December 17th

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Advent Calendar 2025 and Prayer Diary

Refugees
“Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.” Matthew 2 v13(part)

Listen and sing along (opens in YouTube)
Unto us a boy is born.

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Daily Prayer: Mary and Joseph had to take the baby Jesus far away from Bethlehem and the land of Judea to escape from King Herod and his soldiers who wanted to kill them. When Herod found out that the Wise Men had gone home a different way without reporting to him, he ordered all baby boys in Bethlehem to be killed. Mary and Joseph and Jesus went to live in Egypt as refugees.

Today we are praying for refugees and Internally Displaced Persons who are trying to escape many different dangers, including violence and starvation.

Let’s also pray that the cruel Herods of today may find a change of heart and start to work for the good of all people instead of their harm.

Thank God for all who come to the aid of children in desperate situations.

Please send prayer requests and suggestions to be included in the Prayer Diary by using the contact form below.

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[Tap here] Daily Bible reading: Matthew 2 v13-20

Daily Bible reading: Matthew 2 v13-20

13 After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.”
14 That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, 15 where they stayed until Herod died. So the LORD’S promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “I called my son out of Egypt.”
16 When Herod found out that the wise men from the east had tricked him, he was very angry. He gave orders for his men to kill all the boys who lived in or near Bethlehem and were two years old and younger. This was based on what he had learned from the wise men.
17 So the LORD’S promise came true, just as the prophet Jeremiah had said,
18 “In Ramah a voice was heard
crying and weeping loudly.
Rachel was mourning for her children,
and she refused to be comforted,
because they were dead.”
19 After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph while he was still in Egypt. 20 The angel said, “Get up and take the child and his mother back to Israel. The people who wanted to kill him are now dead.”

All-Age Activity: Wordsearch: Herod tries to kill Jesus.
Find all the words given in the list. They can go across left or right, up, down or even diagonally.
(Answers will be given tomorrow – Dec 18th)

HEROD BETHLEHEM TRICKED ANGRY KILL HURRY EGYPT ORDERS ANGEL DREAM JOSEPH MARY JESUS BOYS CHILD MOTHER

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Answers to yesterday’s (Dec 16th) activity:

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