035 The Birth of Jesus - A Bible Story for Children

Matthew 1:18-25 - Luke 1:26-56; 2:1-20

In the land of Judea, in the days when Herod was king, there lived in the town of Nazareth a young woman name Mary. She was promised in marriage to a carpenter named Joseph, who belonged to a family that was descended from David, the great king of Israel.

One day, some time before Mary's marriage to Joseph, the angel Gabriel, sent by God, appeared to Mary as she sat in her house. "Hail, most favored one, the Lord is with you," he told her. "Blessed are you among women."

The angel's greeting confused and troubled Mary. "Do not be afraid," he said to her. "You have found favor with God. Soon, you will have a son, and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great, and his kingdom will have no end."

Mary was more confused than ever. "How can this be?" she asked the angel. "I am not yet Joseph's wife."

"The Holy Spirit will come to you," the angel answered. "The son born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God."

Then the angel told Mary more surprising news. Her cousin, Elizabeth, who was much older than Mary, was having a child. For years, she and Zacharia, her husband, had been without children, but now at last they were expecting a baby. "With God, all is possible," said the angel to Mary.

"I am the servant of the Lord," Mary answered. "Let it happen as you say." When she looked again, the angel was gone.

Mary told no one of the angel's visit, but one morning soon after, she went up into the hill country to visit her cousin. Just as the angel had said, Elizabeth was expecting a child. As Mary entered the house, the baby leaped in Elizabeth's womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and suddenly she knew about Mary's baby, and who the child was to be.

"You are blessed among women, and blessed is your child," was Elizabeth's joyful greeting to her young cousin in the doorway.

Mary's faith in God grew strong, and she was troubled no longer. "My soul praises the Lord, and I rejoice in God," she returned her cousin's greeting. "For he has done great things to me. From now on, all people will call me blessed."

Mary stayed with Elizabeth and Zacharias for three months, then went home to Nazareth. Soon after, Elizabeth's child was born, a son, whom she and Zacharias called John.

One night in Nazareth while Joseph slept, an angel appeared to him in a dream. "Take Mary as your wife," the angel said, "She is carrying a child, but it is of the Holy Spirit. You shall call him Jesus, for he will save people from their sins."

So Joseph and Mary were soon married, and the time for the birth of the child drew near.

The kingdom of Judea, in those days, was under the rule of the Romans. The Jewish people followed their own customs, but they had to obey the laws made by the Romans. From the Emperor Augustus, a command went out announcing a new tax. Each man was to go to the place of his birth and register there for the tax.

So Joseph left Nazareth with Mary and traveled to Bethlehem, where the family of King David had lived. The little town was crowded with visitors like Joseph and Mary. Any minute now, Mary's child was to be born, but Joseph and Mary could find no room in any of the inns. Finally, a kindly innkeeper offered them a stable to shelter them for the night.

There Mary gave birth to her son. She wrapped the baby in soft swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger to sleep.

Not far away, some shepherds were watching over their sheep in the fields. They looked up and saw an angel of the Lord coming down to them. The glory of the Lord shone all around, and the shepherds were afraid.

"Do not fear, for I bring you news of great joy," the angel said to the shepherds. "Today a Savior has been born to you--the Messiah who will save all the people. You will find him in Bethlehem, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

Suddenly, all around, there was the singing of heavenly voices, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill toward men."

Then the angel was gone. "Let us go see this baby that the Lord has told us about," the shepherds said to one another. They hurried to Bethlehem and, after some searching, found the stable where Mary and Joseph were staying with the baby.

After they saw him, the shepherds told everyone, far and wide, about the baby and the angel. Then they returned to their flocks, praising God for what they had heard and seen.

Category: Children's Bible Stories