These daily Advent studies are provided for your personal devotionals or for your daily family Advent devotionals during the evening meal. They are an excellent way to introduce daily Bible readings and discussions at the evening meal. Once begun during the Advent season the tradition can become a lifelong practice of your family. They seek to challenge both you and your children beyond the simplicity and often erroneous information provided in so called Advent calendars and children’s Christmas books. May you find it a blessing and may they be a starting point for your family in daily readings, discussions and meditations on the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God.
(T = True; F = False)
According to the Bible... 63_____ The Christmas Revelation ends with the arrival of the Magi.
64_____ Mary was one of the great witnesses of Jesus in the New Testament Church. Both the Gospels and The Book of Acts has accounts of her ministry and her impact on the early church.
65_____ In the early church pilgrimages were regularly held to the locations associated with the birth of Christ. The Inn, the stall, the manger and most notably the swaddling cloth in which he was wrapped - all become sources of veneration and numerous miracles are associated with these locations and objects.
63F – Luke 2:21 – 40 and continued in Matthew 2:13-23 (The Christmas Revelation ends with the arrival of the Magi.) The Christmas revelation actually ends with Jesus’ family return to Nazareth from the exile in Egypt and His subsequent dedication in the temple with the accompanying prophecies. In Matthew 2:13 & 14, an Angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt and then in verses 19 – 23 an Angel appeared again in a dream to Joseph and instructed him to return to Israel to reside in the city of Nazareth. The Revelation continues on in Luke 2:21 – 40 with the presentation of Jesus at the temple and the prophecies which took place at that time. The Historical Revelation of the “Christmas Story” ends with the return of the Joseph and Mary to Nazareth in Luke 2:40
64F – (Mary was one of the great witnesses of Jesus in the New Testament Church. Bother the Gospels and The Book of Acts has accounts of her ministry and her impact on the early church.) The last mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus is Acts 1:14. There is no Scriptural indication that she played any part in the growth of Christianity nor the expansion of the church. Although in the Book of The Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles numerous women are mentioned as laboring in the church as teachers and laborers Mary’s name, unlike those of his brothers, is consciously absent. From the beginning her actions are in marked contrast with others around her. An example of this can be seen in the Historical Revelation of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:18 – 20. While both the angels and the shepherds are openly proclaiming Jesus Mary is quiet, keeping things to herself.
65F – (In the early church pilgrimages were regularly held to the locations associated with the birth of Christ. The Inn, the stall, the manger and most notably the swaddling cloth in which he was wrapped - all become sources of veneration and numerous miracles are associated with these locations and objects.) From the Scriptural account it becomes obvious that during the years after the life of Christ, the years after resurrection of Christ, the period of the expansion and the establishment of the church and on until the completion of the Scriptures no special mention nor attention was ever given to the geographical events of Christ’s life nor the physical objects associated with His life. You can search both the historical records of the Gospels and book of Acts as well as the writings of the Apostles and holy Scripture and you will not find a single instance of a pilgrimage, miracle nor even interest in the locals and objects associated with the life of Christ. The early church was completely indifferent to these places and objects, the emphasis being placed upon the person of Christ, the Word of God and the ministry of the Church. The obsession of 21st Century Christians with the spiritual, mystical and yes, even magical aspects of pilgrimage locations and objects (as associated with miracles and apparitions) is in stark contrast with the ministry of the early church and Apostles. Both the Apostles and the early church were so indifferent to these pseudo-religious practices that no effort was made to preserve neither the locations of Jesus ministry (Examples Being: The Inn, the manger, the Upper Room, the home of Mary and Joseph where Jesus grew up, the list goes on...) nor the objects associated with His ministry (Examples Being: The manger, the swaddling cloth, the robe, the crown of thorns, the cross, again the list is almost endless.)
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