An Advent Storybook and Study: Seeking Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
Copyright 2025 by Lūminé Press, Written by Elsie Lungren, Illustrated by Nicoleta Dabija
Day 02
Mormor began, “Today we will begin the Christmas story. Even though it all happened over 2000 years ago, the Bible gives us a lot of information about what happened. The Books of Matthew and Luke tell parts of the Christmas story. There are even verses in the Old Testament that give us some information. We call those ‘prophecies.’ But just for fun, we tell the story that was originally witnessed by our ancestors, and that has been passed down the generations by each person’s grandmother who, like I do for you now, will pass on to you.
“Our ancestors who witnessed the first Christmas story are Nettie of Nazareth, Yì Chén of the East, Becca of Bethlehem, and Finn of the Fields. Yì Chén, which means the “sun, moon, and stars” in Chinese, sometimes used the nickname, Ethan of the East. Our story begins with Nettie, and it takes place in Nazareth.”
An Angel Visits Mary
“Pssttt!” whispered Nettie, trying to get the attention of Dottie the Donkey.
“Eeyore,” brayed Dottie. “Is that Nettie Mouse? Quick! Hop in one of my wicker saddle baskets. Do you see that light shining next to Mary? I think something exciting is about to happen!”
Just then, an angel appeared out of the light. Mary was startled, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary. I am Gabriel. I have come to tell you great news.”
Mary had been tending to her garden, and she was having trouble believing her eyes. “Dottie, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” she asked the donkey.
“Hee-haw! Dottie replied.
Nettie understood exactly what Dottie was saying. “Yes, we see the angel, too!”
“Mary,” said Gabriel. “Do you remember the prophecy from the ninth chapter of the Book of Isaiah?”
“Yes,” said Mary. And then she quoted verse 6 and part of verse 7:
“For unto us a child is born,
Unto us a son is given,
And the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
…He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing it and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.”
“I love that prophecy,” said Gabriel. “It gave hope to your people. A prophecy lets people know what will happen in the future, and while they are waiting, they have hope because they know it will happen one day just as the prophecy says it will. People have been waiting for this king to be born, and now is the time for this prophecy to be fulfilled. God has chosen you, Mary, to give birth to this king. His name will be Jesus.”
While Mary was wondering how to respond to such unbelievable news, Gabriel continued, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).
Mary knew that calling someone a “son” often meant that he had the qualities of his father or represented his father, and that the “Most High” was God the Father. This meant that the baby would have all the same divine qualities of God the Father, and yet He would also have all the qualities of being a human being. This was so hard to understand.
“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). Being a virgin meant that she had never shared a bed with a man before, as she was not yet married to Joseph, and so it did not seem possible for her to have a baby.
Gabriel was ready for this question. He said, “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). By the power of God, the baby will grow inside of you, and “the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
Mary believed. She knew it seemed impossible, but she believed. She was in awe of the power of God.
Mormor Mouse said, “The prophecy gave the people hope. And when Mary learned that God had chosen her to give birth to His Son, and that nothing is impossible with God even when it seems like it is, she was filled with even more hope. Later, her cousin Elizabeth would say to her, ‘Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!’ (Luke 1:45).”
Application: “When we read the Bible and find one of God’s many promises, we can believe that whatever God is promising, it will be accomplished. That means we can have hope. We can count on Him. Even when life seems really hard, God is with us. In fact, tomorrow we will learn that another name for Jesus is Immanuel, and that means, ‘God is with us.’ When God is with us, we have hope.”
Reading: Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1:26 – 38
Hymn: Mary, Did You Know? Written by Mark Lowry in 1985 (part of the Gaither Vocal Band).
