Summary

The third in a series of three giving an outline of the background to the Nativity. Putting the occasion in its historical context.

Teachers’ Notes

Suitable Reading:

Having a recording of ‘For to us a child is born’ from the Messiah would be of assistance.

Directions:

The pictures should be shown on PowerPoint as the story is told.  The (  ) shows when the slide should be changed.  To attract the pupils’ attention, we recommend the first slide is already on display as they enter.

The Main Text

(Picture 1)

Last time, we saw that Jesus, the special person who had been promised by God, was born in Bethlehem.

(Picture 2)

That same night, shepherds were out in the fields around Bethlehem.

Since there were no hedges like we have in Wales to stop the animals from roaming they either had to be put in sheep folds overnight or the shepherds had to be out on watch throughout the night.  That was to protect the sheep and goats in case anybody tried to steal them, or in case a wild animal attacked them. The same method of shepherding is still used in some countries today, with shepherds staying in the fields looking after their flocks.

(Picture 3)

Something very unexpected happened this particular night. An angel came once again with a message from God to some of the shepherds. Of course, they had never seen an angel ever before and they were very surprised, but the angel put them at ease and told them that a baby had been born in the city of David, Bethlehem.  He was Christ the Lord, the Messiah, Emanuel, the special person who had been promised. But he had not been born in a palace or a castle, but in a poor stable.

(Picture 4)

After the angel stopped speaking many more angels appeared and sang a song which said that God gave peace on earth because of the new baby – this was the Prince of Peace that Isaiah had mentioned centuries earlier. The shepherds rushed to look for this new baby.

(Picture 5)

When they came to the stable they told Mary and Joseph the story of the angel, and everybody was amazed.

Whilst this took place a star had appeared in the East, this was a new star and different to the other stars because it moved. There were clever men who lived in the cities of the East and they believed that this star was very special and was a signal that a king had been born.

(Picture 6)

Therefore, they decided to leave their homes and work and follow the star. This journey was even longer than the journey Mary and Joseph took from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The old translation of the Bible called these men the Wise Men.

(Picture 7)

As they believed that a king had been born they went first of all to Jerusalem to the palace of King Herod.  He knew nothing about a new king who had been born, but he asked his advisers to find any information about this, and they went to look in their books for clues.

(Picture 8)

The answer they found was that the king would be born in Bethlehem. Therefore, the Wise Men went on their journey to Bethlehem.  It wasn’t a long journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. When the star stopped above a building the Wise Men entered and saw Jesus. They knew that they had reached the end of their journey, this was the King of the Jews.  The star had led them to him.

(Picture 9)

They kneeled down and worshiped him – the Wise Men, the clever men acknowledging that the little baby was going to be wiser than them, that he was going to be like Solomon, the wisest king ever. They gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus before returning to their own country.

(Picture 10)

Therefore, Christmas,

(Picture 11)

the Festival,

(Picture 12)

the Nativity show us how God had kept his promise and had given Jesus, the Son of God, as a gift to the world to show us how to live good and useful lives.

The prophecies of the Old Testament came true.

Prayer

Father, as we give and receive gifts this Christmas, help us to remember the gift that you gave on the first Christmas, the gift of your own son. Thank you for the stories which remind us of who Jesus is – he is a Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Amen.