The First Christmas
A baby is born in a stable, and shepherds follow a star to find him.
Read aloud in about five minutes.
“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you.”
Luke 2:11
- Bethlehem is full, so a stable it is
- The baby is laid in a manger
No room
Mary and Joseph travelled a long way to Bethlehem, and when they arrived the town was full. Every place to stay was taken, so they were given a stable to sleep in, among the animals.
That night Mary's baby was born. She wrapped him warmly and laid him in a manger — the box the animals ate from — because there was no cradle.
- Angels tell shepherds first
- Shepherds run to see for themselves
Shepherds on the hillside
Out in the fields nearby, shepherds were watching their sheep in the dark. Suddenly the sky filled with light and angels told them a child had been born, and where to find him.
The shepherds hurried into town, found the stable, and saw the baby exactly as they had been told. Then they went out and told everyone.
- A star guides travellers from far away
- Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh
Visitors from far away
Later, wise travellers arrived from a distant country. They had followed a bright star for a very long time, and they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
It is a story full of ordinary people in an ordinary place — which is rather the point of it.
Something to print
A colouring page, a cut-and-stick craft and six talking questions come with this story.