Advent Week Two
Mundane Would Meet the Majestic: Wonder
OPENER
How would you describe wonder?
Answer: A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.
Remind your group that Advent is a time when Christians look back to Jesus and forward to His return. It’s a time of hope and wonder for believers as we consider all that has taken place in Jesus’ first coming.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective today is to understand that the Advent Season is a season of wonder as we reflex on Jesus’ first coming, and the ordinary circumstances where the mundane meets the majestic.
STUDY:
Have your group read the passages below. As they do, have them take note of the ordinary circumstances and the way those circumstances meet with the majestic and then discuss together with the group. Look for the wonder in it all.
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David. The virgin’s name was May. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asking the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”
Then the angel left her.
Matthew 1:18-23
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel” – which means God with us.
Some Questions to Help you ponder:
- What would it have been like to be visited by an Angel?
- Look at instructions given to Mary and Joseph what catches your attention?
- What about Mary’s and Joseph’s questions, is there anything that stands out to you? What does it tell us about Mary and Joseph?
- Could a virgin birth happen? Did it happen?
Why does all this matter? Because Jesus is our Savior and he relates with us.
Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Question: What does Hebrews tells us to do?
Answer: 1) Hold firmly to the faith we profess. 2) Approach the throne of grace with confidence.
Application:
Live with confidence holding firmly to the faith we profess, live as advent people who look back to Christ first coming and forward to his second coming.