Lesson 102 - Elementary

Memory Verse

"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest”  (Luke 1:32).

Notes

God's Great Love

God, the heavenly Father, looked down from His Home above and loved the people of the world. He planned to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to show how much He really loved the people. He wanted every one to get ready to go to Heaven.

Mary and Joseph

In the city of Nazareth lived a young woman named Mary. God sent a beautiful angel from Heaven to her to tell her that she was to be the mother of a wonderful Baby. Mary was frightened when she saw the angel and heard what he had to say. But the angel said to her, "Fear not." Then the angel told Mary that she should call His name JESUS, and He should be the Son of God. He should be the One through whom people could be saved and go to Heaven.

Some time later, Mary and her husband Joseph went to the town of Bethlehem to be taxed. It was a long, hard journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem and no doubt they longed for a place to rest. But when they reached the little city they found that it was crowded with people who had all come to be taxed. They found that there was no room for them in the inn, or hotel. The only place they could find to sleep that night was in a stable.

Birth of Jesus

While Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, God sent the Baby Jesus to them, just as the angel had promised. Mary lovingly wrapped Him in soft clothes and laid Him in a manger. There was no cozy bed, no downy pillow, no clean room for the Baby and His mother " only a manger and a bed of straw.

The Shepherds

Let us go from the manger in Bethlehem for a few moments to a hillside in the same country. Here we find some shepherds watching their sheep all through the night. Perhaps as they sit by the fire they are talking of the Saviour whom long ago God had promised to send to the world. God had told some of the old prophets who lived close to Him that Jesus should be born in Bethlehem. Those who loved God were expecting Jesus to come.

Suddenly a lovely angel is seen in the sky and a great light shines around the shepherds. They become very frightened. Listen! The angel is saying something: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." The angel also tells the shepherds that they shall find the little Babe lying in a manger.

At once a great many angels join the first angel and their voices ring out in praise to God. This is what they say: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." When they finish their message, or song, the angels again go into Heaven.

Oh, how happy those shepherds were! They were no longer afraid, but believed all that the angels had told them. Cannot we hear them as they rejoice and praise God for the wonderful news that has just come to them? In our imagination we can almost see them clap their hands and lift their faces toward Heaven as they watch the angels disappear into the starlit sky. The shepherds did not wait until daylight, but started at once to Bethlehem to see the new Baby. They hurried across the fields to the place where Mary and Joseph were; and, just as the angel had said, they found the baby Jesus lying in a manger. No doubt they knelt before the manger and worshiped the little Babe who lay quietly on the bed of hay.

The shepherds did not keep the good news to themselves but told others what they had seen and heard. As they return to their sheep out on the hillside, they praised God and were very joyful.

Wonderful Name

For many, many years some of the people had been looking for this great event, and now it had happened! Jesus was born! What joy and peace He brought to earth! Through Jesus millions of people have been made happy.

When the baby was eight days old, He was named JESUS, as the angel had told Mary that He should be named. This name means "salvation," for He came to save people from their sins. What a wonderful name!

Jesus in Church

One day when Jesus was still very young, His parents took Him to the Temple in Jerusalem. While there, a man named Simeon came into the Temple. When he saw the Baby Jesus, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God. Simeon knew that Jesus was the Son of God, and he was happy to know that Jesus had been born. For many years he had waited for this very day. The parents of Jesus wondered at the words of this old man.

A very old lady named Anna, who stayed in the Temple and served God day and night, also saw the young Child. She gave thanks to the Lord and also knew that this Infant was to be the Redeemer of the world. Although Joseph and Mary did not have much money, they had the love of God in their hearts. The most important thing in life is that we love Jesus with all our hearts. God loved them and sent His Son to them. God knew that Mary would be a good mother for Jesus. As she watched over the Baby, no doubt there was a song of gladness ringing in her heart. Mary thought about all that she saw and heard concerning this marvellous Child, and silently kept it in her heart. More and more the baby grew as His kind parents watched over Him, and day by day he became stronger and wiser. We are sure that God, the heavenly Father, was with this family.

Questions

1. When Jesus was born, where did His mother lay Him? [LUK:2:7].

2. How did the shepherds know that Jesus was born? [LUK:2:9-14].

3. Did they go and find Jesus? [LUK:2:16].

4. Who saw Jesus in the Temple? [LUK:2:25-27], [LUK:2:36-38].

5. What was the reason for Jesus' coming to the world? [MAT:1:21]; [LUK:2:14]; [JHN:3:16].