December 25, Jesus

Day 26, December 25

Persons: Jesus

Theme/Event: Birth of the Messiah

Symbol: Manger

Luke 2:1-20

¹ And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
¹⁴ “ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

The wait is over! Jesus was born! The King of Kings has come to earth. God’s plan was fulfilled. God’s promises have come true. It is so fitting that God would choose shepherds to witness the birth of His Son. Jesus came to earth and obeyed His Father in all things. Jesus would restore the relationship with God that was broken when Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus would show us God’s character in human form. Jesus would defeat Satan and death.

Someday Jesus will redeem the world He created. Jesus will make all things right, he will wipe away every tear, there will be no more death, no sorrow, no crying (Revelation 21). Someday every knee will bow before Jesus, the King of Kings. We will have to wait a little longer for these things. God’s timing is not our timing. But, we have learned that God always keeps His promises. God always fulfills His plans. We can trust Him with everything. Until then, we can say what God’s people have been saying throughout the ages, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’!

Revelation 22:20-21

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

December 22, Zacharias

Day 23, December 22

Persons: Zacharias

Theme/Event: Anticipation

Symbol: Tablet and chalk

Do you remember Zacharias from last night? The angel told him that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a baby in their old age. For Zecharias, this was a hard thing to believe.

Luke 1:18-22

¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
¹⁹ And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. ²⁰ But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. ²² But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

We must always remember that nothing is impossible with God. He has fulfilled so many promises when it seemed that it couldn’t be done. No thing is too hard for God. Because Zacharias did not believe the angel, he wasn’t able to speak and tell others about the miraculous event which was about to happen.

Luke 1:59-79

⁵⁹ So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. ⁶⁰ His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”
⁶¹ But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” ⁶² So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.
⁶³ And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. ⁶⁴ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. ⁶⁵ Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶ And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷ Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
⁶⁸ “ Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
⁶⁹ And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
⁷⁰ As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
⁷¹ That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
⁷² To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
⁷³ The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
⁷⁴ To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
⁷⁵ In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
⁷⁶ “ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
⁷⁷ To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
⁷⁸ Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
⁷⁹ To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

When the baby was born, Zacharias obeyed the Lord and named the baby John. As soon as he obeyed, he was able to speak again. As soon as he was able to speak, he praised God. He told of the promises God has kept to David, Abraham and to all his people. And Zacharias talked of God’s plan for John’s life. John would prepare the people to meet Jesus.

Questions:

• Is anything too hard for God?
• Do your words praise God?
• How can you help people meet Jesus?

Prayer: Dear God, help us to always praise you and tell others of what you have done for us. Thank you for doing the impossible.

December 21, Elizabeth

Day 22, December 21

Persons: Elizabeth

Theme/Event: Joy

Symbol: Elizabeth

Elizabeth and Zechariah had not only been waiting for their Savior. Elizabeth and Zechariah had been waiting for a baby.

Luke 1:5-17

⁵ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
⁸ So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The Lord had heard their prayers! They were to be blessed with a son, a son that would be great in the sight of the Lord and who would prepare the people for Jesus’ coming. What incredible joy to be a part of God’s plan! And part of God’s plan was for Elizabeth and Mary, Jesus’ mother, to spend some time together while they were pregnant.

Luke 1:39-45, 57-58

³⁹ Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”… ⁵⁷ Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. ⁵⁸ When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

Everyone who heard about God’s plan was filled with joy. John, while still a baby in his Mommy’s tummy, leaped for joy when he heard Mary’s voice. All of Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her when John was born. There is incredible joy when something we have waited for a long time happens to us. We can have joy in hard times, knowing that God keeps His promises and His plans for us are always good. What joy we can have in knowing that because Jesus came to earth, God is always with us.

Questions:

• What is joy?
  
• Why was Elizabeth joyful?
  
• What are you joyful for?

Prayer: Dear God, help us to be joyful. Thank you for giving us so many reasons to praise You.

December 20, Mary

Day 21, December 20

Persons: Mary

Theme/Event: The Hope for a Future

Symbol: Mary and Gabriel

We have been talking a long time about Jesus’ ancestors. Tonight, we learn about Jesus’ mother. The nation of Israel had been waiting a very long time- waiting for their true King, their Savior, the one who would restore all things since the sins of the first ancestors, Adam and Eve. The time was finally at hand. God’s plan for saving His people from their sin once and for all was coming true.

Luke 1:26-38

²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
²⁹ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”
³⁸ Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

What a wonderful message Gabriel told Mary! God’s people had hope once more! God was going to send His Son to be born on the earth as a baby. That baby was going to grow up and establish His kingdom, a kingdom that would have no end.

Luke 1:46-55

⁴⁶ And Mary said:
“ My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
⁴⁸ For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹ For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
⁵⁰ And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
⁵⁵ As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

Mary remembered the promises of God to Israel and to Abraham. Mary remembered how God had shown his mercy to generation after generation of her ancestors. Because of this, Mary obeyed God without hesitation and called herself the servant of the Lord.

Question:

• Which story do you remember that we have talked about where God kept His promise?


• Do you remember a time when God kept a promise to you or your parents?


• What did Mary say when Gabriel told her God’s plan?

Prayer: Dear God, help us to always remember your faithfulness to us. Thank you for giving your people hope.