Skip to main content

Celebrating Advent - December 1


In this series I plan to post something everyday from December 1-25 (well, I probably won't post anything on December 25) from the Gospel of Luke. I hope to add the Scripture text, key points, talking points, discussion questions and maybe even some fun advent ideas for your family. If you have any ideas to contribute, please send them to me, I would love to hear them.

Advent simply means the arrival of an important person. In our case, that important person is Jesus. Advent begins the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas and the length of it is a great opportunity to build expectation for the arrival of Christ, which ultimately points to his second advent, his return at the end of the age. One of the main points of Christmas is to transfer our feeling of expectation of Christmas day to our expectation of Christ’s return, THE Day of all days! 

Keep in mind, this series is designed to engage children. You might have to adapt a few things to make it usable in your context. 

Sing - One or two songs of your choice

Reading - December 1 (Luke 1:1-4)

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

This passage isn't typically associated with Christmas. Yet, this year, we are not going to skip it. There are some gems in here that children can really relate to. 

Summary: The contents within the gospel of Luke are reliable because Luke carefully studied it over time, he consulted eyewitnesses and then accounted for it. 

Questions to Consider: You can ask more or less. The answers are answers you should encourage your children to give but can offer them as explanations if your children need help. Encourage your kids to find the answers from the text!

-Who wrote this book? Luke

-What else do we know about Luke? He was a doctor, probably wealthy, probably smart and well educated.

-Why did Luke want to write this book? He wanted Theophilis, and all Christians, to have certainty that what they were taught about Jesus could be trusted.

-Have you ever wondered if you could trust the Bible? 

-How did Luke put his information together? Did he sit down one afternoon and decide to start writing or did he prepare for a long time? He prepared for a long time!

-How did Luke prepare to write this? He talked to multiple eyewitnesses and followed things closely for a while.

-What is an eyewitness? Why is it important that Luke talked to eyewitnesses? An eyewitness is someone who actually saw the event happen. They are important because they let us know what really happened and that something really did happen.

-Is it important to take to only one eyewitness or many? Many, because when many people say similar things then we know that it really did happen that way.

-Are there some things about the birth of Jesus that might sound like they were made up? Zechariah lost his voice for nine months. Elizabeth and Zechariah had a child when they were so old. Mary had a baby without even being married and by the Holy Spirit. Angels visited Mary and Joseph.

When you stop and think about it, people who tell these kinds of stories would seem like they were making it up.  But we know he isn't making these things up. Luke studied them and talked to many people who were not making it up. We can believe the Bible because it is God's Word, the most special book!

Pray to end







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord, by George Muller

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord By George Muller “It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have not lost for more than fourteen years. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord, but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. “I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God—not prayer, but the Word of God. And here again, not the simple reading of the Word of God so that it only passes through my mind just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what I read, pondering over it, and applying it to my heart. To meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed. And that thus,...

Worship Songs, October 15, 2017

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. My Redeemers Love Hope Has Come I Will Glory In My Redeemer Blessed Be Your Name Here In Your Presence Your Glory Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) -- Sermon Text: John 11:1-16 That the next generation will set their hope in God and not forget the works of God (Psalm 78:7).

Meditations on the Glory of Christ: He Sits at the Right Hand of God

In Hebrews 1:2-4, the author makes seven claims about Jesus that when taken together greatly exalt his glory. The seventh claim the author makes about the Son is that, having made purification for sins, he now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high. The words “he sat down” set the stage for chapter 7 where we’re taught that Jesus is both Priest and King. Prior to Jesus, no king offered his own sacrifices and no priest sat on the throne of David, for that wouldn’t be right. God had decreed that there should be a separation of powers between the priest and the king, but Jesus, unlike all before him, is worthy and able to fulfill both roles. So, on the one hand, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God after making purification for sins because the sacrifice he offered, namely himself, is sufficient. Other priests were always standing, as we see in chapter 10:11-14, because their work was never done. The blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins, so the priests could...