An Animal Parable From Matney Woodard

"Ask the animals and they will teach you" -- Job 12:7

Mette's Christmas Miracle

During a terrible Norwegian winter, a little sparrow named Mette proves that God is always ready to help. This story explains the birth of a Scandinavian Christmas custom that is for the birds. A perfect Christmas story for kids.


"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:19

 

 

Mette's Christmas Miracle

By Harrison Woodard

 

A long time ago there was a flock of sparrows. They lived near a small farming village in Norway.

 

Just before Christmas it started snowing. For two days the blizzard raged covering everything and making it impossible for the birds to leave their tree.

 

The flock began to worry.

 

“What are we going to do? If the snow continues, we will never find anything to eat,” said Markus.

 

“Maybe we should have flown south with the other birds,” said Lina.

 

“We have always survived the winter here. We will survive this one as well,” said Jonas one of the older sparrows.

 

Mette listened to the older birds. If Jonas was not worried, she wouldn’t worry either. She found a warm spot and fell asleep.

 

####

 

For two more days the snow continued. The flock became even more concerned.

 

“I don’t understand. The weather has never been this bad for so long. I don’t know if we will make it,” said Jonas.

 

Now that Jonas was starting to worry, even Mette was concerned. Before she went to bed she asked God for help.

 

“Dear God, I know you will provide all we need. Thank you for protecting us,” prayed Mette.

 

####

 

The next day the birds peered out at the raging storm. It was a dismal sight. The snow and the wind made it impossible to fly anywhere.

 

“Jonas, what will we do?” asked Markus.

 

“Will the storm ever end?” asked Lina.

 

“I think we are in trouble. Even if the storm ends, it may be weeks before we can find any food. The snow will be too deep.  It will cover everything,” said Jonas.

 

All the birds were very sad. There didn’t seem to be any hope.

 

####

 

Mette listened to everything the other birds said. As the youngest of her flock, she rarely would say anything. But she knew she had to say something.

 

“Don’t you believe God will take care of us?” asked Mette. “He has always given us everything we needed. Why wouldn’t He keep His promise now?”

 

The other birds admired Mette’s faith, but they saw the snow and heard the howling wind and saw no way God could save them.

 

“Mette, God has many things He has to do. He can’t always save us. Sometimes it is up to us to save ourselves,” said Jonas.

 

The other birds agreed. 

 

Mette lay down and thought about what Jonas said.

 

“God, that just doesn’t make any sense,” she prayed softly. “I know that you will supply everything we need. I am going to trust you and not the other sparrows.”

 

####

 

The next day was Christmas Eve. The weather outside was the worst it had ever been. The snow was coming down so hard that you couldn’t see more than a couple of feet. There was absolutely no way the flock could leave their tree. null

 

The sparrows gathered together to discuss their options.

 

“I don’t think I can last another day,” said Markus. “I’m very hungry.”

 

“Me too,” added Lina.

 

“I just don’t know what to do,” said Jonas.

 

They had lost all hope.

 

####

 

Off in the village came the faint sound of Church bells. The sparrows listened to the music. It was very pretty and brought a brief moment of relief to their despair. After the bells stopped, the birds sat in silence.

 

And Mette said,  “Did you hear the bells? This is Christmas Eve. The night God gave His Son. If He is willing to give His own son, He will certainly provide our food.”

 

The other sparrows wanted to believe, but all they could see was the raging blizzard. They saw no way that God could provide anything for them.

 

“Markus, don’t you believe?” asked Mette.

 

Markus thought for a second, “I believe I do.”

 

That night, Mette bowed her head and prayed, “God, thank you for giving Jesus to the world. I know that you love my flock and will provide everything we need.” Personalized Children's Books. Click here!

 

Mette found a warm spot in the tree and fell asleep.

 

It was another long and cold night.

 

####

 

The next morning, Markus was the first to wake up. He felt the warm sun on his feathers and took off on a short flight to stretch his wings.

 

The snow had stopped and it was a sunny Christmas morning. Markus flew over the village and was surprised by what he saw. He immediately flew back to the tree.

 

“Mette! Wake Up! It’s a miracle!” shouted Markus. “Everyone, come quickly,”

 

Soon the whole flock was following Markus toward the village.

 

During the night, the people had placed sheaves of oats on poles and rooftops throughout the village. There was plenty of food for everyone. Barn doors, gables, and gateways throughout the village were decorated with grain. There would be plenty of food for the whole flock all winter.

 

“Just like you said Mette, God will provide everything we need,” said Markus. “I will never again doubt God.”

 

That day the sparrows celebrated Christmas by feasting on all the food they had gathered. Never again would any of them ever doubt God’s ability to provide everything they needed.

 

####

 

And from that day forward, in villages throughout Scandinavia, people continue to place food out for the birds at Christmas. No human knows exactly why this custom started. But God knows. He was responding to the faith of a little sparrow named Mette.

   

 

THE END

 

For more Animal Parables, see the links below or click here.

 

Browse the best in Christian Music at FamilyChristian.com

null

All Orders At FamilyChristian.com Ship For Just $0.99. Valid Through 12.25.07

 

  

Have you found this ministry helpful? 

Help us spread the good news around the world! 

 

 

Put your city on the map. Use our nifty GuestMap to mark your hometown!   

 

Search For Other Christian Web Sites

Google

 

null

 

 

 

Home  | Animal Parables | Bible Stories | Boris Kitty Stories | Poems, Short Stories & Songs | Sermons

About Us/Contact Us | Affiliates  | Christmas  | Gift Shop | Legal Info | Links | Site Map | Survey

Animal Parable Bible Stories

Echo In Egypt | Hanna's Parade | Humongous Hollis | Kirsi, The Little Lost Lamb | Rockwell's Dream | Roxie's Big News | Samson & Dakota | Tasha, The Catch Of The Day | The Gift That Kept Giving | The Three Camels 

Animal Parables

Mette's Christmas Miracle | Duarte, The Good Shepherd | Noah & Waverly - A Scissortail Love Story

 

Thanks for visiting Matney Woodard Entertainment. We want this to be the most entertaining and inspirational Christian web site on the planet! Whether you're looking for a child Bible story, Christian short story, animal stories from the Bible, Christian music, sermons, Bible lessons, or just a good Christian web site, you've found what you're looking for here at Matney Woodard Entertainment. But this is not all about us. We want your feedback and suggestions. Please let us know if you would like to see Sunday school lessons, more kid stories, activities, Christian songs for kids or anything else. We value every email we receive. Thanks for visiting. Please tell your friends and share this site with your church family.

© 2001-8 Harrison Woodard  All rights reserved. No reproduction or retransmission by any means allowed without the express written consent of the author. See Legal Info for details.

A little sparrow's faith saves her flock from a disaster during a terrible Norwegian winter. This Christmas story explains the birth of a Scandinavian custom that's for the birds. 

Keywords: Sparrows, birds, faith, Norway, Christmas, Child Bible story, child story online, Christian child story, kid Bible story, Sunday school lesson, Free child Bible story, Bible lesson, faith story, Christmas story, holiday, parable, snow, blizzard