A gift for the Savior: a Christmas story

originally published 12/17/2023

updated 12/20/2023

Hello, I'm going to interrupt my normal blog for a special Christmas project. Below is a story you can read to your children 7 days before Christmas, a little every day. In fact! If you have children of Reading age, they can participate! 

Before you begin

There are four parts, each with a symbol to let you know who should read the part, should you want your children to participate.

()The narrator (no symbol) - Suggestion that the mother of the family is the narrarator

:The dear prophet, an angel - signified by a colon : - suggestion that the father of the family or an older child read these lines. The Mother can easily read these lines as well

~Hep, an angel - signified by a thingy ~ - suggestion that a daughter or daughters take turns reading these lines

^Yashub, an angel - singified by another thingy ^ - suggestion that a son or sons take turns reading these lines

This story is meant to be started 12/18 and finished 12/24. Each day is noted.

There are two options to follow toward the end of the seven days. 

Option 1 is meant to be followed if you would like the entire climax to be read on Christmas eve. It is a little longer, especially with kids but makes a great reading.

Option 2 is meant to be followed if you would like to have a short reading on Christmas Eve so that you have more time to read Luke 2, do a nativity scene or read other scriptures as part of your Christmas program. This means the climax happens on day six (Christmas Adam)

Each day ends on a bit of a teaser. I recommend reading the teaser again the following day for best continuity.

You can also read this all in one sitting. Its about 2500 words so young children may get wiggly.

As you go through the different days, you can do different activities like read the scriptures of each day and have your children write down what they will give or think on. I'll give some more instructions for these later. There are also a number of easter egg references that I won't explicitly mention. You will definitely pick up on one of them! :D I encourage you to look for the others as well as they may give new meaning to parts of the Christmas story.

This is also meant to be done with pictures. I will potentially add some pictures or suggest pictures to use later. You can think (or even draw or have your children draw) pictures too.

Enjoy! and Merry Christmas. I sincerely pray that you receive enlightenment and love and a greater understanding of the true meaning of Christmas from this story.

A Gift for the Savior

Day 1

 

Hep the angel was excited!

The very first Christmas was about to come to the earth and she had a special assignment from the dear prophet!

 

: go and take your brother, Yashub. You will prepare the welcome of Father’s Son to the earth. I know you will do a great job!

:The messengers have been assigned and sent to bring the news. Here is what you will prepare to welcome Our Savior:

• : Find a way to transport His earthly mother to Bethlehem so the prophecies of His birth place will be fulfilled.
• :Find a comfortable place for her to give birth.
• :Find earthly witnesses to tell the world that He is born!
• :Compose the music for the heavenly choirs.
• :Finally, search for worthy servants to bring gifts to honor Him.

:Will you take this assignment?

~Yes, oh Yes!

: Thank you! Come back to me when you have finished your work.

~Come Yashub! let us find these things worthy enough for Our Savior!

Yashub took his drum with him.

 

Day 2

Hep and Yashub quickly got to work. Soon they assembled everything for review.

 

·         ~For His transport, we have found the most beautiful fine white stallion, who can ride both fast and smooth!

·         ^We will make of the synagogue a place for His birth! We will have the best doctors and midwives on earth ready for Him.

·         ~I have found the best recorders and scribes to write down the date, time and place of His birth and to make it known in all registers in the earthly empire in which He will Live.

·         ~I have found the most talented composer in all of Israel. He will write music for the heavenly choir.

·         ^And here are the richest men in the world. Surely they will offer a gift worthy of a King.

 

~We have done well Yashub. But I do not think it is enough. He is not just a King. He is a King of Kings! Let us go again and seek for these things worthy enough for Our Savior!

 

They went again to the beat of Yashub’s drum.

 

Day 3

They labored again to accomplish their assignment. They looked for only the best for the Son of Our Father.

Soon they had all things ready again to review.

 

·         ~For His transport, we have found a beautiful carriage, perfect for bumpy roads, pulled by 8 golden mares. There will be enough room to seat an entire family and give them comfort.

·         ~We will move a palace to His birth town. It will be finer than anything anyone has seen in His country of birth.

·         ^I have gathered the heralds of the kingdoms of the world. They will proclaim the birth from every city and every road.

·         ~I have searched out the best composers of all the ages of the earth! They will write the music and the words which the heavenly choirs will sing.

·         ^And I have assembled the kings of the earth! They will each give a tribute to Our Savior!

 

~We have done well Yashub. We have assembled the greatest welcome of any of God’s children that have ever come to earth. But Our Savior is still greater than all these things. He is King of both heaven and earth. We must find the most worthy of all things for Our Savior. Let us be diligent in our assignment and not weary!

 

Yahub agreed. With renewed energy, they searched both heaven and earth. They knew they would find what they needed for Jesus the Messiah to come.

 

 

Day 4

~Yashub, we have given our best effort. We have searched heaven and earth for these things to welcome Our Savior!

·         ^We will have a procession before Him and a shout and a hosannah after Him! We will bring lords and ladies, harpers and trumpeters, heralds and chanteuses! We will strew the way with flowers, and we will mark the path with banners. They will lead all others to the place of His birth.

·         ~We will create a haven for him filled with palaces and gardens, teachers and priests, sewers and craftsmen! This will be a place for His birth now and forever!

·         ^To our scribes and our heralds we will add monument makers and sign builders. They will fill the earth with statues and signs, with inscriptions and directions so that everyone will know He is born and they can come to worship Him!

·         ~To our composers we will add crafters of harmony, scientists of sound, and those who know how to magnify the music until it shakes the earth!

·         ^Finally we have searched high and low and we will bring documents and signors to give all the riches in all the earth to Him.

 

~We have done our best Yashub. We have done our very best. Who could have sought more diligently for these things?

~But Yashub, we cannot give Him the riches of the earth. They are all already His! Even if we gave Him the entire Earth, we would only be giving what is already His. And if we wrapped up the heavens and earth as a scroll for Him, it would only be returning to Him his own creation.

·         ^He is more deserving than all the riches we could ever give.

·         ~He is more worthy than all the processions in the world.

·         ^He is more holy than any city in heaven and earth.

·         ~He is more real than anything that man or woman will ever write or record.

·         ^He is more beautiful than any song that can be sung.

~We have done our best Yashub, but nothing can compare to Our Savior and Our Brother, the begotten Son of Father.

~^What do we do?

 

Hep felt a tear slide down her cheek. She knew it was time for her and Yashub to ask the dear prophet for help.

 

~We have worked our labor as diligently as any angel in the hosts of heaven, and we have sought heaven and earth for the things you have asked of us, but dear prophet, we now know that whatever we give will fall short of Jesus' glory. What can we do?

 

The prophet smiled.

:I was hoping you would come back and ask me that. Come and let me show you something.

 

Day 5

:Another Messenger is about to give his message to the earthly mother of God!

They each went down to a holy place to see.

~Oh, she is so young and beautiful! She is only a maid of the house of Judah. And yet she will bear the King of Kings and Lord of Lords a few days from now!

^Listen to what she is saying!

~She is rejoicing with her whole spirit to God! Though she is just a handmaiden, every one will know this blessed virgin. God has turned the lowly into the mighty, and those without stature to be filled with mercy. And the mighty, God has abased to teach them His ways!

~Mary’s song is very beautiful. Is that the song the heavenly hosts should sing?

The prophet smiled.

:Come, another messenger is about to deliver his message!

^Is that Joseph? He’s a little skinnier than I thought.

^He looks distressed and frightened. What will the angel tell him?

 

Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

 

^Thank you for showing this to us, dear prophet. What does it mean?

:It means that Mary whom you saw will be with child, and will bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. Emmanuel means ‘God with Us.’ The very God of heaven will come down and dwell on earth just as you see these two dwell, and yet He will be a God to His people and to all who follow Him.

~I think I’m beginning to understand now.

{Option 1 Day 6: start here if you want to have a long reading on Christmas eve, OR}

{for a short read on Christmas eve, continue to read this during day 5}

The prophet showed Hep and Yashub a vision of what would happen in Our Savior’s life.

 

:He will grow up like any other boy. He will work in his earthly guardian’s shop, he will study Torah, and he will play games and celebrate like any other boy.

:He will be hungry like any other human. He will hurt, just as you and I did during our earthly ministries. He will learn from Father line upon line, precept upon precept. He will be tempted like us and afflicted like us. Many will be unjust to Him throughout His life.

:He is more glorious than the sun, the moon, and the stars. But he will bear all of this without complaining. He will not even use His heavenly power against them.

:Instead He will teach them that the meek will inherit the earth, that the mighty are they who serve their neighbor, that His kingdom is not of this world, but if anyone seeks it, they will find it. And then they will have peace and eternal life.

:At the end of Our Brother’s ministry, He will abase Himself completely. He will take every hurt upon him. He will suffer every demeaning thing ever done. He will become the lowest of all.

:And then He will become greatest of all. He will truly become our Redeemer.

:His message will fill the earth. Our Savior who did not have a house will fill the earth with houses of followers who worship Him. He who did not take a kingdom for his own will make a kingdom that will cover all other kingdoms. Worldly leaders will come and go, but those who follow Him will have no end until the work is complete.

:He will be a stone of stumbling to the wise and powerful, because He will prove all their ways are wrong. But He is truly the front and corner stone. The sure foundation.

 

:This is what you are preparing a welcome for.

 

Hep began crying again but this time, these were happy tears.

 

~Come Yashub. Come, my dear prophet, I now know what to prepare for Our Savior! Come and see!

 

{Option 1 Day 7: read to the end} OR

{Option 2 Day 6: start here if you want a short reading on Christmas Eve}

~Jesus is meek and lowly of heart. We do not need to bring anything loud or grand. We do not need to bring that which is rich or fine. We only need to bring our humble effort, our broken spirit, and our contrite heart. This is how we will welcome Our Savior on this night of nights!

 

^For transport we have found the perfect donkey. He is strong and sturdy, but more importantly he draws no attention or praise to himself. He is happy to dwell in the goodness of his task, and in the fulfillment of his creation.

The prophet smiled.

:This is sufficient. It will do.

 

~For a place for his birth, we have found a cave that is used for animals. His mother earth will be his womb, and the beauty of His creation will welcome Him. His earthly mother will put him in a Manger. From the day He is born, the bread of life will surround him, and those that labor and are heavy laden will come to him for sustainment.

The prophet smiled.

:This is sufficient. It will do.

 

:Who will you find for earthly witnesses? Who will first hear the Heavenly Choirs? Who will spread the news of his coming?

^We have found shepherds. The Shepherd of shepherds will be proclaimed by those who understand what it means to be a good shepherd. The guardians of lambs will become guardians of the Lamb of God.

The prophet smiled.

:This is sufficient. It will do.  We can now send the messenger to tell these shepherds the good news.

 

:You have not given me any music to sing or words for the heavenly choirs. What will they sing?

Hep smiled.

~No words we can prepare will adequately speak the message of this night. Like Mary and Joseph, the heavenly choir will listen to the Holy Spirit, and in the moment, they will know what to sing.

The prophet smiled more widely than ever.

:That is right. Because of this, all people will rise up and sing what can’t be spoken every Christmas hereafter.

 

Glory to God in the highest! And on earth, peace! Goodwill to men!

 

:Finally, what gifts have you found for Jesus Christ? What servants will see Him?

^We have found Wise men from far away lands. They will give Our Savior Gold and Frankincense and Myrrh.

:Hep, Yashub, the wise men are dressed with fine clothing, and the gifts are costly. How will this be a worthy gift to Our Savior?

~These wise men are dressed in a different manner than this land it is true, but look on their hearts. These wise men have sought their King all their lives, and they knew when the signs came that Our Savior was to be born. They have traveled far, as a sign that they seek Him. They could bring many more gifts and much greater tribute, but they have chosen only these token sums of Gold, of Frankincense, and of Myrrh to demonstrate that they know Him.

^Like Gold, His word will never tarnish, and His kingdom will last forever.

^Like Frankincense, He is holy and purifying, and where He walks will be a Temple.

^Like Myrrh, He is Anointed, and He will wash and Anoint with a new washing, in all times, in life or death.

^Dear Prophet, these wise men are not simply giving these gifts. They have already given their entire lives to Him, which is a greater gift. What you see before you is a sign that they truly know Our Savior and can say Emmanuel. God is with us.

The prophet smiled.

:This is sufficient. It will do.

 

:Hep, Yashub, you have done very well. We have made for Our Savior a pleasant place of shelter to welcome Him. Our work is complete. Now let us go down! Come! Let us adore Him!

 

{Option 2 Day 7: short reading for Christmas Eve}

 

Hep and Yashub leaned near the cradle. The Christ Child had come to the earth as the dear prophet and many others had foretold. This was a holy night.

 

^I am going to play my drum for him.

~Why will you do that Yashub? This is a place of peace and holiness.

^I know. I feel like it is the right thing to do.

 

And then Hep felt like it was the right thing to do too.

 

Like a heartbeat of the universe, Yashub quietly tapped out the tune of His Savior’s coming.

 

The Savior turned his head toward Yashub and smiled.

And Hep felt her heart fill up too.

 

She gave her prayer of thanks to Father. Then she asked that His other children from other lands and other places might also understand her work on the first holy Christmas night.