BSNZ is hoping to reach these children by giving away 85,000 copies of The Well Good News of Christmas.

This book is part of Bible Society's Pass It On campaign designed to encourage and equip parents, grandparents and caregivers to pass on their passion for the Bible to the next generation.

The Well Good News of Christmas is written by Welsh author Dai Woolridge. The story is aimed at four to eight-year-olds using child-friendly rhyming language.

Last year, 3,000 copies of this little book were distributed.

"With The Well Good News of Christmas people have a fantastic opportunity to share the good news of Christmas with the children in their communities using a brilliant and funny book, said Stephen Opie, BSNZ Programme Director.

"It's a story that is still impacting and changing lives today."

While the book focuses on the events around Jesus' birth, it also includes a little about creation, and Jesus' life and ministry.

It is being offered free to churches, BSNZ partner organisations and anyone who wants to share the Bible story of Christmas.

Individuals can order up to five copies, while churches and organisations can order up to 250 copies.

Click here for more details and to place an order

Source
Supplied: Sarah Richards. New Zealand Bible Society

Later story tellers adorned them with further details that helped people imagine the scene and to appreciate the meaning of the stories.

Luke's Gospel tells us that Jesus was born in a manger. The cribs add animals. Matthew has Eastern wise men visit Jesus with presents.

Later stories give them crowns and make them kings, each with his own name and distinctive traits. Matthew also says simply that Joseph was told to get up and take Jesus to Egypt because Herod was seeking to kill him.

Later stories fill in their journey. Mary and Jesus ride on a donkey, led by a boy.

Idols fall from their pedestals as they pass, and at one resting place palm trees bend to provide Jesus with fruit and waters flowed from their roots.

This last story provided rich material for artists to paint the scene and add their own details.

The Bruges painter Gerard David depicts Mary in a dazzling blue dress, seated regally on a rock ledge feeding Jesus with a bunch of grapes, while the donkey with ears pricked up rests in the shade of trees and Joseph in the distance knocks fruit from a tree with a stick.

Behind them lie a village and fields rising to a wooded ridge. When Caravaggio paints the same scene a century later he has an angel sing to Jesus while Joseph holds the score.

These details don't tell us much about what life was like along the sea road to Egypt, but they do illuminate the deeper meaning of the Christmas stories.

They speak of the Son of God coming into our world to join us, so demonstrating how precious and what a great gift our world is. Continue reading

Sources

• Eureka Street article by Andrew Hamilton, consulting editor of Eureka Street.
• Image: EPPH