It happened a long time ago that the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, sent an order through the Roman

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It happened a long time ago that the Roman
Emperor, Caesar Augustus, sent an order through
the Roman Empire that a census should be taken.
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• Augustus said that all the people under his rule
  should return to the towns from which their
  families had come, to have their names written on
  the list for the census.

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• The peosple traveled miles ands miles to arrive
  at their home towns.

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• For many people the travel was long and hard.

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On foot and on donkey, through day and night, the
people traveled over hills and across fields.
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Because Joseph and Mary were from the family of
David, the king, they went from Nazareth to
Bethlehem, to have their names written on the
list.
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• After a long and tiring journey, Mary and Joseph
  came to Bethlehem.

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The inns were full with other travelers. There
was no room for them to find a place to rest.
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No one in this busy city knew that this young
woman was soon to be the mother of the Lord of
all the earth.
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Finally, someone told Mary and Joseph that they
could stay in the stable where the goats and
donkeys were kept.
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That night was a blessed night. In that stable,
Jesus was born into the world as Marys baby.
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Mary held the promised child in her arms, and her
heart was filled with love and adoration. The
tiny child was the Son of God.
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• Joseph looked at him tenderly and adoringly.
  Joseph knew that this small baby was the Savior
  of the world. He and Mary wondered why such a
  special baby was born in the crudeness of the
  stable.

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Joseph put some soft hay in the manger out of
which the animals ate, and laid the baby Jesus on
the hay.
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• On that night some shepherds were tending their
  sheep in a field near Bethlehem.

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• They were keeping watch over their flocks by
  night.

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And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and
the glory of the Lord shone around them.
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• The shepherds were filled with fear. And the
  angel said to them, Be not afraid for behold,

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I bring you good news of a great joy which will
come to all people for to you is born this day
in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord. And this will be a sign for you you will
find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and
lying in a manger.
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Suddenly, there was a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God and saying Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace among all people.
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The angels were so excited about the wonderful
news! They sang and shared the joy with the
shepherds.
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• When the angels went away from them into heaven,
  the shepherds said to one another, Let us go
  over to Bethlehem and see what has happened.
  This must be a wonderful thing!

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• And so the shepherds started out on the journey
  to Bethlehem. They must have wondered how they
  would find the Baby. Would there be a lot of
  stables? Would they get to the stable in time?
  If they did, who would believe they had seen the
  Baby?

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The shepherds knocked at the stable door. Joseph
called, Who is it? The night was dark, and
Joseph wanted to keep. Mary and the baby safe.
Its all right, said a kind voice. Were
shepherds. We came to see the baby.
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How did you know about the baby? asked Joseph.
Angels told us, said one of the shepherds.
And, there was a bright light in the sky, said
another shepherd.
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There was beautiful music, too, the shepherds
told Joseph.
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The shepherds came into the stable and knelt in
adoration of the baby. The angels told us that
a Savior had been born. They said that we would
find the baby in a place where goats and donkeys
are fed.
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All who heard the shepherds story were
astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these
things in her heart and thought about them often.
When the baby was eight days old, they named him
Jesus, a word which means salvation.
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Very wise men who studied stars lived in a
country far from Judea. One night they saw a
strange star shining in the sky.
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The wise men said, We think the stars tell us a
ruler has been born to the Jewish people. They
felt a call to go to Judea to see the newborn
King.
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• They studied their path and then took a long
  journey with camels and horses.

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• Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days
  of Herod, the King. Herod was afraid that
  someone might try to be the King instead of him.
  When Herod heard the wise men were looking for an
  important baby, he was afraid.

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Herod called his chief priests and scribes of all
the people together and asked them where Messiah,
Gods chosen one, was to be born.
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Herod asked the wise men what time the star
appeared. Go and search for the young child, and
when you have found him, bring me word, Herod
told them, that I may come and worship him also.
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• The wise men went to Bethlehem. They saw a very
  bright star in the sky. That star is leading
  us, they said. Look! It has stopped moving.
  That must be the place where we will find the
  Messiah.

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• They were filled with joy! They knelt and
  worshipped Jesus. They opened their treasures
  and presented the Christ Child with

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shining gold, sweet-smelling frankensence and a
perfume called myrrh.
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That night God sent a dream to the wisemen,
telling them now to go back to Herod, but to go
home at once to their own lands by another way.
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And this child, born to be a king, waits to have
a place in every heart, so that all may joyfully
sing the wonders of his love.
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Albion, Michigan First United Methodist Church
Sunday School Cast Bradly Dack, Suchakree
Boonyang, Brennen French, Cassidy Halstead, Dan
Skean, David Skean, Gwen Bagley, Hanae Weber, Ian
McCurdy, Isaac Bagley, Jacob Vargo, Jason Vargo,
Jennifer Vargo, Jonathan Vargo, Katelyn French,
Liam Bagley, Miriam Wilch, Miya Dunham, Olivia
Bagley, Paul Dack, Ryan McCurdy Photographers
Darlene Chisholm, Terry Vargo Costumes and
coordination Ilene Dack, Jill Vargo Created
by Jake Weber, Shelly Bagley December 2007
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