God chose a young girl named Mary to be the mother of His Son, Jesus, an announcement delivered by the angel Gabriel. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem and, finding no room in any hotel, stayed in a stable where Jesus was born and placed in a manger. His birth was celebrated by a choir of angels who appeared to shepherds on a hill, and later by wise men who followed a star from a faraway country. Although King Herod felt threatened and wanted to kill the newborn King, God protected the family, leading the wise men home by a different route.
