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 Discovery 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 colored pencils or crayons will be needed.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of the Savior to redeem us from our sins. Prepare us for the celebration of Jesus' birth. We humbly ask You to forgive our sins, as we remember that our sins caused Jesus to leave His heavenly home to humble Himself to die for the sins of all people. Keep us close to You in faith as we await Your second coming. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
God Speaks
Review the Faith Words for this lesson on page 4 of the lesson leaflet.
When newspaper reporters write news stories, they frequently answer the questions Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, and What Else to be sure their readers get all of the news.
Read all of Luke 1 and answer those questions about the event described that is known as the annunciation.
Who and Where? (verses 26-27) The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in the town of Nazareth in Galilee.
What? (verses 28-29) Gabriel said, "Greetings,... the Lord is with you."
Why? (verses 30-31) Mary had found favor with God and would bear a son, Jesus.
Who? (verses 32-33) The child will be the Son of the Most High, who will reign on the throne of David forever.
How? (verses 34-35) The Holy Spirit will come upon Mary, and the power of the Most High will overshadow her.
What else? (verses. 36-37) Elizabeth will also have a son. Nothing is impossible with God.
When? (verses 38) According to God's Word; right away.
March 25 is the date this event is observed in the Church Year, because it is nine months before Christmas.
How had Mary found favor with God? Like us, Mary was sinful. But she found favor with God through her faith and trust in His promise. God chose Mary to be the mother of the Savior. Like Mary, we are sinful, but we find favor with God through His Son. We receive the gift of faith through the Holy Spirit at our Baptism. God has chosen us to be His children.
How does the text describe who Jesus will be? Read verses 32-33. Jesus will be great, the Son of the Most High [God the Father]. He will take His place on the throne of David, and His kingdom will never end. He is the Son of God.
Follow the directions under The Birth of Jesus Foretold and The Angel Speaks to Mary on page 2 of the leaflet.
We Live
Why was Gabriel's message so important? Why did Jesus have to be born? Since sin entered the world in Eden [Genesis 3), humankind has been born sinful and separated from God. Jesus is the promised Savior, the one of whom God spoke in Genesis 3:15. Because of God's grace and favor, He sent His Son, our Lord, Immanuel, to be with us and save us from our sin. God must punish sin. God sent His Son to take our punishment upon Himself. God is merciful to sinners
What does Gabriel's message mean for us? God, in the fullness of time, was announcing to the world His plan of salvation for sinful humankind.
Read about angels on pages 4 and 5 of the Bible Discovery Guide.
Scripture identifies Jesus with many names. But no matter what name we use for Him, He is the only Savior. We were separated from God because of our sin. Because of His grace and favor, God sent the Messiah to us.
Look at the many names of Jesus at the end of this lesson.
How does Jesus come to us? Jesus comes with power and with blessing in His Word. He comes in the Word along with the water of Holy Baptism, which gives us life as children of God instead of the death we deserve because of our sin. He comes in the sweet words of forgiveness in the
Absolution after we have confessed our sins. He also comes to us in His true body and true blood in and under the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper, giving us forgiveness and strengthening our faith in Him.
Look at the pictures on page 3 of the leaflet and answer the questions.
In what way is each situation like or unlike that of Mary, who was chosen for an important role in God's plan?
Which of these situations depend on certain abilities or characteristics? All except Baptism
To what extent is the choice in these situations up to us? (We might try out for the team and the play. We might volunteer or not volunteer to say our memory work. But we cannot volunteer to become God's child. Until the Holy Spirit works faith in us through simple water and God's Word, we are enemies of God.
Our amazing God adopts us into His family through our Baptism because of Jesus. Like Mary, we deserve nothing from God because of our sinfulness, yet God grants us unmerited grace and favor because of His Son. God must punish sin; but, in His mercy, God sends His Son to take our punishment. Because of our sin, we were separated from God, but because of God's grace and favor, the Lord is with us. On our own, we are sinful and not blessed; Christ blesses us with His presence, just as He did Mary and Elizabeth. What a great God!
Closing
Read the words of the hymn "If God Himself Be for Me".
Read the items on page for of the leaflet,
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, as we read about how You chose Mary to be the mother of the Savior, we thank You that You have chosen us to be Your children. Help us to be bold witnesses, sharing the news that our Savior comes to us. Strengthen our faith by the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, the name above all others. Amen.
