Matthew 1:28-25 Luke 1:26-38

If we were given a notebook, a pen, and some time to think, how many different stories from the Bible could you list?

The folks who sat down to create the Spark Story Bible for children included nearly 50 stories from the Old Testament – ending with a promise in Micah that God would send a ruler from Bethlehem — to help young readers know about how God has loved God’s people from the beginning. And then they begin sharing the good news that we find as Jesus, God in human flesh, who came to be among us. (They will use over 100 New Testament stories to continue telling of God’s amazing love.)

And what better characters to bridge the time between the testaments than angels?

As Mary, a young woman in Nazareth was selected to give birth to God’s Son/Our Savior, an angel was sent to announce and explain.

And as Joseph, the man to whom she was engaged couldn’t believe how all this could happen, and angel was sent to explain the announcement.

And after listening to these heavenly messengers and their own hearts, Mary and Joseph accepted their new roles and lived out their faith in their family.

Not a bad start to a new volume of God’s love stories.

Prayer

God, let me keep reading the Bible as a love letter written for me. Help me to find in these words my story as a child of God as I discover Your holy plan for me as a follower of my Lord and Savior Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.