Sometimes, we just need a jump-start to get into the Christmas spirit. This Christmas Bible journaling tutorial, on Luke chapter 2, is just what the doctor ordered!
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Some years, I have a hard time getting in the “Christmas spirit”. Maybe it’s the fact that my day job involves crazy Christmas shoppers and busy workdays, so I’m just not looking forward to the crazy materialistic shopping aspect of the holidays. Or maybe I’m just not as crazy excited about Christmas as some folks. But whatever the reason, it usually takes me until the second week of December to hop on the Christmas bandwagon.
Are you that way too? Maybe it’s just this year that you don’t feel like celebrating. If your family is far away, or this will be your first Christmas as an empty nester, or maybe December brings the anniversary of the death of a loved one, then you might not be too enthusiastic about the holiday.
But, no matter what we’re going through, or whether we feel like putting up a Christmas tree this year, we ALWAYS have reason to celebrate Jesus’ birth!
In some years past, it was a powerful song, like this version of Mary Did You Know? by Pentatonix, that helped me get into the TRUE Christmas spirit. This year, it’s a Bible journal that I did just the other day.
And I want to share this Bible journaling page with you, so you’ll be inspired to sit down and spend some time reading and reflecting on the story of Jesus’ birth. I promise, there’s nothing like sitting and reading over Luke chapter 2 and thinking about God’s greatest gift, to put you in a mood of celebration and gratitude!
Luke 2 (The Christmas Story)
My favorite traditional Christmas hymn is absolutely, hands down, O Holy Night. I just love the passion of the song (especially beautiful when sung a cappella!). And the dramatic crescendo of “fall on your knees // o hear the angel voices // o night divine // o night when Christ was born” just really makes my heart swell. It’s pure perfection!
So when I decided to sit down and do a Bible journal on Luke chapter 2, I knew this lovely “O Holy Night” stamp set from Sweet ‘n’ Sassy Stamps would be perfect for the job!
After stamping everything, and reflecting on the glorious gift of God that is Christ Jesus, I was moved to add a little note at the top of the nativity silhouette: “love came down”. Because John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He sent His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” And John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Isn’t that marvelous? Jesus was born in the most humble of situations, with little fanfare. Can you imagine, gazing upon the Christ child…knowing that you’re looking at a human baby, but that baby is also Immanuel—God with us—and the Savior of the whole world? WOW. So humbling and awe-inspiring.
“O Holy Night” Bible Journaling Tutorial
So, if you want to follow along and do your own Luke 2 Bible journal, here are the steps:
1) Prep the page with clear gesso, for best results. I used Dina Wakley clear gesso, applied with a 1″ foam craft brush, and with deli sheets positioned underneath the pages for extra protection.
SIDE NOTE: For the first time ever, I double-gessoed a Bible page! A few years ago, I did this “blessed is she” page on Luke 1:45, which I used gesso for. So when I decided to do this Bible journal on Luke 2, I was faced with a dilemma. Do I take the risk to gesso the back of the page, when I’m not sure if it’ll mess up the Luke 1:45 art? I’d never put gesso on both sides of a page before, and I really didn’t know if it could be done or not. Turns it, it totally can! This page, as you see in the photo below, now has gesso and various kinds of paint/ink on both sides! The only drawback that I noticed, was a bit of color transfer close to the spine, where I wasn’t able to apply the gesso completely to the edge. But that’s barely noticeable, and everything else looks beautiful!
2) The background is entirely made up of Faber-Castell metellic gelatos (I used blue first, and then a bit of silver). You can mix a bit of the gelatos with water, and use the paintbrush included in the gelatos kit to apply the color all over the page.
3) Stamp the images, using the ink colors of your choice. For mine, I used ColorBox pigment ink pads: gold for the nativity silhouette and star, and royal blue for the “O Holy Night” lyrics. I also added the Christmas tree, which is from this Hero Arts stamp set, using green, turquoise, and light green for the different layers.
4) Embellish as desired! For the finishing touches, I used a gold metallic gel pen to fill inside the letters of “O Holy Night”, and to draw the string and ribbon (which makes the silhouette look like an ornament). Then, I went back in with a tiny paintbrush and some more blue gelatos, to darken the inside of the nativity scene. And finally, I used a dark blue Tombow Twintone marker to write “love came down”, and I took that same marker and drew around the “O Holy Night” to make the outlines stand out more.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:4-7 (NIV)
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Luke 2:11 (NIV)
I hope this helps to boost your Christmas spirit! Whether you put out a million decorations this Christmas, or just a few, make your centerpiece a nativity set. Set your Bible next to it, opened to Luke chapter 2, and that’s really all you need. 🙂
Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you’re new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won’t miss anything!