The Christmas Story - The Magi travel to Jerusalem

There were people who would study the stars n order to find out what was going to happen in the future. One of the names given to these people was Magi.

Three of these Magi were looking at the skies when they saw a new star and realized that it was a sign that a new King had been born to the Jews.

They set out from their country in search of the new King, they traveled with their servants and camels and the gifts that they were bringing to the baby. The trip was dangerous but they knew that the star was a sign of the birth of a very important King.

The Magi arrived in Jerusalem. They looked for information about the King. They asked many people about the King because they wanted to do him homage. No one they asked seemed to know anything about a newborn King.

Soon news of the birth of a new King and the Magi reached Herod. Herod was a very bad man and killed many people because he had thought they anted to be king. He became frightened when he heard about a newborn king.

So King Herod called the chief priests and the scribes and asked them about the promised Messiah. He wanted to know where this Messiah as to be born.

They told him that the prophets had spoken about how the Messiah would be born in the city of Bethlehem, the city of David.

King Herod called for the Magi to talk to them in secret. He asked them when they had first seen the new star and the other signs. When they had answered al his questions he sent them away. He told them to go to Bethlehem so that they could find the child. When they had found the child they were to send word to him so that he could go and do homage to the child.

However King Herod really wanted to kill the child.

The Christmas Story - The Presentation

When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised, and he was named Jesus. This name had been given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary.

Then when it came time for Mary to be purified they went up to the Temple in Jerusalem. Joseph and Mary brought the two turtle doves as an offering to the Lord. This was the offering that was to be made by people who were too poor to make a larger offering.

There was an old man named Simeon in the Temple. The Holy Spirit had promised him that he would not die until he had seen the promised Messiah. As soon as Simeon saw Jesus he knew that he was the promised Messiah.

Simeon thanked God for keeping His promise. He told Mary that Jesus would be the reason for joy for many in Israel but many would reject him and that a sword would pierce her heart.

There was also an old woman worshipping in the Temple that day. Anna came forward and gave thanks to God for the child. She told everyone in Jerusalem about Him.

The Christmas Story - The shepherds go to worship the baby

The shepherds went quickly to Bethlehem to see the things the angel had spoken of. When they arrived they found everything just as the angel had said.


There before them was the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger. Then they told Mary and Joseph what the angels had said about this child.

They were amazed when they heard what the shepherds said to them.

Mary hid these things in her heart; she continued to think about them.

Then the shepherds went back to their flock, praising God and thanking him for everything that they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them. They praised Go for revealing these great things to them.