An Advent Storybook and Study: Seeking Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
Copyright 2025 by Lūminé Press, Written by Elsie Lungren, Illustrated by Nicoleta Dabija
Day 05
Mormor began, “Today we are continuing on the journey with Nettie and Dottie as they accompany Mary and Joseph. It is not an easy trip to Bethlehem, and they still have many miles and days to go.
The Journey to Bethlehem, Part 2
“Nettie?” said Dottie the Donkey. “Are you awake?”
Nettie had, in fact, been nodding off. Dottie’s wicker saddle basket was actually quite comfortable, and being jostled around as Dottie ambled along the bumpy path was starting to lull her to sleep. “I’m awake,” she said sleepily, opening one eye.
“I want to tell you something really amazing about this trip,” said Dottie.
Nettie loves a good story, and so opened her other eye. “Is this the story about the City Mouse and the Country Mouse? Because I hate to tell you, but my cousin Becca of Bethlehem is a country mouse just like me! We’d have to visit Jerusalem to see our City Mouse cousin, Jerry.”
“Hee-haw,” laughed Dottie. “No, this is a true story. There’s a prophecy in the book of Micah. Do you know it? It’s chapter 5, verse 2.”
“Oh, I know that one,” said Nettie. “It says:
‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.’”
“That’s right!” said Dottie. “And where are we going?”
“Bethlehem,” said Nettie. “Do you think…?”
“Yes,” said Dottie. “Do you remember how the angel Gabriel told Mary about the prophecy of a new king coming to reign on King David’s throne forever, and that the government will be on his shoulders? And she was talking about baby Jesus?”
“I see what you mean,” said Nettie. “This prophecy in Micah says that this person, this ‘ruler over Israel,’ will come out of Bethlehem. And that’s where we are going!”
“And don’t forget the part that says his ‘origins are from of old, from ancient times!’” said Dottie. “The Father of Baby Jesus is God the Father, and He’s from the very beginning, even before the beginning!”
“So, this trip to Bethlehem is fulfilling another prophecy!” said Nettie. “Hey, I think you and I make pretty good sleuths!”
“Eeyore!” brayed Dottie. “But seriously, this is even cooler than being right in the middle of a live-action prophecy fulfillment event! This makes me think about the question you asked yesterday. You said: ‘If God really wants baby Jesus to be born, why didn’t He put a stop to this census thing?’ And I think I know the answer. If it wasn’t for the census, then we wouldn’t be going to Bethlehem. And if we weren’t going to Bethlehem, then this prophecy from Micah wouldn’t be fulfilled. And the fulfillment of prophecies is a really good thing. So even though this journey is incredibly difficult and challenging, and full of uncertainty, we know that God is bringing something breathtakingly good out of it.”
Mormor stopped. She looked at her grandchildren and said, “Any guesses about what Bible verse comes to my mind right now? I’ll give you a hint. It’s one that hadn’t been written yet at the time of their journey, and so they wouldn’t know what it is.”
Theo raised his hand and said, “Romans 8:28. ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’”
“Exactly, Theo,” said Mormor. “That is a promise from God. Isn’t it amazing to see that promise in action before it has even been spoken?! Well, let’s get back to Dottie and Nettie who are doing some great sleuthing!”
“They are like The Dottie and Nettie Detective Agency,” said Lukas, and they all laughed.
Dottie continued, “It occurs to me that when something really unexpected or sad or unwanted or upsetting happens, we have a choice. We can question God and ask Him why He let it happen? Or, we can trust God that He will bring something good out of it even if we can’t see what that will be, and that He will be with us the whole time. And if God is with us and for us, then who can be against us?”
Mormor paused and said, “We’re going to stop there for today. By the way, do those last words of Dottie sound familiar to anyone?”
“Annika raised her hand and said, “Yes! Those words are in Romans 8:31!”
“But how did Dottie know that?” asked Linnea. “Paul hadn’t written them yet!”
“Maybe God told them to him,” said little Astrid.
“Maybe he did,” said Mormor. Tomorrow, we are going to find out what is happening with another one of our ancestors, Ethan of the East. His Chinese name is Yì Chén. Yì is pronounced like the long ē sound in the word ‘eat.’ And Chén rhymes with the word ‘run.’ We will see Nettie and Dottie again in about a week, after they arrive in Bethlehem.
Application: When things don’t go the way we expect or want, when we feel worried or anxious or fearful, when we want to question God and ask Him why He is letting these things happen in our lives, we can remember that God is with us, and that He can bring good out of every situation. We can remember the promises of Genesis 28:15, Joshua 1:9, and Romans 8:28. And later, when we can look back and see the good that God brought out of the tough times, we should remember to praise Him and thank Him!
Reading: Micah 5:2, Luke 2:1-5, Romans 8:28
Hymn: O Little Town of Bethlehem (written by Phillips Brooks in 1868).
