Thursday, December 15, 2011

Bible Study Summary - Upcoming Sunday's Scriptures



Sermon (Dec. 18)  – “Christmas Around the World: Vietnam”

Luke 1:46b-55

-         What news would make you celebrate with dancing and singing?  That’s what is going on with Mary and this Magnificat scripture. (Latin word for magnify)
-         Why such happiness?  The birth of Jesus is the beginning fulfillment of Israel and God’s salvation story.
-         Almost every word of the Magnificat comes from the Old Testament which Mary and Elizabeth would have known by memory from their Jewish upbringing.
-         Echoes from the Old Testament include Samuel and the Hannah story.
-         The story of Christmas is a story of the beginning of God’s good news in Christ!
-         Question: When we celebrate Christmas, is our focus only on a cute baby story or on the bigger story of the launch of God’s good news through Christ?

Luke 1:26-38

-         This is an amazing story.  Mary conceives through the Holy Spirit.  Just as this story is amazing today, it would have been equally amazing for them.  Even without modern day science, the ancients  knew that this conception was beyond explanation.
-         Unlike ancient myths of virgin birth stories that lack purpose, this virgin birth story happens because of God’s love and God’s desire to redeem the world. 
-         The virgin birth story sometimes gets more attention than the crucifixion/resurrection stories.  Just look at how popular Christmas is in our culture!  The Apostle Paul never mentions the virgin birth story and it only appears in two of the four Gospels.
-         The main message of this story is that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised King of Israel.  And this King is also God’s Son which reminds us that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.  See II Samuel 7:14, Psalm 2:7, Psalm 89:27
-         Far from a heart-warming baby story, this is an explosive story of how this newborn King is the launch of God’s kingdom in rescuing the world from sin and death once and for all.
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