The ABC's of Christmas in 12 Days (Letters A and B)

One of my favorite Christmas memories was Advent - a time during which we would prepare our hearts for Christmas day as a family. We would begin on December 1, and each day we would cover one letter of the alphabet and talk about a "Christmas" word that began with that letter. I always wanted to do that when I had children of my own; it was the kind of tradition that needed to be carried on. I didn't just want to repeat what we did in our house, though, because I wanted to put a "Persinger" spin on a York tradition. So we put together a 12 day countdown, and we came up with new words for each letters (though I'm sure we recycled a few!), and our plan is to cover 2-3 letters per day until Christmas arrives. We plan on doing this each year, and our prayer is that it reminds our children that we celebrate Christmas because of the birth of Christ, our King and Redeemer!

With that said, here's what we are reading today. We're covering A and B!

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A is for ANGELS.

At Christmas, we remember angels because God sent angels to deliver special messages around the time of Jesus’ birth. One of those messages was to a woman named Mary: “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 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 1:28-32

How do you think Mary felt after receiving this news?
Do you think the people around her believed her when she told about the angel's visit?

Soon after Mary gave birth to Jesus, angels appeared again - this time, to a group of shepherds. “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’’” -Luke 2:8-13

Why do you think the angel said that he was bringing "good news of great joy?"
Do you think the shepherds thought it was strange that they were to look for the Lord in a manger?


B is for BETHLEHEM.

At Christmas time, we remember the city of Bethlehem because Jesus was born here! Jesus’ family didn’t live in Bethlehem, but they had to travel there because the Romans had decreed that there was going to be a census in which all the people were to be counted. Everybody had to return to the city or town from which their ancestors came. Mary and Joseph were both descended from King David, and David's city was Bethlehem, so Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem to be counted.

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.” -Luke 2:4

Why do you think that God chose Bethlehem to be Jesus' place of birth?

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I hope other families will carry on Christ-centered traditions around Christmas time. I want our children to be surrounded by friends that know and trust in the Truth of the Gospel - including the story of Jesus' birth.

Letters C and D
Letters E and F
Letters G, H and I
Letters J and K