When I began teaching Children’s Sunday School beaucoup years ago, I soon discovered that I’d be teaching Christmas every year. Not a big “AH HA” to some, but it was to me. The Bible is a huge book and surely there are enough stories in it to teach little people that I’d only have to repeat every 10 years. On the fast track of devouring the scriptures to know God and make Him known, I found myself stopping once a year to tell this story. This was when my Bible became a “pop-up book.”

Remember the pop-up books? These are the books that each time you turned a page, items on the page began to pop up and jump off the page always to the delight of the reader.

If I was going to share the Christmas Story every year, it was important to share it with a sense of enthusiasm and excitement because somebody was going to hear it for the first time. So each year I seek to learn something new about the Christmas story. Then when the time comes to share, I want the story to pop-up from my Bible.

Details I have learned over the years . . .

1. There is no mention of a donkey in the Christmas story. There is donkey in the Easter story, but not in the scriptures for the Christmas story.

2. There is no Drummer Boy in the scriptures (although I really like the song)

3. The wise men did not come to visit Jesus and His mother at the stable (no matter what the nativity set tells you)

4. Elizabeth was the first Believer

5. The scriptures have much to say about Joseph, but none of his words (perhaps your actions ARE enough)

6. There is nothing cute and darling about a feed trough

7. After the wise men were in the presence of the Lord, they went home a different way (nuff said)

What has popped-off the pages for you this year?