Jack, the donkey; Lambkin, the lamb; and Gamal, the camel---all show up at Jesus's party. It doesn't matter that Jack is thought to be stupid, that Lambkin is stinky and lame, or that Gamel is ugly. God invites them to the party and is still inviting the stupid, stinky, and ugly ones you know to "come and see Jesus." He doesn't leave anyone out!
34 pages, an illustration on each 2-page spread, a great read-aloud story for ages 8-12 several days before Christmas, suggested $7 donation plus $3.00 shipping. Order by contacting Charleeda.
NOTE FROM AUTHOR:
Learn some interesting things about the birth of Jesus you never knew before, which I learned while living in Israel for many years. I spent three days in the desert with a camel, learned what a manger really looks like, and lived only a few miles from Bethlehem.
No one knows what time of year Jesus was born, but for centuries, we have celebrated it in December and called it Christmas. However, there is good evidence for believing that He was born in a September-October time frame. Many Jews who have become followers of Jesus and Christians who have studied the Hebraic roots of their faith believe this. These and others are often disturbed by the ways Christmas is celebrated because the true meaning of Christmas is overlooked, so they choose not to celebrate it at all. In order to be sensitive to all, I have chosen not to use “Christmas” in this story, but instead simply refer to it as Jesus’ birthday party.
When my children were young, we started a family tradition of having a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas morning. The “Ugly Cake” is a delicious coffee cake, very rich with lots of butter, cream cheese, and nuts, but when it’s dumped out of the pan right out of the oven, it makes a big, gooey, upside-down mess on the serving plate. (Recipe included in book) Because it looks ruined and ugly, we are reminded of why Jesus came—to save us from all our ugliness. We put a candle in it and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. This partially influenced the title of the story.
Though it can be enjoyed by younger-aged children, it is intended for older children who are already acquainted with the Bible story and can grasp the historical information I include that is not found in most Christmas stories. I suggest reading a chapter a night, though it’s not too long for a family Christmas Eve reading with perhaps a different reader assigned for each chapter.