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During the season of Advent, when we are getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we will be learning together about the journey that Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem, the journey the shepherds made and even the Magi who brought gifts to the newborn King.

You will hear stories, watch videos, listen to songs, make crafts and more as we get ready for the best gift ever...God's gift of Jesus to us.

Come back each day as we add new posts and participate by adding comments or posting pictures on each of the posts!

Join us at Plum Creek Presbyterian Church for worship each Sunday in person or online at 10 AM Sunday mornings! You can find us at Plum Creek Presbyterian Church on Facebook/Meta or as a recorded service on You Tube.

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We are joining our shepherd as we journey toward Bethlehem to find the newborn baby Jesus! Print this page and color your shepherd. What is your shepherd's name?

Jesus has many different names... Lord, Savior, King, Messiah...

In the Bible, in Matthew Chapter 1 verse 21 it tell us that "Mary's baby will be a boy. He will save his people from their sins. Because of that, you must give him the name "Jesus"" Matthew 1:21.

Take a picture of your colored page and post it in the comments with the name you chose for your shepherd.

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We often see nativity scenes or creches as part of Christmas decorations. We see them outside, in our homes and in our churches. They remind us of what it might have looked like on the night Jesus was born. They often show a stable, a type of a barn, where animals are kept and we see the figures of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus. Sometimes there is a cow, a donkey, a sheep and a shepherd and fancy dressed kings with gifts for the baby Jesus. Do you have a nativity set in your home? Take a picture of it and add it to the comments on this post. If your nativity scene has a shepherd, maybe you can make your shepherd move closer to the stable each day as we get closer to Christmas. Watch this video about the building of the Pittsburgh Creche each year downtown in the city of Pittsburgh. Visit it if you can!

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Before the Shepherd made the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph needed to make the journey from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. There were no cars then, so they would have had to walk or maybe Mary could have rode on a donkey. It would have taken about 6 days to walk to Bethlehem with is about 90 miles from Nazareth. Have you ever taken a very long hike before? What did you take with you? Did you use a map or a trail guide to help you find your way? Mary and Joseph may have slept outside along the way as they journeyed to Bethlehem. Have you ever slept outside? What was it like to sleep under the stars? In the comments below, list some of the things you think Mary and Joseph took on their journey to Bethlehem.

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Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem because the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus made a rule that everyone had to return to the town where their family had originally come from. This meant that Mary and Joseph had to go to the town where Joseph's ancestor King David had come from...Bethlehem. It was a very small town when Jesus was born there but filled with many people related to King David too. Out in the hills around Bethlehem, shepherds took care of their sheep, just like our shepherd. The Bible tells us that the special Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.

The Messiah to Be Born in Bethlehem

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are the smallest town in Judah.
Your family is almost too small to count,
but the “Ruler of Israel” will come from you to rule for me.
His beginnings[a] are from ancient times,
from long, long ago. Micah 5:2

Do you know the song we sing at Christmas time called 'O Little Town of Bethlehem"? Listen to it at the link above. What does it say about Jesus, about why Jesus came?

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O Little Town of Bethlehem - Kid's Version w/ Lyrics

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Bethlehem is a small city today in the area of Palestine. Tourists go to see the town where Jesus was born. But today, Bethlehem is not very far from the area of Palestine where there is a war going on so Bethlehem has not has as many tourists come there in there for the past two Christmas celebrations. Many towns not far from Bethlehem have been destroyed during the war and many people have had to leave the area for safety.

A large church has been built on the spot where tradition says Jesus was born. Bethlehem means "house of bread". Long ago Jesus' ancestor David was a shepherd and watched sheep in the area when he was chosen to be the King of God's people. Years later, a new King was promised that was related to King David. This King was Jesus. But he came to be a different kind of king. He came to be the King of our heart and to save us from our sins.

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Sheep weren't the only animals that may have been at the manger. What other animals might have been there?