‘Til He Appears

Luke 1:26-38-The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Trish Haq

December 3, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

   1.    What do you enjoy most about the Christmas season?

  2.    What kinds of things help you to find awe and wonder in the Christmas story? Does this come easily for you, or is it a struggle? What               kinds of things get in the way of experiencing awe and wonder at Christmastime?

  3.   What’s one thing you’d like to do this December to put the Christmas story at the centre of your Christmas celebrations? Share some            ideas of how to reflect more deeply on what it means that Christ has come, and will come again.

  4.   Now, take some time to read through the stories of the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah (Luke 1:5-25) and Mary (Luke 1:26-38). What                  similarities can you find between these two stories?

  5.  What differences do you notice between these two stories? What do these differences help us to see about the uniqueness of what               God is about to do in Mary’s life, and for the whole world?

  6.  Read Genesis 17:1-8, 15-22 together. What similarities do you notice between the story of Abraham and Sarah, and the story of                         Zechariah and Elizabeth?

  7.  Take some time to notice the genealogical details of these 3 stories. In what ways are they connected?  What do the stories of                        Abraham and Sarah, and Zechariah and Elizabeth help to illuminate about Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel, and the                            significance of Jesus’ birth?

 8.  Old Testament prophesies promised that God would raise up a King from the line of David, whose reign would have no end. In light of            this, what is the significance of Joseph’s lineage, and what does this tell us about the significance of Jesus?

 9.  Reflect on the questions that Zechariah and Mary ask (Luke 1:18, 34). One reveals doubt, the other faith. In what ways can you relate to            each of these?

 10.  The angel tells Mary that “no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37, NIV). The NRSV translates this verse to say “for nothing will be                      impossible with God”. In what ways can this truth offer us hope? In what ways is it difficult to believe?

 11.   Mary responded to the angel with great faith, saying “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:35). Reflect on             Mary’s situation. Imagine what she might have been thinking and feeling in that moment. In what ways is her response surprising? In             what ways is it inspiring? 

 12.  God invites us all to participate in His Kingdom work in some way. In what ways are you eager and ready to respond to God’s unique             call in your life with faith and trust in Him? In what ways do you think you might be tempted to hold back or express doubt? What next           step can you take to be more openhearted to God’s call in your life?

Pray for each other out of the points discussed. Pray for God to expand and grow your faith, and your sense of mission in the world. Pray that you would each have the capacity to experience the wonder of the Christmas story in a fresh way this Christmas season.