December 15th, 2023
Let’s prayerfully read a familiar Christmas passage of the Gospel Matthew chapter 2, verses 1 -12.
Let’s ask several individuals– “What does Christmas mean to you?”
How might King Herod respond to this question? – He may have an angry response because he was being threatened by an infant king.
How do you think the residents of Jerusalem would respond? – They may have been stirred with hope for the coming Messiah.
How do you think the chief priests and scribes would respond? They may respond with a yawn and a sigh; they lived a few miles from Bethlehem and were so filled with apathy that they did not even go to investigate.
How do you think the Wise Men would respond to this question? Imagine what they experienced as they beheld the Christ-child. Put yourself in the text in Vs. 11 & 12.
Christmas is special because of the Joy of God revealing Himself to man. These magi were decedents of the wise men who encountered the prophet Daniel in Babylon. Prophesies were passed down to them of the coming king with an eternal kingdom. The same joy the wise men experienced in this text is the joy that Jesus offers to us today. Jesus prayed for you to experience joy in John 17: 13 – “that they may have my joy completed in them.”
Write a prayer expressing the joy of your heart that God has revealed Himself to you through Jesus Christ. Reflect on John 1: 18. ______________________________________________.
Let’s ask several individuals– “What does Christmas mean to you?”
How might King Herod respond to this question? – He may have an angry response because he was being threatened by an infant king.
How do you think the residents of Jerusalem would respond? – They may have been stirred with hope for the coming Messiah.
How do you think the chief priests and scribes would respond? They may respond with a yawn and a sigh; they lived a few miles from Bethlehem and were so filled with apathy that they did not even go to investigate.
How do you think the Wise Men would respond to this question? Imagine what they experienced as they beheld the Christ-child. Put yourself in the text in Vs. 11 & 12.
Christmas is special because of the Joy of God revealing Himself to man. These magi were decedents of the wise men who encountered the prophet Daniel in Babylon. Prophesies were passed down to them of the coming king with an eternal kingdom. The same joy the wise men experienced in this text is the joy that Jesus offers to us today. Jesus prayed for you to experience joy in John 17: 13 – “that they may have my joy completed in them.”
Write a prayer expressing the joy of your heart that God has revealed Himself to you through Jesus Christ. Reflect on John 1: 18. ______________________________________________.
No Comments