Lesson 2 – The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Because of Christ, God favored Mary and chose her to be the mother of the Savior.  Because of Christ, God favors us and chooses us to be his children.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Note: Lesson 1 is not used

This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Exploration Guide and the Lesson 2 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees an angel meeting Mary. Also paper and pencil will be needed.

This lesson is about a miracle, a special conversation with an angel.

Watch the video, "Proof".

Does the video convince you that God is real and He loves us? We struggle to believe what we cannot see, but we cannot see because we are not really looking. Creation proves the Creator. The heavens prove His glory. The Son proves the Father. The cross proves His love.

Nature gives evidence that God exists. That's called natural revelation. But only God's Word, the Bible, offers special revelation, evidence of His love, mercy, and grace in Christ Jesus. God's Word is infallible, without error, and tells the truth about God's love for us in Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, open our eyes and hearts to Your work, Your Word, and Your love in Christ Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

God Speaks

Just One Word

 

What do we know about angels?  Angels are real. People do not become angels when they die. The devil and demons are fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4; Deuteronomy 32:17). Angels are messengers of God; wings symbolize this, but angels do not necessarily have them. Angels often take human form (Genesis 19:1; Luke 24:4). Gabriel is one of the few angels whose name the Bible gives.

What does betrothed mean? Many will probably say 'engaged' but it was more than that.  A betrothed person had a formal contract for marriage, usually with a spouse selected by parents. The groom gave the wife and her family gifts, called a dowry or bride price. The wife's family gave money or goods to the new household that returned to the bride in the case of divorce. Betrothed persons were called husband and wife. A woman was called a widow if her betrothed died. Divorce was the only way to dissolve betrothals. Couples did not live together or have sexual intimacy until after a wedding.

The Bible verses for today start out by saying "In the sixth month”. This refers to the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Elizabeth is the wife of Zechariah, to whom the angel announced his son John's birth (Luke 1:24-25).

Follow the directions on Leaflet page 2.

Read Luke 1:26-38

Whom did God send to Nazareth, and why? God sent the angel Gabriel to a give a message to a virgin named Mary, betrothed to Joseph.

Gabriel said Mary was a “favored one". What does this mean? God knew Mary well, just as He knows us well. Mary was a sinner as we are, but because of Christ, God favored and chose her to be the mother of the Savior. God was with her as she experienced the joys and sorrows of mothering Jesus.

How did Mary react when Gabriel appeared? Mary felt greatly troubled and confused about his greeting. She probably felt afraid, since Gabriel said not to fear.

What message from God did Gabriel tell Mary? She would conceive and bear a son, whom she should call Jesus.

What does "conceive" mean? To conceive means to start life in the womb, usually with a female egg and a male sperm, but it was different for Jesus.

What words or phrases did Gabriel use to describe Jesus? Great; Son of the Most High; God will give Him the throne of David; reign over Jacob's house forever; His kingdom will not end.

What one concern did Mary have? "How will this be, since l am a virgin?"

How did Gabriel say Mary would conceive? The Holy Spirit would come upon Mary; the power of the Most High would overshadow her. 

Because of this unusual conception, what did Gabriel say the child would be called? Holy, the Son of the Most High.

What proof did Gabriel offer to show he told the truth? Gabriel said Mary's relative Elizabeth had conceived a son in her old age. She was already six months along. This was a miracle! Nothing is impossible with God!

How did Mary respond? Mary called herself the Lord's servant and agreed (let it be according to your word).

What did Mary's response tell about her? She believed Gabriel's message and received it with faith.

Gabriel said some amazing things about Mary's baby. Here is list what he said from verses 31-33:

• A son: Today, medical advances can let us know a baby's gender before its birth, but not then. Gabriel revealed information that most women didn’t know until their baby's birth.
• Call His name Jesus: Jesus is the English version of the Hebrew word yehoshu'ah, which means "Yahweh is salvation”.  The English spelling derives from a shortened Greek form. In the Greek New Testament, Joshua and Jesus are the same names.
• Great: Above average, wonderful, distinguished, excellent, awesome.
• Son of the Most High: The Bible uses "Most High” as a term for God, who is higher than all pretenders, fake gods, and idols. Gabriel meant that Mary's son would be God's Son, the long-awaited Messiah.
• The Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David: God promised David his son would reign forever, a messianic promise. David's earthly kingdom did not last, but God's Son, born from David's lineage, rules forever. Jesus Christ is our King forever.
• He will reign over the house of Jacob forever: God promised Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, that the Messiah would come from his family. Jacob fathered sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.
• Of His kingdom there will be no end: More messianic language. Only God's kingdom could never end.

Continue with the questions on leaflet page 3 under Who is Jesus, really?

Read Galatians 4:4-5 (on leaflet page) and fill in the blanks.

 Jesus is God's Son.

Jesus came to redeem (buy back) those who were under the law (us) and adopt us as His children.

Jesus, God's Son, redeemed us with a high price when He suffered and died on the cross to pay for our sins. He bought us back from sin, death, and the devil. In Holy Baptism, God adopts us and gives us His Spirit in our hearts.

Continue with In a word, who is Jesus, really?

Read John 1:1, 14 (on leaflet page 3) and fill in the blanks.

Jesus is the Word of God. He is God.

 

Jesus existed before His birth on earth and is God. He took flesh and dwelt among us as God's Son, sent from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is God's Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. More than one word, or many words, Jesus is the Word of God. He is God.

We Live

Gabriel probably surprised Mary, first by appearing and second with his remarkable message: Mary would become the mother of God's Son!

Read "The Annunciation" on pages 6-7 of the Bible Exploration Guide.

How does God show and demonstrate His love to us? By sending His Son into the world to forgive our sins and give us life instead of death. He shows us His love in His Word and Sacraments. We see His love at work among His people, serving with joy and forgiving each other as we've been forgiven.

Mary could have experienced consequences when people found out she was pregnant before marriage.

What proof did Gabriel offer Mary that he told the truth? Elizabeth, Mary's relative, was six months pregnant with a son even though she was old and past childbearing years.

Read the First Petition of the Lord's Prayer and its meaning from Luther's Small Catechism on page 4 of the leaflet.

How do we keep God's name holy? By teaching it in truth and purity and leading holy lives according to it.We teach God's Word as truthfully as we can. We don't add to it or take away from it. The Holy Spirit works to help us accept God's message as true.

Closing

Listen to the video "My Soul Rejoices" .