Away in the Manger, No Silent Night

A long time ago in a place far away, God came to earth to be with us.

I want to tell you the story of Jesus’ Away in Manager – but it was no silent night.  (noise makers)

Our story begins with Mary.

Mary, a young girl, has heard from an angel that she was going to have a baby.

When the angel came, Mary was silent. (noise makers)

But this baby was not just like a little brother or little sister.

Mary, who wasn’t even married yet, was going to carry Jesus, God’s son.

Mary was so happy to serve God.

Mary couldn’t wait to meet her baby – who would be named Jesus.

She told God, Let it happen like you said.  And then she was silent.  (noise makers)

At the same night, an angel talked to Joseph in dream.

Joseph was silent.  (noise makers)

The angel told Joseph not to worry, but marry Mary and take good care of her.  The baby was going to be Jesus.

Joseph was silent.  (noise makers)

Joseph found out that he and Mary had to go to his family’s town to be counted in the census.

Mary travelled with Joseph all the way from Nazareth (their home to Bethlehem).
That is about 70 miles: an hour and half, if they were in a car, but days on a donkey.

It was a long ride.

They were not silent the whole time.  (noise makers)

When they got to Bethlehem, they wanted to stay at an inn.

Mary could not be silent (noise makers).

She said the baby was going to come soon.

Joseph went to the innkeeper and asked to stay.

It was not silent (noise makers).  Joseph heard lots of people and the innkeeper said ‘there was no room at the inn

Joseph went to another inn hoping to stay there.

But again, It was not silent (noise makers).  Joseph heard lots of people and the innkeeper said ‘there was no room at the inn”

After trying lots of inns, Joseph found an inn that did not have room at the inn, but did have room in the stable.  The innkeeper warned that it was not silent (noise makers), but they could stay there.

Once they settled into the stable, Mary and Joseph began to notice the animals.  It was not silent (noise makers).

There was a cow.  What does a cow say? (Moo) It was not silent (noise makers).

There were sheep.  What does a sheep say? (Baa) It was not silent (noise makers).

There was the donkey that carried Mary.  What does a donkey say? (HeeHaw) It was not silent (noise makers).

There was a horse.  What does a horse say? (neigh) It was not silent (noise makers).

There were chickens.  What do chickens say? (buck, buck) It was not silent (noise makers).

In all of that noise, It was not silent (noise makers).  Jesus was born.

His mother Mary and father Joseph were so happy to have him born.  They did not mind his crying.  They did not expect it to be silent (noise makers).

They swaddled him in clothes, and they laid him in the manger that the cow had eaten lunch out of.  The cow shared very nicely.

As Mary and Joseph were watching baby Jesus sleep, for the moment he was silent (noise makers)!

You woke up the baby!  No! You did not wake up the baby.

While the baby had been sleeping, the angels had been very busy, not silent at all (noise makers).  They went to a hillside not far away where sheep and shepherds spent time.

On the hillside, the angels said, do not be afraid.  We bring good news.  It is wonderful joy!  Today, in Bethlehem, Jesus, the son of God is born.  You will find him as a baby lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothing.  The shepherds were so surprised.  They were silent (noise makers).

The shepherds took the sheep and went to find Jesus.  They found him, just like the angels said.  They were silent before him. (Noise makers).  They worshipped God and were amazed.

As they went from the stable, they could not be silent (noise makers).  They told everyone they saw about Jesus, who is the son of God.
They could not be silent (noise makers) that God came to earth to be with all of us.

They could not be silent (noise makers) that God loves us.

They told everyone they saw.

Today, God still loves us and still comes to earth to be with us.

We should not be silent (noise makers).  We tell everyone that Jesus is God’s son and loves us.

We cannot be silent (noise makers):  Christ the Lord is born today!  He saves us from all our sins and will set the world right!  Jesus our Lord and Savior has come to us, and we cannot be silent! (noise makers).