🌟 The Gift of Place 🌟 Message 6
The Christmas story is about real people: Mary and Joseph, Zachariah and Elizabeth. But it’s also about real places: Bethlehem, Judea, a stable and a manger. All those places and spaces and locations in the Christmas story, they all matter. And they all say something about Jesus.
Scriptures | Luke 2: 21-35
Eight days after Jesus was born, this took place:
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Question 1 | You don’t have to have heard the sermon from Sunday, but if you were in church, watched online, what stuck with you?
Question 2 | Jeremy shared four takeaways from this scripture. First takeaway: “God is doing more than we realize.” To Mary and Joseph, Simeon seemed to come out of nowhere. But in fact, God had been speaking to Simeon for a LONG time! Question: How might it help you, in your life today, to remind yourself that “God is doing more than you realize” in your life, and in the lives of those around you?
Question 3 | Second takeaway: “Simon and the Spirit.” Simeon is mentioned three times in this scripture… but so is the Holy Spirit! In fact, the Holy Spirit plays a major role in the Christmas story (on your own, look up how the Holy Spirit interacts with the following Christmas characters: Mary, baby John the Baptist, Zachariah, Elizabeth, and now Simeon). Bonus: Simeon’s name means “Listen!” Question: Who are those around you listening to? And more importantly, who are you listening to? Who has your ear? Who has your heart? Who has your attention right now? And what helps you, like Simone, to listen to the Holy Spirit?
Question 4 | Third takeaway: “Blessings and Burdens.” Simeon correctly identified the blessings of the Messiah, but he is one of the first in the Christmas story to warn of the burdens; The hardships, the difficulties, the downfalls, the “sword to the soul” that Mary specifically would experience. Question: How would you describe some of the “blessings AND burdens” of following Jesus? Have you experienced any firsthand?
Question 5 | Fourth takeaway: “People need the Lord, and people need a place.” After Jesus, God did not live in a temple (a building), God lives in people (believers like us). Question: How has this place (Circle) been a gift to you? And how can you share the gift of this community, and more importantly the gift of Jesus, with others?
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