Luke 1:1-25
Over the next few weeks leading up to Christmas we will be reading the Christmas story as told by Luke in chapters 1-2 of his Gospel. This will be our final bible study series for 2022, before we take a break over January.
What connotations does the Christmas story bring up for you? What memories do you have of reading (or even performing) this story as a child?
How well do you know Christmas according to the Bible? Play this fun True or False Quiz together to find out!
Read Luke 1:1-25
What do you notice about the way Luke tells this story? What does he seem to be most focused on?
The introduction to Luke sets our expectations - we expect to hear the story of Jesus. Yet the name "Jesus" doesn't appear until 1:31, and Jesus himself doesn't arrive until 2:7. Why do you think Luke begins his Gospel this way?
God has a long history of giving children to women who long to be mothers. You might like to read about Sarah in Genesis 21; Rachel in Genesis 30 & 35; the unnamed wife of Manoah in Judges 13; and Hannah in 1 Samuel 1.
What do these previous stories have in common with the story of Elizabeth - what might Luke's readers expect of John, considering the importance of the lives of Isaac, Jacob, Samson and Samuel following their miraculous conceptions.
Consider Zechariah. What sort of man was he? What impact did God's grace have on him in this story?
Have you ever experienced the grace of God in ways that are surprising or even shocking? Share your stories together to encourage one another.
Now consider God. What is He up to in all of this? How does God's big story interact with Zechariah and Elizabeth's ordinary lives?
What does this show us about the way God's big story might impact on us?
We often think of ourselves like we're the main character in a story - but to what degree is our life story about us, and how much is it part of the bigger story about God?
Spend some time reflecting on your own story, and the ways in which you have been swept up in the grace-filled story of God's work in the world. Ask God to give you a vision of your life from His point of view.