Posts with the category “wonder”

The wonder of heaven & earth colliding Luke 2:25-3525 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to p...  Read More

The wonder of heaven & earth colliding Luke 2:8-208 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ...  Read More

The wonder of heaven & earth collidingLuke 2:6-76 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.I love how Luke, the doctor, makes this moment sound so perfect and serene.  It is nothing like what I experienced in the birthin...  Read More

The wonder of heaven & earth collidingLuke 2:1-51 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPEN QUESTIONSThink back to Christmas’ of old, and a gift that you wanted so bad you could taste it.  What was that gift and do you rememb...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:8080 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.Ahh, and we are left at the end of Luke 1 with our equivalent of “To Be Continued…” Luke sure knows how to tell a story in a way that leaves us wanting more. What did he do in the wilderness?  Where were his parents and did they li...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:67-7967 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. 69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, 70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. 71 Now we will be saved from our enemies...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:65-6665 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.Awe, wonder, fear, even dread, fell among those who knew what had tak...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:57-6457 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. 58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth s...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:46-5646 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.51 His mighty ar...  Read More

The wonder of anticipation Luke 1:39-4539 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and yo...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPEN QUESTIONSHave you ever done something that you thought was impossible for you to do?  Stand up and give a speech? Kill a spider? Jump...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:3838 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.I doubt that Mary fully understood all the implications of what the angel Gabriel told her in this moment.  Like the Christmas song, “Mary Did You Know,” I think there were a whole lot of things that Mary had no idea about.Did sh...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilitiesLuke 1:35-3735 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born 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 has conceived a son and is now in her sixth m...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:3434 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”Throughout Scripture, it is common for someone who receives a call from God to first look at themselves and see all the reasons why they can’t possibly do what God has called them to do.Sarah was too old.Moses was a scared stutter..Jeremiah was too young.Isaiah was too sinful.Zechariah...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilitiesLuke 1:30-3330 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will n...  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:28-298 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.Here again, as in the story from last week, an angel appears onto the scene; heaven and earth collide, and a human is allowed to peak behind the curtain into the realm of the kingdom of God....  Read More

The wonder of possible impossibilities Luke 1:26-2726 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.Luke is setting us up for the fulfillment of a long awaited prophecy.  He’s mentioned the promised predecessor, John the Baptist (ak...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPEN QUESTIONSWhat is one of your favorite things about the Christmas season?  What’s one of your least favorite things?HEADRead Luke 1:5-...  Read More

The wonder of a promiseLuke 1:23-2523 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”A few years ago I was at a conference in another country, at a place where they were a little m...  Read More

The wonder of a promise Luke 1:21-2221 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.It’s taken me a long time to admit it, but I am a talker.  When I was little, my ol...  Read More

The wonder of a promise Luke 1:18-2018 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is...  Read More

The wonder of a promise Luke 1:8-178 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to ...  Read More

Isaiah 7:1414 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)Isaiah 9:2, 6-72 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The governme...  Read More

I don’t know what you were taught growing up, but in my household, Christmas was a magical time filled with all kinds of wonder.As soon as Thanksgiving was over and the Christmas decorations started coming out, my heart began to beat faster, wild with anticipation. I believed in all the stories I was told about Christmas - Santa Claus and the elves at the North Pole, Frosty the Snowman, and yes, e...  Read More