On A Starry Blue Night

On a Starry Blue Night A Child’s Activity Book for Christmas Written by Daphna Flegal Illustrated by Four Story Creative

On a Starry Blue Night A Child’s Activity Book for Christmas written by Daphna Flegal illustrated by Four Story Creative Published by Abingdon Press.

Copyright © 2014 by Abingdon Press.

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or by permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be submitted in writing to: Rights and Permissions The United Methodist Publishing House 201 Eighth Avenue South, P.O. Box 801 Nashville, TN 37202-0801 faxed to: 615-749-6128; or submitted via e-mail to: permissions@abingdonpress.com.

PACP 10039817-01

ISBN 9781501800696 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Abingdon Press • Nashville Printed in China

“Who’s ready to decorate for Christmas?” asked Kat, holding a big box in her hands.

“I am,” said Asia, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

“Oh YEAH!” said Edgar.

“Let’s start with this box,” said Kat. “Open it up,” said Edgar.

Kat opened the lid of the box. She reached in and pulled out a wooden stable.

“Oh,” said Asia, “you found the stable. Let’s set it up.”

Kat carefully set the stable on the table.

Asia started looking through the box.

“Look what I’ve found,” said Asia as she unwrapped a painted figure.

“It’s an angel,” said Edgar.

“A very special angel…” said Asia,

“…named Gabriel.”

The angel had a message for a young woman named Mary.

“Be happy! The Lord is with you!” said Gabriel.

But Mary was frightened! She’d never seen an angel before. And now one was standing right in front of her!

“Don’t be afraid,” said Gabriel. “God is honoring you. You will have a baby who is the Son of God. His name will be Jesus.”

Then Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was also going to have a son, even though Elizabeth was very old.

“How can all of this happen?” asked Mary.

“Nothing is impossible for God!” said Gabriel.

Find the angel.

“Elizabeth,” said Mary. “I’ve come to tell you exciting news.”

As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, she felt her baby jump inside her womb.

“God has blessed you, Mary,” said Elizabeth. “Your baby is God’s Son.” Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then Mary returned home.

When the time came, Elizabeth gave birth to a baby boy.

The baby’s name was John.

Find Mary.

The Roman Emperor said that everyone had to be put on a list to pay taxes.

That meant Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem to sign the list. It didn’t matter that Mary was almost ready to have her baby. They still had to go.

It was a ten-day journey. Each day Mary and Joseph traveled on the road leading to Bethlehem. Each night they slept on the ground under the stars.

On the tenth day, Mary and Joseph finally arrived in Bethlehem.

“Look at all the people,” said Joseph.

“Bethlehem is very crowded. I hope we can find a place to stay.”

But the guest room was full. Mary and Joseph had to stay in a barn because there was no room anywhere else.

Find Joseph.

The animals watched as Mary and Joseph came into the barn. Night was falling. Soon Mary and Joseph were sleeping beside the animals.

Then something wonderful happened!

Mary gave birth to a baby boy.

The animals watched as Mary wrapped her baby in soft cloths so he would feel safe and warm.

Joseph piled clean hay into the animal’s feedbox, and Mary gently laid her baby on the soft hay.

“His name is Jesus,” said Mary.

“Yes,” said Joseph, “his name is Jesus.”

Find baby Jesus.

That same night shepherds were in the fields outside of Bethlehem, watching over their sheep.

Suddenly, the sky became bright with light.

The shepherds were afraid. They quickly covered their eyes against the light.

“Don’t be afraid,” said a voice.

The shepherds uncovered their eyes and saw an angel shimmering in the light.

“I have good news for you,” said the angel. “Today God’s Son is born. You will find him in Bethlehem, lying in a feed box for animals. ”

Find the shepherd.

Suddenly the whole sky was filled with angels praising God. “Glory to God,” sang the angels. “Peace to everyone on earth.”

“Let’s go right now and see what’s happening,” said the shepherds.

Then just as suddenly as they came, all the angels left the sky.

The shepherds ran all the way into Bethlehem.

Find the angel.

The shepherds quickly found the barn. They quietly went inside to see Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.

“Praise God!” whispered the shepherds. “We have found God’s Son.” After a while the shepherds left the barn and went back to their sheep.

As the shepherds returned to the hillside, they told everyone about Mary’s baby.

“We have seen God’s Son,” said the shepherds. “His name is Jesus.”

Find baby Jesus.

“There,” said Asia, “we’re done. Our Nativity scene is all set.”

“I wonder what it would have been like to be there when Jesus was born,” said Edgar.

“I think I would have been afraid, like the shepherds,” said Kat. “Me, too,” said Asia. “It’s not every day you see multitudes of angels.”

“Or even one angel,” said Kat. “But the shepherds didn’t stay afraid,” said Edgar. “They ran to Bethlehem and found baby Jesus.”

“Then they told everyone they met about God’s Son,” said Kat. “That’s what we can do today,” said Asia. “We can tell everyone about God’s Son.”

Help Mary and Joseph Go to Bethlehem

Dot-to-Dot

Find the Sheep that’s Different

Add one figure to the stable each day starting on November 29.

The Nativity of Jesus

J

oin Asia, Kat, and Edgar as they work together to set up a Nativity. Listen as they introduce your child to each person in the Nativity and tell the story of Jesus’ birth from the Gospel of Luke.

Includes a maze, a dot-to-dot picture, a “what’s different?” puzzle, and an Advent calendar with stickers.

Daphna Flegal lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she presently serves as lead editor of children’s curriculum resources at The United Methodist Publishing House. She is most excited about her newest job—grandmother!

Four Story Creative is an independent studio located near Dallas, Texas. They have over 15 years of experience in animation, video production, and game development. Their passion is using technology to reach families with biblical media.

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