God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary, a young woman who lived in Nazareth, a little town in Galilee. The angel told Mary that God had chosen her to give birth to his son, Jesus. The baby would be the Messiah – the king foretold in hundreds of years of prophecies, who would save God’s people. Mary was confused because she was a virgin, but the angel told her that she would become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. He told her that nothing is impossible with God. Mary trusted in God’s word and said she was the Lord’s servant.
Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem because of an order from the Roman emperor that a census, or record, of all people be taken in their hometown. After traveling on a donkey for several days, Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem and were told there were no places to stay. The inns were full. Seeing that Mary was due to give birth at any moment, an inn owner told Joseph they could stay in his stable. Mary went into labour, and Jesus was born in the stable. The only place for the sleeping baby to rest was most likely in the animals’ trough, known as the manger. During this time, an angel appeared to shepherds who were watching their flocks in the fields near Bethlehem. The angel told them the good news of the birth of the Savior and Messiah, Jesus Christ. The shepherds immediately went to find baby Jesus, who the angels told them they would find sleeping in the manger. Then they ran off to share the good news with everyone.