An Angel Brings Good News
Luke 1:26-38
The Bible tells us that long ago there lived a young woman named Mary. She lived in a small town called Nazareth.
Mary loved God. She was excited because soon she would be getting married to a man named Joseph. Joseph came from the family line of King David. Joseph loved God.
One day, God sent an angel named Gabriel to visit Mary. The angel had a special message from God. “Hello,” the angel said. “You are special to God! He is with you.”
Mary was afraid and upset. She didn’t understand what the angel was saying to her. So, the angel spoke to her gently. “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God has sent me to give you a special message.”
“God has a special job for you. You are going to have a baby. He will be called the Son of the Most High God. You will name Him Jesus. God will make Him a King. His kingdom will never end.”
Mary asked, “How will this happen?”
“Nothing is impossible with God,” the angel said. “God will be with you. The child will be God’s own Son. God can do anything.”
Then Mary said, “I love God. I serve God. I will do whatever He asks. May it happen to me just as you say it will.”
Then the angel left Mary. Mary thought about all the things the angel had said. She prayed, “Thank You, God, for sending the angel. I want to be a good mother to Your Son. Help me to get ready for baby Jesus.”
Mary got ready for baby Jesus. Today we can get ready for baby Jesus, too.
Bible Paraphrase: A Savior has been born. (Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11 NIV)
Text Truth: We can get ready for baby Jesus.
It’s important to prepare spiritually for Christmas. The days before Christmas are a wonderful time to contemplate that this little baby, who is God’s Son, came for you. Reading passages like Luke 1:26-38 and spending time in prayer are just two ways to prepare your heart. He is coming!
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. – Isaiah 40:5
The Christmas season can be a busy time of year. As you go throughout your week, stop to talk with your preschooler about how each errand helps to get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Pull out your child’s baby album or baby pictures. Look at the pictures together and talk about how you got ready for your child’s birth (a baby shower, doctor’s appointments, decorating a room, buying clothes and diapers, etc.) and what excited you most about your child’s arrival. If your child was adopted, talk about how you prepared for your child to become part of your family.
Act out the story using towels, old sheets, and sparkly garland as dress-up clothes. Talk about what you do as a family to get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Pray that as you get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth, you remember to keep the focus on Him.
Bible map provided by Biblos.com.
The Bible tells us that long ago there lived a young woman named Mary. She lived in a small town called Nazareth.
Mary loved God. She was excited because soon she would be getting married to a man named Joseph. Joseph came from the family line of King David. Joseph loved God.
One day, God sent an angel named Gabriel to visit Mary. The angel had a special message from God. “Hello,” the angel said. “You are special to God! He is with you.”
Mary was afraid and upset. She didn’t understand what the angel was saying to her. So, the angel spoke to her gently. “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God has sent me to give you a special message.”
“God has a special job for you. You are going to have a baby. He will be called the Son of the Most High God. You will name Him Jesus. God will make Him a King. His kingdom will never end.”
Mary asked, “How will this happen?”
“Nothing is impossible with God,” the angel said. “God will be with you. The child will be God’s own Son. God can do anything.”
Then Mary said, “I love God. I serve God. I will do whatever He asks. May it happen to me just as you say it will.”
Then the angel left Mary. Mary thought about all the things the angel had said. She prayed, “Thank You, God, for sending the angel. I want to be a good mother to Your Son. Help me to get ready for baby Jesus.”
Mary got ready for baby Jesus. Today we can get ready for baby Jesus, too.
Text Truth: We can get ready for baby Jesus.
Family Devotional
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. – Isaiah 40:5
Activities You Can Do at Home
Happy News
Sing the following song to the tune of “London Bridge.”
Whoever is “caught” by the “bridge” can tell Mary’s news that Jesus is coming.
Mary heard some happy new,
Happy news, happy news
Mary heard some happy news.
Oh, what was it?
Running Errands
The Christmas season can be a busy time of year. As you go throughout your week, stop to talk with your preschooler about how each errand helps to get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Baby Pictures
Pull out your child’s baby album or baby pictures. Look at the pictures together and talk about how you got ready for your child’s birth (a baby shower, doctor’s appointments, decorating a room, buying clothes and diapers, etc.) and what excited you most about your child’s arrival. If your child was adopted, talk about how you prepared for your child to become part of your family.
Act Out the Bible Story
Act out the story using towels, old sheets, and sparkly garland as dress-up clothes. Talk about what you do as a family to get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Prayer Time
Pray that as you get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth, you remember to keep the focus on Him.
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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence.
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