Archive for the ‘Christ’ tag
December 19, 2010: The Birth of Jesus
The text for this lesson is Luke 2:1–20.
Key Points
- God chose to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the flesh to die for the sins of the world.
- Law: I have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.
- Gospel: In love, God sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for my sin.
- Law: Sin separates me and all people from God.
- Gospel: God sent Jesus to be “God with us,” making me His own dear child.
Discussion Points
- At this time of year, we often hear the plea to “put Christ back into Christmas.” This is good and salutary, since we are inundated and overwhelmed with society’s “Christmas” of commercialism and materialism. But in the Church, should we also make the plea to get “cute little baby Jesus” out of Christmas? Why or why not?
- Did baby Jesus cry? If so, then why do we sing “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes” (LSB 364:2)? If He did make no crying, do we run the risk of soft pedaling His incarnation?
- Read Luke 2:1–7. Why does Luke begin the story of Jesus’ birth with mundane details of the Roman world? How does God use these ordinary, historical human events for His sacred, saving purposes?
- In verses 6–7, what do the details of Jesus’ birth tell us about His entrance into the world and His reception by the world? See also John 1:9–11.
- Read Luke 2:8–15. Luke goes from the low, matter-of-fact reporting of Jesus’ birth to the high, lofty apex of angels proclaiming the message and meaning of Christ’s birth! What are the three parts of the angelic message to the shepherds and what do they mean? See Luke 2:10, 11, 12.
- Compare the angels’ hymn of praise in Luke 2:14 with the song that the crowd sings when Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey in Luke 19:38. What do these two songs teach us about the purpose behind Jesus taking on our flesh and blood? What do they tell us about peace with God?
- Read Luke 2:15–20. In this section of the Christmas story, what reactions can you see to the good news of the Savior’s birth?
- How do the ordinary, even mundane, details of Jesus’ birth help you rejoice in the ordinary, little details of your life in this world?
- When do we get to sing the song “Glory to God in the Highest”? Why is this song a regular, ordinary part of our worship each Sunday, and what does it mean?
- How does the entire Divine Service serve as our weekly encounter with the Christ Child born in Bethlehem? Think of Luke 2:16–20 and the threefold response to the good news of a Savior born to bring great joy.
February 22, 2009: The Transfiguration
The text for this lesson is Mark 9:2–10.
Key Points
- The transfiguration of God’s Son, Jesus, exemplifies the transformation that God gives us. Through uniting us in Baptism with His death and resurrection, Jesus purified and transformed us from sin-filled children of Adam to Christ-filled children of God.
- Law: Though Adam was created in the image and likeness of God, when sin corrupted him, he “fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image” (Genesis 5:3, emphasis added). Sin-filled Adam sired a sin-filled son. And if we ask, “Mirror, mirror of the Law, who’s affected by this flaw?” it will point its reflective finger at us, to all the sin-filled sons and daughters of Adam. As we sing, “In Adam we have all been one, One huge rebellious man; We all have fled that evening voice That sought us as we ran” (LSB 569:1).
- Gospel: The Son of God became a man to make us sons of God. He restored us to the image and likeness of God. No, yet more! He restores and improves that image and likeness. His transfigured flesh, radiating the brilliance of divinity, links us bodily with God Himself as we are baptized into Him, purified, and transformed from the sin-filled children of Adam to the Christ-filled children of God.
