Snøen smelter, men det går fortsatt an å lage små kunstverk en liten stund til. Her er en snømann som ikke er høyere enn et eple.
Vi ønsker med dette alle venner og familie en riktig fin nyttårsfeiring!
(Luke 2:1-20).
The Birth of Jesus
At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were under Roman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register. This was the first registration[a] taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own towns to be registered.
So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This town was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. Joseph registered with Mary because she was engaged to marry him. (Mary was now pregnant.) While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. She gave birth to her first son. There were no rooms left in the inn. So she wrapped the baby with cloths and laid him in a box where animals are fed.
Some Shepherds Hear About Jesus
That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. An angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and suddenly they became very frightened. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is Christ, the Lord. This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feeding box.”
Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All the angels were praising God, saying:
“Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please God.”
Then the angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. We will see this thing the Lord told us about.”
So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph. And the shepherds saw the baby lying in a feeding box. Then they told what the angels had said about this child. Everyone was amazed when they heard what the shepherds said to them. Mary hid these things in her heart; she continued to think about them. Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything that they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them.
«Evangeliet etter Lukas» (LUK 2:1-20).
Jesus blir født
Det skjedde i de dager at det gikk ut befaling fra keiser Augustus om at hele verden skulle innskrives i manntall. Denne første innskrivning ble holdt mens Kvirinius var landshøvding i Syria.
Og alle drog av sted for å la seg innskrive, hver til sin by.
Josef drog da fra byen Nasaret i Galilea opp til Judea, til Davids by Betlehem, siden han var av Davids hus og ætt, for å la seg innskrive sammen med Maria, sin trolovede, som ventet barn.
Og mens de var der, kom tiden da hun skulle føde, og hun fødte sin sønn, den førstefødte, svøpte ham og la ham i en krybbe. For det var ikke plass til dem i herberget.
Det var noen gjetere der i nærheten som var ute og holdt nattevakt over sauene sine. Med ett stod en Herrens engel foran dem, og Herrens herlighet lyste om dem. De ble meget forferdet.
Men engelen sa til dem: «Frykt ikke! Jeg kommer til dere med bud om en stor glede, en glede for hele folket: I dag er det født dere en frelser i Davids by; han er Kristus, Herren. Og dette skal dere ha til tegn: Dere skal finne et barn som er svøpt og ligger i en krybbe.»
Med ett var engelen omgitt av en himmelsk hærskare, som lovpriste Gud og sang: «Ære være Gud i det høyeste og fred på jorden blant mennesker som har Guds velbehag!»
Da englene hadde forlatt dem og vendt tilbake til himmelen, sa gjeterne til hverandre: «La oss gå inn til Betlehem for å se dette som har hendt, og som Herren har kunngjort oss.» Og de skyndte seg av sted og fant Maria og Josef og det lille barnet som lå i krybben.
Da de fikk se ham, fortalte de alt som var blitt sagt dem om dette barnet. Alle som hørte på, undret seg over det gjeterne fortalte. Men Maria gjemte alt dette i sitt hjerte og grunnet på det. Gjeterne drog tilbake, mens de priste og lovet Gud for det de hadde hørt og sett; alt var slik som det var blitt sagt dem.
Christmas Eve morning came at last. Snow lay thick on the ground, and the world outside felt hushed, as if waiting. Inside the houses of 7B, the day began with the same sentence written on everyone’s calendar sheet: “Mission #24 – The best gift is giving of yourself.”
For the first time, there was no task to do — only one to understand.
At Emma’s breakfast table, her family lit the Advent candles and took a few minutes to talk about what they’d learned through the project. “I think helping others made the month go faster,” Emma said. Her father nodded. “Strange how giving slows the stress down, doesn’t it?”
Jonas wrote one last note and placed it under the tree: “I’m thankful for everyone who stayed patient with me this year.” Ida spent a quiet moment by the window, whispering a small prayer for her family and for peace in the world. In every home, the reflections looked different, but the feeling was the same — calm, gratitude, light.
When evening came and bells rang across the valley, each of them understood what Ms. Larsen had meant from the start: that Christmas isn’t found in wrapping paper or lights, but in the time, kindness, and care we share with others.
And as they sat down with their families — the smell of pine and roast filling the air — it didn’t matter who remembered all the missions or who had finished every one. What mattered was that something in them had changed. They had learned the oldest truth of Christmas:
The greatest gift you can give is yourself.