A night with Mary and

Joseph

Thank you for hosting Mary and Joseph at your house. They’ve left their home in Nazareth and are on their way to Bethlehem. It’s a long and uncomfortable journey especially for poor Mary who is expecting a baby. They are really tired so please take good care of them.

In their basket you will find some things that will help you look after Mary and Joseph. There is a selection of picture books to read as well as this folder of activities and suggestions you can choose from.

Be creative and please take some photos of what you do with Mary and Joseph. Email them to harrexfam@gmail.com.

Make sure you look at Mary and Joseph’s itinerary. They need to be delivered to the next home on the list. If there are any problems ring Christine 4859147 or text 0212121096

MapTake out a map.

Circle the city where Joseph and Mary lived (Nazareth)Place a square around the city where Jesus was born (Bethlehem)

Put your map up on your fridge to remind you of Mary and Joseph’s journey.

Stories1.Read any of the picture books included in the basket.

2.Use the Mary and Joseph dolls to help you act out the story.

Use this script taken from “The Christmas Bible Storybook”

Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem. There was nowhere for them to stay. 

Mary was going to have a baby soon. A kind man said that Mary and Joseph could stay in the animal shed by his house. Very soon, the baby was born. Mary and Joseph called him ‘Jesus’. Some shepherds saw an angel. The angel said, “God’s Son has been born.” Lots more angels appeared. They sang, “Praise to God. Peace to everyone.”The shepherds went to see the baby. “Angels told us about him,” they said. The shepherds went home, very happy because they had seen Jesus, God’s Son. A long way away, wise men saw a new star in the sky. “A new baby king has been born,” they said. They set off to find him. The star showed them the way. At last, they found Mary, Joseph and Jesus.They saw Jesus and kneeled down. They gave him wonderful presents.The wise men went home, very happy because they had seen Jesus, God’s Son. 

3.Take out the 3 labels (“Nazareth”, “Bethlehem” and “The Inn”) and put them on 3 different walls in your lounge.

Get one person to be Joseph and give them the Joseph doll.

Get someone else to be Mary and give them the Mary doll.

Take the dolls to stand in “Nazareth”

Read Luke 2: 1 – 4

About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books…..Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.

Ask Mary and Joseph these questions:

What is your name? (Mary/Joseph)

Where do you live? (Nazareth)

Where is your home town? (Bethlehem)

Who is your very famous great, great, great… grandfather? (King David)

Read Luke 2: 5

Mary was engaged to Joseph and travelled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby…

Get one person to be Joseph and give them the Joseph doll.

Get someone else to be Mary and give them the Mary doll.

Move the dolls from “Nazareth” to “Bethlehem”

Talk about what that journey would have been like.

You could ask Mary and Joseph these questions:

Where did you sleep last night Mary?

Did you meet anyone as you walked along Joseph?

Get one person to be Joseph and give them the Joseph doll.

Get someone else to be Mary and give them the Mary doll.

Take the dolls to “The Inn”

Read Luke 2:6,7

….and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Imagine that the baby has been born and Mary and Joseph are sitting in the stable.

Ask Mary and Joseph these questions:

How are you feeling, Mary?

What will the baby need, Joseph?

Did you bring anything with you, Mary, for the baby?

Explain that the baby Jesus was just like any baby – he needed warmth, feeding, clothes, clean nappies, love. He was a truly human baby – but very special, because he was also God! 

You could finish with this prayer:

Thank you, God, for sending your Son, Jesus, to be born as a human being. Thank you that you know what it is like to be human like us. Amen.

Songs1.Sing this song to the tune of ‘The wheels on the bus’: 

(walk around your lounge carrying the Mary and Joseph dolls)

Joseph and Mary went tramp, tramp, tramp, Tramp, tramp, tramp, Tramp, tramp, tramp, Joseph and Mary went tramp, tramp, tramp, All day long. 

(shake your finger at Mary and Joseph)

The innkeepers said, ‘There’s no room here!’… All day long. 

(cradle your arms)

Baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Bethlehem, Bethlehem…. Long ago. 

(put your finger to your lips)

Mary and Joseph said, ‘Shh, shh, shh!’… All night long.  

2. Sing this song to the tune of ‘There was a princess long ago’: 

Joseph and Mary walked and walked, (Walk up and down on the spot.) Walked and walked, walked and walked. Joseph and Mary walked and walked, Long ago. 

They had to walk to Bethlehem, (Point to the distance.) Bethlehem, Bethlehem. They had to walk to Bethlehem, Long ago. 

All the inns were very full,(Shake your head.) Very full, very full. All the inns were very full, Long ago. 

At last they found a stable shed, (Make a box shape with hands.) Stable shed, stable shed. At last they found a stable shed, Long ago. 

Late that night a child was born, (Pretend to rock a baby.) Child was born, child was born.Late that night a child was born, Long ago. 

The child was Jesus, God’s own Son, (Point up to God.) 

God’s own Son, God’s own Son. The child was Jesus, God’s own Son, Long ago. 

So everyone is happy now, (Clap hands.) Happy now, happy now. Yes, everyone is happy now, Then and now. 

Prayers1.God was always with Mary and Joseph as they went to Bethlehem. God is always with us too. Make a footstep journey to remind you that God is with each of us, just as he was with Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem. Get everyone in your family to draw around both their feet.Cut these out and write your names on your feet. Lay the ‘feet’ out in pairs as though walking on a journey. When the footsteps are all in place, put the Mary and Joseph dolls at one end of the line and stand at the other end. Say this prayer:

Thank you, God, that you were with Mary and Joseph on their journey. Thank you that you are always with each of us.Amen

2.Sit in a circle with the Mary and Joseph dolls in the centre.Read this prayer:

Dear God,Today we think of Mary and Joseph on their long and difficult journey to Bethlehem. Thank you for being with them. And thank you for looking after them. Thank you that you are with us too, when we face hard and challenging times. Help us to trust you. Amen

Activity sheetsFeel free to give any of these sheets to your children to complete.

Colouring picture

Maze

Puzzle

Make a donkey

For adults1. Read Luke 2: 1 – 7 from The Message

The Birth of Jesus

2 1-5 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

2. Read this reflection taken from “Open to God” by Joyce Huggett

Imagine that Mary and Joseph have invited you to travel with them from Nazareth to Bethlehem. As the journey begins, picture Mary, nine months pregnant, sitting on a donkey. Today a woman is not allowed to travel by plane if she is more than 7 months pregnant, yet Mary is about to embark on an eighty mile trek. Picture Joseph and how he expresses his love, concern and attentiveness to her as they make their way slowly along the rough road. Listen as you hear Mary and Joseph reminisce. Mary recalls the day when the Angel Gabriel invited her to become the mother of the Messiah. She describes too, her visit to Elizabeth and Zechariah. Meanwhile Joseph recalls the clear way God showed him he was to marry Mary and become the Messiah’s adoptive father. Notice the reaction of this couple as they approach Bethlehem. Mary is getting increasingly uncomfortable as she is about to go into labour. Watch as Joseph searches for accommodation only to discover that none of the inns have vacancies. Observe his relief when he is offered the shelter of one of the stables.In this make-shift maternity ward, the little baby Jesus comes into the world. Imagine that you are kneeling beside this new-born Son of God. Is there anything you want to say to him? Is there anything you want to do for him?

3. In one of the most familiar stories of Christmas, we find a young man making a journey to the town of his ancestors, accompanied by his very pregnant wife. It was not a chosen journey, but rather one which the occupying government had commanded.

Think about these questions:

1. What was unusual about Mary’s pregnancy? How did Mary find out she would soon bear a child? (See Luke 1:26-38.)

2. What message did Joseph receive about Mary’s pregnancy? From whom? How did he then respond? (See Matthew 1:18-25.) 

3. As a couple nears the birth of their first child, what type of preparations might they make?

4. Imagine Mary and Joseph. They know that this child is special. They’ve each seen an angel, and have been informed that this is God’s work. Suddenly they receive word that they must leave their home to travel to Bethlehem for a census as ordered by the governor. How might you feel if you’d faced the same decree?

5. What challenges did they face upon arrival in Bethlehem? Do you think they expected this son to be born in such surroundings?

6. We find no record of complaint or resistance on the part of Mary or Joseph. How might their understanding of God have influenced their response to a very unexpected and inconvenient journey?

4. Place the Mary and Joseph dolls in a prominent place and pray this prayer:

God, our loving Father, thank-you for the gift of Jesus to the world.Open our hearts to welcome his love.Bless our homes with hospitality, so that as we welcome Mary and Joseph today, we may welcome everyone who visits us with kindness and joy.Help us to be grateful for the good things that you have given to usand to be generous in sharing them with other people.We ask this in the name of Jesus, your greatest gift to us.Amen

Addendum 1: To Bethlehem activity sheet

Addendum 2: Donkey outline

Addendum 3: Map