringing good
news for everyone! The one who will save you, the Messiah, has been born tonight in Bethlehem!
You will know it’s him when you find a baby in a stable wrapped in strips of cloth.”
The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem as fast as we can to see the miracle God
told us about.” When the shepherds ran into town they found Joseph, Mary and the baby in the
stable just as the angel had said. After this they went and told everyone what they had heard and
seen–and the people were truly amazed!
A few months later, wise men traveled from distant lands to find the newborn king.
A star had guided them from the east to Bethlehem and stopped over the place where Mary and
Joseph were living. As the wise men entered the house they were overcome with joy and kneeled
down and worshipped Jesus. They brought him expensive gifts of gold, spices and perfumes.
Eventually Joseph and Mary moved back to Nazareth where Jesus grew strong, wise and full of God’s grace.

• What did you see in your mind as you listened to this story?
• What did you notice from the story for the first time? What do you wonder about?
• What did we learn about Joseph? …about Mary?
• What was unique about Jesus’ birth? Where was he born?
• Why do you think it was important for Jesus to be born of a virgin mother?
• Who was Jesus a descendant of? How might this be significant?
• What else did your hear in this story that reminds you of what the prophets said
about the promised Messiah?
• What does the name Jesus mean?

P.A.