The Nativity episode description
An angel appears to Mary, a young woman engaged to Joseph, telling her she will soon give birth to the Son of God. Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem where Jesus is born. The Lord leads shepherds and wise men to see the newborn baby and protects Him from an evil king who seeks to kill Him.
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Retell the Nativity Story!
You can retell the Nativity Story at home or at Sunday school with these free printable puppets! Each character comes with instructions and can be printed, colored, cut, and glued to create your very own cast of Nativity characters. Great for story retention and craft time!
The Nativity Sunday school lesson guide
The following content is designed to assist with lesson planning and discussion.
What does the word “nativity” mean?
Nativity means the story and time of someone’s birth. The word nativity is most often used to represent the miraculous story of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem.
What does the word “messiah” mean?
The word messiah means a person who will lead and save their people. God promised He would send a Messiah to the Jewish people to save them, and all of us, from our sins.
Why is the Nativity Story so important?
The birth of Jesus Christ was a long-awaited event. The first reference to a messiah goes back thousands of years and can be found in the Bible in Genesis 3:15. After mankind sinned and fell from God’s grace, God told the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
This was a prophecy that one day a man would rise up and crush the tempter and end the curse.
Through the years God gave more information about the Messiah. Hundreds of years before Jesus’s birth, God told the people the location where he would be born.
“Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.'”
Micah 5:2 (CSB)
Many generations waited for the birth of the Messiah, and His birth changed human history forever. The Nativity story represents the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world to forgive our sins and bring us back into a relationship with God.
What do you know about the Nativity Story?
The Nativity Story is one of the most popular stories in history. Most people have heard the birth story of Jesus, whether through a storybook, at a Christmas church service, or a Nativity pageant. It’s a powerful story filled with hope, fear, beauty, and truth. It features unlikely characters, like the young bride-to-be Mary and her soon-to-be husband Joseph. Angelic messengers like Gabriel and the heavenly hosts. Shepherds, wise men, and even an evil king.
The story’s theme can be found in the name “Emmanuel,” which means God is with us. It is the story of God coming to Earth as a man to save us from our sins.
We can learn a lot about God through the Nativity Story, including what’s important to Him.
- God is a promise keeper. His promises can be trusted and He is always faithful. God promised His people a Messiah, and the Nativity Story is the fulfillment of the Messiah’s birth.
- God seeks people who are humble at heart and willing to serve. God chose Mary, a young and lower-class unwed woman, to give birth to the Messiah. Mary would have been viewed as a commoner by most people, but God set her aside for a miraculous honor.
- God’s will is always done. No person can stand in the way of God’s plans. Not even people who are rich and powerful, like kings, can stand against God.
Why are the characters so important?
- Mary: A young unwed virgin who becomes pregnant from the Holy Spirit of God. Mary represents humility and obedience to God’s will.
- Joseph: A kind Jewish man who trusts the words of God’s messenger and stays with Mary. Joseph represents faithfulness and trust.
- Shepherds: Common hardworking Jewish people of low means who listen to God’s instructions and worship Jesus. The shepherds represent the poor and humble believer.
- Wisemen: Non-Jewish people who travel faithfully to find the King of the Jews. The wise men represent people of the world, outside the Jewish religion, who would come to accept and worship the Messiah.
- King Herod: The wealthy king of Judea who is threatened by the birth of Jesus and seeks to kill him. Herod represents the rejection of the Messiah and of God’s will.
Takeaway
The Nativity Story is the tale of Jesus’s birth. It represents the fulfillment of God’s promise to send the Messiah to save us from sin and death. The Nativity teaches us about God, His character, and what’s important to Him, including humility, servitude, and faithfulness. The story features rich and poor characters of different backgrounds showing the ways Jesus would be accepted and rejected by Jewish and non-Jewish people, and how the will of God cannot be stopped by the will of people.
“See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”
Matthew 1:23
Free Nativity coloring page!
About the Craft Stick Bible Stories for Kids
The Craft Stick Bible Stories for Kids series tells the stories of the Bible in the craftiest way possible! Each episode is set in a craft world made of cardboard, paper, and glue, and the characters are craft stick puppets. The stories remain faithful to the Scriptures and combine playful humor and scene-setting music throughout, ensuring that children are engaged and entertained from beginning to end.
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