God's Word for Me Today
Sunday, December 9, 2001
Unwrapping a Christ-Centered Christmas!
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I thank You for a new day of life to worship and serve You! I thank You for the opportunity to gather with brothers and sisters in worship this day, and pray that You will be present among us powerfully through Your Holy Spirit. I pray that You will fill me with Your Spirit that in my worship, in my service and in my times of resting and fellowship, I may bring You glory and honor. Thank You for all of life’s blessings, most of all for Jesus, whose birth we celebrate in just a couple of weeks. May my life be a testimony to His love within me, that all I meet today, may receive Your blessing through me. These things I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word for Me Today: Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! " 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you! 31 You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" 34 Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin." 35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the angel left.
Questions for Reflection
What is your favorite part of corporate worship during the Christmas Season? Why?
How is Christmas more meaningful to you now, than it was when you were younger?
Questions for Exploration
What message from God does Gabriel to bring to Mary? (1:26-28)
What was Mary’s initial response to the message? (1:29)
How did Gabriel seek to comfort Mary, and to take away her confusion? (1:30-33)
How did Mary respond this time? (1:34)
What is Mary’s final response? (1:38)
Questions for Understanding
What is the reason that Mary was chosen to be the Mother of Jesus according to today’s Scripture?
What do we find out about God’s purposes and plan from this Scripture?
What do we find out about angels from this Scripture?
What is the most important single point you take from this Scripture?
Questions for Application
Consider one area of your life where you know that you need to be obedient to God. Ask God to empower you by His Spirit to bring obedience in that area now.
What one practical action does Mary take in today’s Scripture that you also need to take to be more faithful in your walk with the Lord?
Don’t Be Frightened!
Nearly every time an angel appears in the Bible, among his first words are, “Don’t be afraid!” Angels must be fearfully wonderful creatures, and yet they don’t come close to the fearfully wonderful nature of God. We often find ourselves afraid of things here on earth: terrorists, tests, illnesses, failure—the list goes on and on. Yet, God’s messengers always tell us, “Don’t be frightened!” Jesus told us not to be afraid of anyone or anything that has no power over our soul. The only one who has such power is God. Therefore, we are to fear Him. The Good News is that we don’t have to fear Him, because He is FOR us. He sent Jesus to destroy all our cause for fear—the sin that destroys our souls, and to give us a new life! That’s what Christmas is all about. As we walk through this Christmas season, may we remember that we never have to be afraid, because Jesus is for us, as Christians Jesus lives in us—and that means fearless living in a fear-filled world. What great news to share. What a great gift to give! Jesus! May this Christmas season find us filled with JOY—the joy of Jesus—so that the angel’s words, “Don’t be frightened,” may be lived in our lives every moment!
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