Sing: Go Tell It On The Mountain
Reading: Luke 1:57-66
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
Summary (for your preparation): We go back to John the Baptist and witness the excitement surrounding his birth. Zechariah hasn't spoken a word until a family argument breaks out over his name. In one corner we have tradition calling out for Zechariah jr. In the other corner we have the angel of the Lord who is pulling for John. Zechariah has already felt the sting of his unbelief and he has had nine months to grow from it. Thus, he settles the debacle when he pulls out the ancient iPad. No Wi-Fi was needed to settle this score. Zechariah was determined to listen to God's word. He had learned his lesson, the punishment was lifted, God had forgiven him, and his tongue was flapping again to make the sound of praise unto God. This was quite dramatic for those who participated. So much so that it made the headlines in the Judea Hill Country Tribune and gone viral on youtube. In other words, we know John the Baptist was going to prepare the way for Jesus...but God was using Zechariah to capture the attention of the world to pay attention to John. The lights are starting to dim...the main act, the birth of Jesus, is getting close.
Teaching Tip: To begin your discussion time do something that is a little odd and out of the ordinary. Make sure it is appropriate and not too distracting. The idea is that the odd-ness of your action will captivate your children's attention and pique their curiosity, much the way Zachariah's sudden speech piqued the curiosity about John. One idea is to use some paper and a sharpie. For the first part of your devotion only communicate with your family by writing everything down. In fact, use the paper to call your family to devotion. Walk around, not saying anything, only writing "it is time for family worship, please get your Bible and sit down on the sofa..." Then write, "can you please pray for us to begin our time?" Then write, "I have something very important I want to say to you all but before I tell you, please open up to Luke 1:57-66. Can someone please volunteer to read this?" After reading it, your children will likely make the connection. You should write one last thing on your paper: "His name is John." Then you can begin talking!
Questions/Responses:
Why couldn't Zechariah talk? He didn't believe the Word of God
What were the people arguing over? What the name of Elizabeth's baby would be
Zechariah couldn't be a part of the discussion so they argued more and more, and more and more, until finally...what happened? Zechariah wrote the baby's name down
Where did Zechariah get the name "John" from? That is the name the angel of the Lord wanted for him
We should always listen to God. What happened when Zechariah wrote that the baby's name should be John? He got his voice back
What does this tell us about God? God is merciful and gracious. He forgives our sins and only disciplines us when we go astray because he loves us and wants us to trust in Him
What happened when Zechariah got his voice back? Everyone was shocked and even scared. They realized God was at work. They ran out and told everyone what had happened
How did God use Zechariah for his own glory? God used this strange thing to capture everyone's attention and make them realize that John was going to be a very special baby with a very special role...to get people ready for Jesus!
What are some of the ways God proved that there is no one else like him through this story?
Prayer and Ending
Prayer: Father in heaven, you work in mysterious ways and your wisdom and understanding is unsearchable. Only you could use two people like Zechariah and Elizabeth to get the attention of the whole area. We see how you were beginning to prepare the way for your son, the Lord Jesus, to enter the world. Help us to feel the excitement of his arrival and help us to see how you worked in very great ways to capture our attention for Jesus. May you be worshipped and praised this Christmas for the many ways you have proved you are the only living God. AMEN
Comments
Post a Comment