Story of christmas
The Birth of Jesus
A Message from God
Around 2,000 years ago, in the land of Judea, which is now part of Israel, a young woman named Mary lived in the town of Nazareth. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph. One day, an angel named Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would have a son, who would be called Jesus. Gabriel said that Jesus would be the Son of God, and that his kingdom would never end.
Mary was afraid, but she trusted God. She said to Gabriel, “Let it happen as God chooses.”
A Journey to Bethlehem
At that time, the land where Mary and Joseph lived was part of the Roman Empire. The Roman emperor, Augustus, wanted to make sure that everyone in the empire paid their taxes. He ordered everyone to return to their hometown and register their names.
Mary and Joseph traveled a long way from Nazareth to Bethlehem, which is where Joseph’s family was from. When they arrived in Bethlehem, they found that all of the inns were full. The only place they could find to stay was with the animals.
The Birth of Jesus
In the place where the animals slept, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Mary wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, which is a trough that animals eat from.
Angels and Wise Men
In the fields outside of Bethlehem, shepherds were watching their sheep. Suddenly, an angel appeared before them and told them that a Savior had been born in Bethlehem. The angel told the shepherds to go and find the baby, who would be lying in a manger.
The shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Jesus, just as the angel had said. They told everyone they met about the good news, and everyone was amazed.
Meanwhile, in faraway countries, some wise men saw a bright star in the sky. They knew that this star meant that a great king had been born. They followed the star to Judea, and when they got to Jerusalem, they asked people where they could find the newborn king.
Herod, the king of Judea, heard about the wise men’s search. He was afraid that someone might take his place as king, so he told the wise men to go and find the baby king and then come back and tell him where he was. But Herod did not really want to worship the baby king. He was planning to kill him.
Escape to Egypt
The wise men followed the star to Bethlehem, and when they found Jesus, they bowed down and worshiped him. They gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they returned home by a different way.
When the wise men were gone, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Mary and Jesus and escape to Egypt. Herod was going to search for Jesus to kill him.
So Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt, and they stayed there until Herod died.
Return to Israel
After Herod died, Joseph had another dream in which an angel appeared to him. The angel told him that it was safe to go back to Israel.
So Joseph, Mary, and Jesus returned to Israel. They settled in Nazareth, where they had lived before.
The Story of Jesus’ Birth
The story of Jesus’ birth is a story of hope, love, and faith. It is a story that reminds us that God is always with us, and that he will never abandon us.