April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
GOOD NEWS FOR KIDS

Nervous at Christmas?

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me be brave when I feel nervous at Christmas events, because I'm never really alone! Amen.

An angel of God visited Mary and told her, "Congratulations! You're going to have a baby, and name Him Jesus." Mary was worried and scared. How could she be the mother of God? "The Holy Spirit will be with you," the angel said. "Remember, nothing's impossible for God." Mary answered: "I am God's servant. I'll do what you say."

Holidays can make a kid nervous. Christmas involves some stuff that can be scary: seeing Santa to tell him what you want for Christmas...having a role in the Christmas pageant at church and having to sing and talk in front of everyone...visiting relatives you don't see very often who ask you a lot of questions.

This week's Gospel (Luke 1:26-38) is about really scary holiday events. Mary is engaged, but not married yet, and she finds out she's already going to have a baby - and that the baby will be Jesus, the Son of God! Mary must feel young and scared and alone, just like a kid walking up to see Santa or being onstage in a Christmas pageant.

Whatever you do at Christmas, you're not actually doing it alone. When you visit Santa, act in the Christmas pageant or see relatives, your family is nearby and there are other adults around. You might be nervous, but there are people you can trust who are never far away. Even when Mary got the big, scary Christmas news that she was going to be the mother of God, the angel also said, "Don't be afraid. The Holy Spirit is with you. God will take care of you."

The more nerve-wracking your Christmas events are, the more likely that adults will stay close to you. No one's going to drop you on Santa's lap and leave! The same was true for Mary: She was going to have big responsibilities, so God was sticking close to her.

That reassured her enough to be brave and say, "OK, I'll do it. I have faith in God." That's good for kids to remember: When Christmas events make you nervous, you can trust God and the adults around you, too![[In-content Ad]]

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