When my children were little, we had an advent calendar.  Like most advent calendars, you could hide treats in the pockets – one for each day in the month of December.  However, our advent calendar was a little different than most.  In the pockets I also hid little slips of paper – each note telling one small piece of the Christmas story.  The first note started with the prophesy of Jesus’ birth.  Then, the angel’s visit to Mary.  The next was Joseph’s dream.  Then Mary’s visit with Elizabeth.  And so the story continued, one tiny piece at a time until we reached the host of angels announcing Jesus’ birth, the shepherds and the wise men from the east.  Each tiny slip of paper described a different event and the individuals who each had a role to play in the Christmas story.  This leads me to wonder, what is our role in Jesus’ story?

Precious Gifts

By Krista Longeway

I now tell a cherished story
Of the first Christmas long ago
It took place in a distant land
Yet it’s a story we all know

It started with a prophesy
Telling us of a coming king
Descending from King David’s line
And the salvation he will bring

First the angel came to Mary
To say a child was on the way
Then Joseph had a wondrous dream
That helped to take his fears away

Mary went to see Elizabeth
And on the Christmas story goes 
Until the time to take the trip
To far off Bethlehem arose

After a journey long and hard
The pair arrived in Bethlehem
They searched for a good place to rest
But the inn had no room for them

Soon the glorious moment came
When our Lord Jesus Christ was born
He laid in a humble manger
Upon that blessed Christmas morn

Above, the angels in the sky
Sang to announce the baby’s birth
They sang a song of the most high
Glory to God and peace on earth

The shepherds heard them in the fields
They all trembled and were afraid
But the angels reassured them
And told them where the babe was laid

The shepherds ran to Bethlehem
The stars above their only guide
Found Jesus in a manger bed
Joseph and Mary by his side

The shepherds helped to spread the word
Of the things that had come to pass
Rejoicing as they travelled home
They told a story that would last

The message was a true treasure
Held closely within Mary’s heart
But she could not yet understand
That these events were just the start

Wise men from far off eastern lands
Brought precious gifts to the young king
When in praise I lift up my hands
What special gifts can I now bring?