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Celebrating Advent - Lesson 6

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Sing: Joy To The World


Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

 (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Summary (Focus on verses 22-25): Yesterday we saw that Joseph was comforted by God and instructed to take Mary as his wife. Today we see that God fulfilled a promise he made a long time ago and that his presence with us is the ultimate cure to our anxiety.

 Activity: Have you ever been really excited about something and waited a long time for it? What was it? How do you feel when that time arrives and the waiting is over? Excited? Joyful? Nervous? Well, today we get to hear about a time that people waited a long long time for, a time where the waiting was finally over!

Questions/Responses:
What is a prophet? Prophets were men that God chose. Prophets spoke words to God's people. Prophets spoke about things they heard from God. Prophets told about things that were going to happen in the near and far future.

 Which prophet is Matthew talking about? Isaiah

 How long have the Israelites been waiting since Isaiah spoke to them of the birth of Jesus? About 600-700 years!

 Wow! Thats a long time! What name does Isaiah give him? What does his name mean? Immanuel - God is with us. 

 Mary and Joseph got fearful. They got nervous. What did God want them to know? God is with us!

 What does God want us to remember when we get scared? God is with us!

 What does God want us to remember when we sin? God is with us. God provides salvation!

 What are some things that God's promise tells us about God? God is faithful...God is powerful to keep his promises...God is wise to know when to fulfill his promises...

 Can we trust God always? Yes! We should put all of our hope in God's character. 

 What does Christmas remind us? God is with us!

Prayer and Ending
Heavenly Father, we thank you for being with us. Please help us to remember that you have sent your son to this earth and you are always with us in Christ through your Spirit. We pray that you will help us to remember this when we are fearful and when we are anxious. We pray for great confidence in believing that you are with us and that Christmas is a reminder of this. AMEN!

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