Bible Blossom - Storyteller's Handbook

C HRISTMAS : T HE B IRTH OF C H R I S T • 141

Setting

The road from Nazareth to Bethlehem

• Joseph • Mary

Major Characters

Plot

Introduction and Rising Action 1. The Roman Emperor Augustus calls for a census. 2. Everyone had to return to their hometown to be registered. Climax 3. Joseph must return to Bethlehem, his hometown, because he of the house and family of David. 4. Mary, his betrothed, is pregnant with Jesus. 5. They make the journey together. It is likely that they traveled by donkey. Falling Action and Resolution 6. The stage for the arrival of the Lord’s Messiah is set. 7. Mary and Joseph are making the final leg of the journey of hope and anticipation that began all the way back in the Garden of Eden.

Old Testament Foundation: The Deliverer Is Born

The Lord Spoke through the Prophets, Micah 5.2 (p. 126) All of the prophets anticipate the arrival of the Lord’s Messiah. Micah foretold that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.