An Advent Storybook and Study: Seeking Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
Copyright 2025 by Lūminé Press, Written by Elsie Lungren, Illustrated by Nicoleta Dabija
Day 16
“Welcome, children,” said Mormor. “We have been learning so much about deep, philosophical things while joining Ethan on his journey to Bethlehem with the three kings. Whether they are kings or wise men, I think they are philosophers because they love wisdom. Like them, we are seekers of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
“Today we are going to return to Nettie’s journey which is also to Bethlehem! She has been traveling with Mary, Joseph, and Dottie the Donkey to Bethlehem. Let’s find out how they are doing!”
Bethlehem
“Hey, Dottie!” squeaked Nettie Mouse. “This looks like a big city. Is this Bethlehem?”
“Yes and no,” brayed Dottie the Donkey.
“What do you mean? How can something be yes and no at the same time?” asked Dottie.
Dottie hee-hawed. “Yes, it is Bethlehem. No, it is not a big city. It just seems big to us because we’ve been traveling for so long without seeing any houses.”
“I’m tired,” said Nettie, “and I haven’t even been walking! How are you doing?”
“I am looking forward to a nice bale of hay, a trough of water, and some shade,” said Dottie the Donkey. “But more than that, I’m thankful that Mary can lie down on a comfortable bed soon. She’s been bouncing around on me so much that I’ve been wondering if that baby is just going to bounce right out!”
Before Nettie could answer, Joseph stopped. “That’s what we are looking for,” he said. “A sign that says ‘Inn.’ You all wait here and I will inquire.”
Joseph walked up to the door of the inn and knocked. When Ian the Innkeeper opened the door, he said, “No room!” and slammed the door.
Joseph turned back to the group. He was worried. He knew that Mary needed to lie down soon because it was time for the baby to be born. “There must be more than one inn in Bethlehem,” he said. “Nazareth has two. Let’s walk a little further down this road and see what we can find.”
“Don’t worry, Joseph,” said Mary. “God will take care of us. In Isaiah 41:13, God says, ‘For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.’ I believe He will help us. Let’s pray and ask Him.”
Joseph chuckled. “Mary, how am I so fortunate as to have found a woman as wise as you? Yes, let’s pray.”
Joseph took Mary’s hand. “Dear LORD our God, thank you for keeping us safe on this journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Thank you for the gift you are bringing into this world. The gift of Your very own Son who is coming to save us from our sins. Thank you for trusting Mary and me to help bring Jesus into the world and to care for Him as He grows. We believe that Jesus is ready to be born, and right now we need to find a safe place where that can happen. Please help us. Amen.”
Dottie brayed and pointed her head toward the inn. The innkeeper was coming back outside.
“I don’t know if this will help,” the innkeeper said, “but you are welcome to use the stable behind the inn.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Joseph. “That will be perfect.”
Mormor looked around. “Let’s look at Matthew 1:20-21 and Luke 1:30-33. In those verses, we will find out exactly what information the angel gave to Joseph and Mary about the baby that Mary will have. Theo, will you read the verses from Matthew?”
“Sure,” said Theo.
“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
“Thank you, Theo,” said Mormor. “So, what information did Joseph receive?”
“Being conceived by the Holy Spirit means that the baby wasn’t going to have a human father,” said Annika. “This tells Joseph that the baby would be God’s Son.”
“The name Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, and it means ‘The LORD saves,” said Theo. “That tells Joseph that God’s Son is coming to save us, to be our Savior.”
“The angel even tells Joseph what Jesus will be saving people from!” said Linnea. “Jesus will save people from their sins. This is important because sin keeps us separated from God. By saving us from sin, Jesus fixes that problem so that we can have a relationship with God.”
“Great explanations,” said Mormor. “Lukas, would you read Luke 1:30-33 for us?”
“Yes,” said Lukas.
“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child, and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He 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, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“Thank you, Lukas,” said Mormor. “From these verses, what information did Mary receive about the baby?”
“His name is Jesus,” said Astrid.
“And He is a King,” said Linnea. “His kingdom will never end.”
“He is the Son of the Most High,” said Annika. The Hebrew word for ‘Most High’ is Elyon. That is the same word used in Genesis 14:18-20 and Psalm 47:2, and many other places in the Old Testament. It means God. So, the angel told Mary that Jesus is the Son of God.”
“Isn’t that amazing?” said Mormor. “Joseph and Mary knew, even before they left Nazareth, that this baby was God’s Son, and He was coming as part of a great rescue plan to save the world from sin so that people could be right with God again, and He would be both a Savior and a King.
“Let’s keep reading. Linnea, will you read Luke 1:34-35?”
“I would love to,” said Linnea.
“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’
35The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’”
“Those are some fancy words,” said Mormor. “Mary is called a virgin because she hadn’t shared a bed with a man before. The reason babies have a mom and a dad is because they are made when a mom and a dad share a bed. So, Mary couldn’t believe this. She didn’t understand how it would be possible. Then, the angel explained. The angel said that God the Most High was going to use His power to make the baby grow inside of Mary. Finally, the angel said it very clearly. The baby will ‘be called the Son of God.’
“How was that possible? Luke 1:37 says, ‘For nothing is impossible with God.’ And then Mary believed! That must have made God very happy. Luke 1:45 says, ‘Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.’
“Yes, Mary trusted God. She believed Him even when it seemed impossible. So, when they were in Bethlehem without a place to stay, she still had great faith. She knew God would take care of them. If God was going to send His own Son to save the world from sin, then surely He would save them from this problem in Bethlehem. God says, ‘Do not fear. I will help you.’
“Just as David said in Psalm 56:3, ‘When I am afraid, I will trust in You.’
“These are such encouraging words,” said Mormor. “They make me excited to find out what happens next! And guess what else? In tomorrow’s part of the story we will meet our ancestor, Becca Mouse of Bethlehem!”
Application:
There are lots of times in life when it feels like we have a problem and no solution. We can call that a dilemma, a predicament, a quandary, a conundrum, a challenge, or mystery. We might not know what decision to make or what to do. We might feel worried, or anxious, or fearful, or confused, or discouraged. But guess what? The Bible is full of verses that tell us we do not need to worry because God’s got this! He has a plan for us, and no matter what happens, He can weave it into the master plan in a way that good still comes from it. Why? Because we love Him and He loves us.
Just remember that God’s ways are not our ways (see Isaiah 55:8-9), and that while we might make a plan or set a goal, it is God who knows the route we will take to get there (see Prov. 16:9).
So, if we pray and then think that God didn’t answer our prayer because things didn’t turn out the way we hoped or wanted, it might mean that God is taking us a different route. It can be hard to be thankful for that in the moment, especially if we don’t know why things aren’t working out according to our very good plan. But while it might be hard to believe it in that moment, there will come a day in the future when you are feeling hope, peace, love, and joy. And if you think about it, you will realize that you wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for everything else that had happened before that point. And that realization can result in a very thankful heart.
God created humans with the capacity to worry and feel anxious. Yes, He encourages us to pray (Philippians 4:6), to trust Him (Psalm 56:3), to cast our burdens on Him (Psalms 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7), and not to worry (Matthew 6:34). But, He knows that we, being human, will sometimes have feelings like anxiety, worry, and fear. In Psalm 94:18-19, notice that God responds to anxiety with consoling rather than judging. When the psalmist is feeling anxious, God doesn’t say, “You are such a human! What is the matter with you?” Instead, He offers support and consolation.
That support, consolation, and hope can be found in many verses throughout the Bible, but especially in the Psalms. If you want to search the Bible for verses that make this promise and offer this hope, then here are a few verses that you can look up. You might even want to memorize a few of them so that they are written on your heart!
Joshua 1:9; Psalm 91:4, 11-12, 14-15; Psalm 55:22; Psalm 56:3; Isaiah 41:13, Psalm 27:1; Psalm 94:18-19; Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 40: 28-31
Reading: Luke 2: 4-7
Hymn:
Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart: Proverbs 3:5 set to music by Karen Lafferty in 1971.
O Little Town of Bethlehem (written by Phillips Brooks in 1868).
