December 13 Family Christmas Questions / Advent Study
Here are the next questions for your family Christmas Study or Advent Study. They are followed by a creative idea on keeping Christ in your family Christmas. One great benefit of doing this with your family is that it will become a tradition which transcends the Advent Season whereby you do a short daily Bible study as a family at every meal throughout the year. Answer each question True or False. According to the Bible… 20) _____ While the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the name of the Angel which appeared to Joseph is not recorded in Holy Scriptures.
21) _____ At no point did Mary hear directly from God concerning the birth of Jesus.
22) _____ Mary was selected by God because of her righteousness and piety to Him. She was above all a woman worthy of this honor and was chosen because of her deep faith and devotion to God
Keeping Christ In Christmas - Christmas Ornaments and the Gospel Eleanor has kept this tradition up since our first Christmas tree, that being “Gospel Ornaments”. Our tree is basically a family story tree. Each ornament has some special meaning from our 38 years of marriage and ministry together. Others date back to our childhood. Our children, grandchildren and friends often ask us about a particular ornament and there is always a story to tell. Because of this it is easy to then point our ornaments that have to do with the Gospel of Salvation and share a little about each one. Let me encourage you to search out ornaments that tell the story of Jesus birth, and the plan of salvation. This includes the truths… - Sin separates us from God - Sin results in death - Death leads to judgment - Christ paid the penalty - We have eternal life in Christ - We have a new and abundant life in Christ - We look to our going to heaven and His coming to us. One great way to come up with these ornaments is to have your children make them. They will be a little unusual and people will inevitably ask about them. You can say actually they tell the story of our keeping a Christian Christmas and then you walk them through the gospel. At Christmas parties in which you invite non-Christian friends, family, neighbors and co-workers you can tell a little about the tree, point out ornaments from your family and personal history and then share the gospel with your ornaments. If your children have made some you can call on them to tell what their particular ornament means. (Always prepare them for this and let them practice in front of the family.) Remember, keeping Christ in Christmas is not about forcing non-Christian merchants, politicians and school officials to celebrate Christmas . Keeping Christ in Christmas is the sole responsibility of Christians , Christian families and the Church, which is the bod y of Christ here on earth. The question is not, “What is Wal-Mart doing to keep Christ in Christmas?” The question is, “What is my family doing to keep Christ in Christmas and to share this good news with others.
The Answers to today’s Advent Questions - 20. T – (While the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the name of the Angel which appeared to Joseph is not recorded in Holy Scriptures.) Matthew 1:20 only indicates that “an Angel of the Lord” appeared to Joseph, while Luke 1:26 – 28 does record that Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel.
21. T – (At no point did Mary hear directly from God concerning the birth of Jesus.) Mary first hears from Gabriel in Luke 1:26 – 33; from her cousin Elizabeth in Luke 1:41 – 45, who confirms her baby as the promised Messiah; from Joseph in Matthew 1:18 – 25, when the message is also confirmed as a result of the revelation to Joseph by an Angel in a dream; from shepherds in Luke 2:8 – 20, who bring word of the divine nature of Jesus; from the Magi in Matthew 2:10 & 11, who attest to His Deity; finally from both Simeon (:25) and the prophetess Anna (:36) in Luke 2:21 – 38 who attest to His being the Messiah. At no time did God directly speak to Mary as He had done in the past on momentous occasions such as Noah and the building of the Ark in Genesis 6:13 or Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:4.
22. F - In Luke 1:26 – 28 & 38 (Mary was selected by God because of her righteousness and piety to Him. She was above all a woman worthy of this honor and was chosen because of her deep faith and devotion to God.) Mary is referred to as a “virgin” and as the “favored one”. It is proclaimed to her that “the Lord is with you”, and she submits with “behold the bond slave of the Lord”. Her life has many high points in the Holy Scriptures and there is nothing to indicate that her life before the birth of Christ was anything but as should befit a good Jewish girl. There are high points in Mary’s faith such as her submission to God at the announcement of her immaculate conception (Luke 1:38 “Behold the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”) and her prayer of praise upon her meeting with Elizabeth (Luke 1:46-56). Mary’s humble submission and faith is in stark contrast to Zacharias’ lack of faith in Luke 1:18 – 22.
Equally true, though, is that there is no indication from scripture that she was anything other than a Jewish girl who responded in faith and obedience to God. There is nothing in the Word of God to indicate any special virtue or piety on her part that determined God’s selection of Mary to bear the Messiah. She was not mentioned in any special way as were... Zacharias and Elizabeth, “righteous and blameless in all their ways” (Luke 1:5 & 6) Joseph “being a righteous man” (Matthew 1:19; Simeon “this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2:25), The Prophetess Anna who gave herself to worship, fasting and prayers, both recognizing Jesus and proclaiming His deity. (Luke 2:36 - 38)
The veneration of Mary, particularly her sinless nature as taught in the doctrines of her own immaculate conception and immaculate ascension into heaven has no Biblical base and is not recorded in Holy Scripture. Pope Pius the Second, announced these doctrines in 1854. Before this time none of these special aspects of Mary were held by the Church. The mythological and apocryphal teachings concerning her sinlessness, her own immaculate conception, her miracles, her ascension, her ability to receive prayers and mediate between man and God and her role as co-redemptress with Christ are alien to the Holy Scripture and have no basis in the divine revelation of the Word of God.
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