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Celebrating Advent - December 2

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Sing: One or two songs of your choice

Reading: Luke 1:5-7

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

 Summary: God is beginning to set the stage for the birth of John the Baptist, which ultimately is setting the stage for the birth of Christ. The role of John the Baptist was, generally speaking, to prepare the way for the arrival of Jesus (we will address this a little more down the road). Today, we can pay attention to Zechariah and Elizabeth and how God demonstrated his faithfulness to them.

Teaching Tip: Don't read the summary to your family/children. Use it as a guide to direct their thinking. Ask many good questions to stimulate thinking. The goal of a good teacher is to bring the learner to observation of the text and so arrive at their own conclusions. The responses written in below don't have to be recited word-for-word, they are a guide for the teacher. 

Questions/Responses:

 Who are the main characters in these verses? Zechariah and Elizabeth. 

 What do we know about them? They lived in the days of Herod (a wicked king). Zechariah was a priest. Elizabeth was barren. They were righteous before God and followed God's Word. Thy were getting very old and they never had a child. 

 What does it mean that they were blameless? Does this mean they never sinned? No. All have sinned, except for Jesus, he never sinned. Blameless means that they desired to please God, keep his word, and then repent when they did sin. 

 Do you think it was hard for Zechariah and Elizabeth to trust God even though they never could have a child? Yes, it probably made them sad and this makes it hard to trust God when difficult things happen. However, they did trust in God and believed that he was still good.

 Do you think they prayed that God would give them a child? Even though we are not told that they did pray for a child it is a safe bet to assume they did desire this. They have been waiting for a long time!

 What does it mean to be barren? It means that Elizabeth was unable to have children. 

 Why does the writer want us to know that they were very old? They were too old to have a baby. Even if Elizabeth wasn't barren she would still be too old to carry a baby. Having a baby would take a miracle. 

 What does this story teach us about God? It shows us that nothing is impossible with God. He is sovereign, which means he has the right, the wisdom and power to do all that pleases him. God hears our prayers and he answers them in his own timing. God is always good and we can always trust him.

 For Older Children: If your children are older and have the ability to handle more you might consider asking them if they can think of other women in the Bible who were barren but still had a child. Hannah is an excellent example and one with parallels to Elizabeth and John. Just as Samuel anointed/prepared the way for David to be king over God's people, John also prepared the way the king that David was pointing to, Jesus!

 Prayer and Ending

 Suggested Prayer: Father in heaven, we are thankful to you for how you work in our lives and in the lives of your people. We give you praise for how you showed your power and wisdom through Zechariah and Elizabeth's life. Help us to trust in you and follow you all the days that you give us life. May we not believe the lies of the devil. Instead, strengthen us in our faith to always trust that you are good and you are loving no matter what we face in our lives. We pray that you will prepare our hearts to receive Jesus this month and that we would always remember that he is going to return for his people that are trusting in him. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen

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