The Nativity Story - Mary
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Listening Practice:

Watch the video clip again and fill in the missing words from the dropdown box:


Angel: Hail, O favoured one. The Lord is with you. Do not be , Mary... for you have found favour with God. Come, you will in your womb and give birth to a son. And you will call his name Jesus.

Mary: How can this be, since l've been with no man?

Angel: The Holy Spirit will come upon you. And the from the most high will overshadow you. And the holy shall be called the Son of God.

Mary: Son of God?

Angel: Mary. Even your Elizabeth has conceived a son in her old age. For nothing said by God can be impossible.

Mary: Let it be done to me, according to your .

Mary thinking: How is anyone to believe me? How are they to understand?

Mary: "Even your own cousin has conceived a son in her age." Elizabeth.

Mary's Mother: This is foolish talk. Elizabeth is not expecting you now.

Mary: She says I am always . So does Zechariah.

Mary's Father: You said you wished to visit in the . That's what you told us a season ago.

Mary: Much has changed since then.

Mary's Father: And what of Joseph? Is he to expect your ?

Mary: He is. Jacob and his family are going in the morning. I've told Sarah I can help with the children.

Mary's Father: Then make certain Zechariah finds a good for you to return with.

Mary: Thank you. I'll be here for the . I promise.

True or False Questions: Choose True or False before each statement. If the statement is false, make a correct statement.

  1. Mary is going to have a baby boy.
  2. Mary's parents told her Elizabeth was going to have a baby.
  3. Mary wants to visit Elizabeth in the summer.
  4. Mary's mother doesn't think Mary should visit Elizabeth.
  5. Mary plans to travel to see Elizabeth by herself.

Matching exercise: Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right:

  1. conceive
  2. offspring
  3. harvest
  4. cousin
  5. favour
  6. wish
  7. return
  8. womb
  • a. the gathering of crops
  • b. to come back, as from a trip
  • c. child or children
  • d. to be approved of
  • e. the part of a woman's body where a baby can grow, the uterus
  • f. to become pregnant
  • g. to desire, want
  • h. a child of an aunt or uncle

Completion exercise: Complete these sentences with words from the exercise above: (Hint: you may need to change the form of the word.)

  1. He that his girlfriend would marry him.
  2. That couple's four all live in different cities.
  3. She and had a son.
  4. He to his office after lunch in a restaurant.
  5. She has a healthy baby girl in her .
  6. My live in Ottawa.
  7. This year's was a very good one; we picked hundreds of oranges.
  8. The nobleman found with the king and his request for land was granted.

Comprehension and discussion questions: Discuss these questions in your group or with a partner.

  1. How did the man in white greet Mary? How do you think she felt when he spoke to her the way he did?
  2. What surprising news did the man in white have for Mary? How did she respond?
  3. What did the man say the name of the baby should be? What does the name mean?
  4. What did the man say about Elizabeth and why was it unusual?
  5. When had Mary originally planned to visit Elizabeth?
  6. Why do you think Mary decided to visit Elizabeth and Zachariah earlier than planned?
  7. Why do you think her parents were not in favour of her trip?
  8. How did she arrange her trip south?
  9. When did Mary say she would come home?
Lessons Developed by: Colin Brewster, Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries - http://eslministries.org | Web Designed by: Ramon Sa