A

Altar of Incense – the place in the temple of Jerusalem where priests would burn incense to represent prayers rising to God

Ancestors – the people in your family tree who came before you

Angel – a spiritual being who brings special news from God

Anxious – worried or nervous

Archelaus – Roman ruler of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea in 4BC–6AD

Assembled – got everyone together

Astonishment/Astonished – greatly surprised or amazed

B

Blessed – to receive God’s favour, grace, or divine protection

C

Caesar Augustus – the first emperor of Rome who reigned from 27BC–14AD

Census – a complete count of a population

Chief Priests – priests with the highest authority in the Jewish temple and key members of the Sanhedrin

Children of God – those who are adopted by God through faith in Jesus

Chosen by lot – chosen by chance often involving drawing names or objects from a container

Circumcise – cut off the foreskin of a young boy to show he belongs to God’s people

Comfort – to ease a person’s feelings of grief or distress

Command – an order given by someone in authority

Conceive – become pregnant through fertilization

Consecrate – make or declare something sacred or dedicated for God’s special purpose

Consolation of Israel – a title referring to Jesus as the one who brings comfort and redemption to the Jewish people

Consummate – to make a marriage complete physically

Crucify – put to death by binding or nailing a person to a cross

Custom – a tradition among people in a particular group or place

D

David – an important person in the Old Testament who was a shepherd, musician, warrior, and the second King of Israel

Decree – an official order or decision that carries the force of law

Descendants – direct offspring of a person such as children and grandchildren and also those who inherit a promise

Destined – according to God’s plan and purpose for individuals and nations

Devout – having deep religious feeling or commitment

Disgrace – bring shame on someone or cause them to be disrespected

Dismiss your servant – an expression to God that you are ready to die

Disturbed – troubled or unsettled

Divorce – dissolve or terminate a marriage agreement

Downcast – feeling low or sad

Dreams – thoughts, images, and feelings that occur in the mind during sleep

Dwelling – a place where someone lives

E

Egypt – a country in the ancient world that was a place of refuge and where the Israelites were slaves

F

Fasting – abstaining from food for a given period of time

Favoured/favored – given support or approval

Fermentation – a way of preserving food by breaking down the sugars with yeast or bacteria

Firstborn – the first child born in a family

Flocks – animals like sheep or goats that are kept together

Foolish – lacking good sense

Forgiveness – the act of being pardoned for wrongdoing

Frankincense – a hardened gum-like material used for fragrance in soaps, lotions, and perfumes

Fulfilled – bringing something promised to reality or completion

G

Gave thanks – prayed to thank God for something

Generations – a line of descendants in a family’s history

Gentiles – a person who is not a Jew or part of the Jewish nation

Glorify – give glory to God through worship and praise

Glory – God’s divine qualities, power, and presence

Glory of the Lord – the presence and the greatness of God

Governor – a government official who oversees a region and keeps things in order

Grace – God’s free love and kindness that cannot be earned

Greeting – a way of saying hello or a sign of welcome

H

Heaven – a place of happiness, peace, and eternal life where God is and reigns

Heavenly host – an army of angels who worship and serve God

Herod – the ruler of the Galilee region in the time of Jesus

Holy – worthy of complete devotion; perfect in goodness and righteousness

Holy Spirit – the presence of God in believers and the world and the third person of the Trinity

Humble – to not be proud or arrogant

I

Immanuel – a name for Jesus meaning God is with us

L

Labour/Labor – to do hard physical work

Law of Moses – the set of laws given to the Israelites by God through Moses

M

Magi – religious priests from the East; wise men who came to see the infant Jesus

Manger – a long open box or trough from which cattle or sheep would eat

Mankind – human beings or the human race

Marvel – to be filled with wonder or astonished

Mercy – showing compassion, forgiveness, or kindness to someone who does not deserve it

Messiah – Jesus, the divinely appointed Saviour and the one promised by God to save his people

Miracle – an amazing act of God that cannot be explained by any physical or natural laws

Moses – a leader of God’s people in the Old Testament who led them out of slavery in Egypt and through the wilderness to get to the land God promised

Mourn – feel or show deep sorrow or regret

Myrrh – a fragrant resin used for perfume, incense, and medicine

N

Nazarene – a title given to Jesus because of his upbringing in Nazareth

O

Overshadow – when God’s power and presence envelopes someone

Pagans – people in the Roman empire who believed there were many gods

P

Passover – a Jewish festival that celebrates how God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt

Peace (on whom his favour rests) – God’s grace that comes through a relationship with Jesus

Pierce – to make a hole or opening with a sharp object

Pledged to be married – to be formally engaged

Ponder – to think about something carefully

Praise – to give glory to God

Pray – to talk and listen to God

Pregnant – when a woman has a baby developing in her

Promise – to pledge to do something

Prophet – a person who proclaims messages from God and tells people what is going to happen

Proud – to have a high opinion of oneself

Publicly – in a way that others can see

Purification rites – ceremonial acts to make people physically and spiritually clean

R

Rachel – wife of Jacob in the book of Genesis

Raging waters – wild and violent waves

Ramah – the hometown of the prophet Samuel

Rebuke – to say strong words of correction

Recognise – identify someone or something because you have seen them before

Redeem – to save someone by paying what is owed to another so they can be freed from their debt

Redemption of Israel – to set Israel free from slavery and oppression and restore them physically and spiritually

Register – to officially sign up for something or an official list

Reign – a monarch’s rule or authority

Rejoice – to express personal joy

Relatives – a person connected by blood or marriage

Revealed – to make known or show something previously hidden

Righteous – living up to God’s standards and morally upright

Risen – has come alive after being dead (also known as resurrection)

Rulers – leaders of a country

S

Sacrifice – to give an offering to God

Salvation – the act of being saved from sin, harm, or a dire situation

Saviour – someone who saves someone or something from danger, ruin or defeat

Scriptures – sacred religious texts such as the Bible

Seclusion – away from other people

Shepherd – one who cares for and rears sheep

Sign – a particular event that has special significance and gives a hint about the future

Sins/Sinful – acts, thoughts, or words that violate God’s law, and fall short of God’s perfect standard

Solomon – King David’s son and a wealthy and wise king in the Old Testament

Son of God – a title for Jesus that signifies his divine nature and unique relationship with God the Father

Sovereign Lord – God’s absolute, supreme authority and control over all things in the universe

Spirit – God’s active presence

Splendour – magnificent and grand appearance

Stature – a person’s natural height

Subsided – became less intense, violent, or severe

Teachers of the law – experts and interpreters of the law of Moses

Temple – the place of worship for the Jews

Temple courts – special areas around the temple where people gathered to pray, worship God, and offer sacrifices

Testify – to give evidence as a witness

Tomb – a cave or place dug into a rock for the burial of bodies

Town of David – a site in Jerusalem where King David established his capital

T

Troubled – beset by problems or conflict

Truth – in accord with fact and reality

V

Valuable – of great worth

Virgin – someone who is inexperienced particularly in intimate relations

Vision – the sight of something supernatural

W

Weep – to cry and shed tears

Widow – a woman who has lost her spouse by death and has not remarried

Wilderness – an undeveloped, natural place with little human activity

Wisdom – the ability to make good judgments and sound decisions and to act with insight

Witness – a person who has personal knowledge of an event and describes what they saw or heard

Womb – an organ in the pelvis of a woman where a baby develops

Worship – show reverence and adoration for God

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