Once upon a time... there was girl by the name of Mary. At the time,she was only ten and careless picking flowers in her garden. Little did she know that one day she would be the mother of a legend. But not just any legend,the legend of us all.

Mary was outside picking flowers in her garden. It was a normal day and she was going to see Joseph later in the evening. Suddenly, a blinding light came from the sky above. An angel appeared in front of her. "Greetings,you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was afraid. But the angel said to her,' Do not be afraid,Mary, you have found favor with the Lord.You will give birth to a son ,and you will name him Jesus."How will this be?" Mary asked the angel,"I am not even

married!" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of The Most High will overshadow you. The Holy One to be born is to be called The Son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left Mary.

Mary rushed over to Joseph's house and told him the news. A few days later, the roman leader forced all people to go to the birthplace of themselves or if married, their husbands. So Mary and Joseph started on their way to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph were poor so they had to travel by donkey. They traveled far and wide to reach Bethlehem. If they would of arrived earlier, they would of found a place to stay. But they were forced to stay in an old animal stable.

Baby Jesus was born. He was laid in a manger and was wrapped in swaddling clothes. Far away, in a field, three shepherds were watching their sheep. And out of nowhere, another bright light appeared in the skies above. Twenty angels appeared in the night right in front of them! "Do not be afraid! For I bring great tidings of great joy! Which shall be to all people! For unto you, this day, in the city of David, is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you, ye shall find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." So the shepherds hurried to the stable and they saw the baby. And a long ways away, three wise men had also saw an angel. They brought one gift each. Gold, Frankincence, and Myrrh. And they all made it to the old stable.

As Jesus grew up,he helped his father, the carpenter, with his work. One day, Jesus and his parents left for Jerusalem for a festival. His mother went to go buy pots and Jesus went with his father to go buy wood and food.But on the way, Jesus and his father passed by a temple where inside, men were arguing over laws and how to run the city. Jesus went inside and interrupted the argument. And unaware, his parents left Jerusalem. And when he never showed up, Mary and Joseph got worried. They asked their relatives and they said he wasn't with them. They were horrified and rushed back to Jerusalem. They searched the whole city till night but only to their loss. Bu then they heard his name said. They followed the voices and into the temple. And there, Jesus sat, talking to the elders.

Jesus's parents were angry. "Why did you leave us! We have been searching the whole town to find you!" they said. "But why did you worry? Did you not know I would be in the house of my father?" Jesus answered. His parents stood there shocked. They looked at each other and took his hand gently. "We are sorry for this interruption," Mary and Joseph said embarrassed. "It's no trouble. Actually," one elder said thoughtfully, "He has taught us more than we could ever learn from any book..."

As Jesus grew, he became a wise and strong man. But when he was a grown adult, Jesus's father Joseph died. Mary was heartbroken. But Jesus knew that it wouldn't be the last time Mary would see him.

There was a man named John. John the Baptist. If you remember in the beginning of the story, one of Mary's relatives was going to have a baby around the same time as Mary. John the Baptist was her son. He preached on a high rock next to the Jordan River. He baptized people after he spoke. He led MANY to God by that river. But there was the evil ruler Herodias. She was the Granddaughter of the previous King who wanted to kill Baby Jesus. She wanted John the Baptist killed.

She was an evil woman. She decided to tempt her husband into imprisoning John. Her plan? To send The Temple Priests to John during the baptizing. The priest asked John many questions but before he could answer, someone was coming down the road. "Behold! The Lord Jesus Christ cometh!" Jesus came down the hillside to them. "John. Baptize me." Jesus said. John was shocked. "Lord," he said. "You are the one who should be baptizing me! I am not holy enough to hold the importance to even touch your feet!" "John. Baptize me." Jesus insisted. " Lord!" he protested. Jesus took off his sandals and stepped ankle deep into the river. And without a word, John joined him in the waters. They walked deeper into waist high water.

And slowly but firmly, John lowered Jesus into the water and lifted him back up again. And suddenly, the sky broke out in glorious light! And a single dove flew out from the clouds and landed on Jesus's shoulder. "This is my son. Am who I am well pleased.said the sky above. And the dove flew back into the heavens as quick as it came. And the sky darkened once again.

Immediately after Jesus's baptism, he was led by God into the wilderness. He stayed there and fasted for 40 days. {Fasted means not eating for a certain amount of time.} Then one day, The Devil came to Jesus and tempted him. "If you are truly the Son of God, command these stones to become bread!" he snarled. Jesus fought back. "It is written, that no man shall live on bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of GOD!" The Devil then brought Jesus to Jerusalem and they stood on the top of a high temple. "If you are the son of God, throw yourself down! For it is written, he will put his angels in charge of keeping The Son of God safe from harm! They will not let you fall! They will hold you up so your feet do not even dash against a stone!" Satan said.

Jesus said back, "It is ALSO written, that you shall not put the Lord thy God to the test!" Satan gritted his teeth and took Jesus to a high mountain. "Look at all these kingdoms and villages and farms! I will give you authority on all of these things if you fall down and worship me!" Satan said evilly. "SATAN! GET AWAY FROM ME! IT IS WRITTEN THAT YOU SHALL SERVE THE LORD OUR GOD AND HIM ONLY!" Satan screamed and there was a crash of lightning. He was gone.