It’s finals time. As my college student takes his finals, here’s a quiz to test your biblical Christmas knowledge:

1. How did Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem?
   a. Chariot
   b. Covered wagon
   c. Donkey
   d. No one knows.
2. Jesus was born in:
   a. The Bethlehem Inn
   b. A stable
   c. A cave
   d. A manger
3. The angels told the shepherds to look for:
   a. Three guys on camels
   b. The barn behind the local inn
   c. A baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger
   d. A star
4. The wise men found Jesus in:
   a. A manger
   b. A stable
   c. A house
   d. An inn
5. King Herod ordered all boys ages two and under in the area of Bethlehem to be killed because:
   a. He was trying to decrease the population.
   b. He wanted to even out the number of boys and girls.
   c. He wanted to remove the threat of another king.
   d. The moms in Bethlehem made him mad.
6. Where do we find the Christmas story in the Bible?
   a. Matthew and Luke
   b. Mark and John
   c. Luke
   d. All four gospels
7. Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem?
   a. Their neighbors were too nosy in Nazareth.
   b. Caesar Augustus issued a decree.
   c. An angel spoke to Joseph in a dream.
   d. Joseph had business in Bethlehem.
8. Joseph and Mary went to Egypt because:
   a. Egypt had a new Home Depot. Joseph wanted to check it out.
   b. An angelic dream
   c. Mary thought it would be a great field trip for Jesus.
   d. The Magi said the pyramids were cool.
9. When Mary and Joseph brought Baby Jesus to the Temple, whom did they meet? a. Simeon b. King Herod c. Anna d. a & c
10. How was the name Jesus chosen?
    a. An angel told Mary
    b. An angel told Joseph
    c. They drew a name from a hat because they couldn’t decide.
    d. a & b

Answers:

1. d. No one knows. (Luke 2:4-5)
2. c. Early tradition says it was probably a cave on the outskirts of town.
3. c. A baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12)
4. c. A house (Matthew 2:11)
5. c. He wanted to remove the threat of another king. (Matthew 2:1-8, 16)
6. a. Matthew and Luke
7. b. Caesar Augustus issued a decree. (Luke 2:1-3)
8. b. (Matthew 2:13-15)
9. d. a & c (Luke 2:25-38)
10. d. a & b (Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31)

Why is this important? Because we must get it right when it comes to God’s Word. His Word is truth. No fudging.
Merry Christmas!

Activities:
1) Read through the Christmas narrative before Christmas morning. Take a few verses each day. Start in Luke 1 and catch Zach and Elizabeth’s story. Look at Matthew’s genealogy and note the ladies mentioned. And when you watch your favorite Christmas movies and read your favorite Christmas books, please remind your kids that the Magi were NOT at the stable. They arrived several years later after Mary and Joseph had transitioned to a house.
2) Consider a family charity project like Samaritan Purse’s Christmas boxes or Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree ministry.
3) Have each family member choose one person or figure in the Christmas narrative and imagine what it would have been like for them: Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, the shepherds, the angels, the innkeeper, Simeon, Anna, the Magi, King Herod. Who did you choose and why?
4) Celebrate Advent with an Advent wreath. It’s not too late to catch up.