Hi Kids!
Let’s all rejoice for the season of Advent! The word Advent comes from Latin and means “to come”. The thing we await is Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. During Advent we prepare ourselves for this day with joy, just as Jesus’ own mother, Mary, joyfully prepared for his birth.
It’s important to know Mary because an astounding and miraculous thing happened to her to make her pregnant with Jesus. The story below explains what happened to Mary, but goes on to describe Jesus’ father, Joseph. Today, we’re just focusing on Mary and will learn more about Joseph next week. Please stop the video at 1:40.
Mary was young and poor, the last person anyone would expect to be chosen to be the mother of God’s son. Yet, she was chosen by God. The message that called her to this task was delivered to her by the angel Gabriel, who declared that “nothing is impossible for God”. Though Mary was frightened and confused, Mary accepted the call with joy and sang God’s praises.
The lesson from this story is that God does truly amazing and impossible things, and He uses ordinary people, like Mary, to accomplish them. We should also know that God showed great love for us in the form of a baby. This is why we joyfully celebrate the birth of baby Jesus every Christmas. During this time, we joyfully praise God with our voices through song, as Mary did. There are a lot of Christmas songs out there praising the birth and coming of Jesus Christ. The next time you hear one of these songs, lift your voice up in praise and sing along.
For today’s activity, a “color by number” worksheet depicting the angel Gabriel speaking with Mary is provided. Download/print the worksheet below. You can use crayons, markers, or watercolors.