Thank You Lord God that we have all been born as children, and we have grown and been brought up through infancy and youth. We praise You that this was right for Your Son Jesus as well, and we ask You to help us value our childhood and youth through which we learned so much: AMEN
Use these for group work, or to assist your personal reflection.
- What does this passage of Scripture tell us about the coming of Jesus into the world, and about God’s salvation?
- In what ways does the Lord gloriously reveal Himself to people today, particularly people who are not Christians?
- How important is it for us to hear God’s message as being one of ‘peace’, and what does this mean?
Topis covered by this text
- Salvation and time
- The appearance of angels
- The Messiah, and His connection with David
- The angelic host praising God
Personal comments by author:
We should all be on the lookout for what the Lord would like to reveal to us today, and we will miss Him if we are tied to a routine of life either mentally or spiritually which means that we cannot see or hear the new things that the Lord longs to do in our lives. I know that most people live their lives by routine, but surely, our lives are pitifully demeaned if we are cut off from the possibilities of God’s grace and the surprises of His call. Let us be open and alert to how He wishes to reveal Himself to us now!
Ideas for exploring discipleship
- Look back on those times when the Lord has appeared to you in some way. Has this been strange or has it been ordinary? Now consider how the Lord might need to appear to you today in order to make you sit up and take notice! What would it take to make you change what you are doing and give attention to something completely different?
- Pray for the church and pray that the message of Christmas will not be forgotten now that the church ‘calendar’ moves on in the New Year. Make a New Year’s resolution to remember some feature of the Christmas story from now until Easter
Please refer to the general advice on the page ‘discipleship challenges’
The notes below are offered to help you think about the challenges of God’s Word. Read the notes and suggestions below, but don’t try to follow through any more than one thing at any one time!