Theme: The Need for Saving Faith
We see the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherd, Mary, and the angels.
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
It is most common in our day to look at the birth of Jesus as a charming little story, somewhat like the story of Peter Rabbit or Peter and the Wolf. People who think like this would regard it as something we tell children but that no one is expected to take very seriously. It is just a nice little tale to tell at Christmas. Again, other people look at the birth of Jesus Christ as a myth. A myth is a fanciful story that contains important weighty truths, especially spiritual ones. People who think like this might think of the nativity stories as teaching important lessons: the frailty of human beings, the necessity of family values, the need for hope, and such things.
I am sure you understand that looking at the birth of Jesus in that way is actually to look in unbelief, the very opposite of the way the characters themselves looked at it. And it is to miss the point entirely. Joseph saw Jesus as Israel’s king, the shepherds as a Savior of the poor, Mary as God incarnate. The angel, with the most perfect insight of all, proclaimed Jesus to be the “Savior” who is “Christ the Lord.” They were all right, and those truths are what you also need to see, as well as to trust Jesus as your own personal Savior. If you do, you will praise God for him.
Study Questions:
How is considering Christ’s birth a myth looking on in unbelief?
Are there any ways in which even the church can trivialize the holiness of the meaning of Christmas by things it does around this time of year?
Review this week’s lesson by writing down the perspective of each person mentioned: Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherds, Mary, and the angels.
Reflection: What perspective do you have of Christ and Christmas?
For Further Study: To understand more about competing perspectives, and the importance of seeing how our worldview needs to be determined by our relationship with the Lord as our Shepherd, download and listen for free to Richard Phillips’ message, “My Lord, My Shepherd.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
