The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Opening Question: What does Christmas mean to you?

Read Luke 1:26-38 out loud, and then again silently:

26 In the sixth month after Elizabeth had become pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. 27 He was sent to a virgin. The girl was engaged to a man named Joseph. He came from the family line of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel greeted her and said, "The Lord has given you special favor. He is with you." 29 Mary was very upset because of his words. She wondered what kind of greeting this could be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. 31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his father David of long ago. 33 He will rule forever over his people, who came from Jacob's family. His kingdom will never end." 34 "How can this happen?" Mary asked the angel. "I am a virgin." 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So, the Holy One that is born will be called the Son of God. 36 Your relative Elizabeth is old. And even she is going to have a child. People thought she could not have children. But she has been pregnant for six months now. 37 Nothing is impossible with God." 38 "I serve the Lord," Mary answered. "May it happen to me just as you said it would." Then the angel left her.

Word List:
angel Gabriel – God’s top messenger.
virgin – one who hasn’t had a sexual relationship with the opposite sex.
David & Jacob – two of the famous leaders of Israel.
kingdom – a nation ruled by a king.

Discussion Questions:
1. Who can summarize what is going on in this story?
2. List all the information you can find about God in these verses.
3. How would you feel if you were in Mary’s shoes?
4. What is Mary’s attitude in verse 34? How about in verse 38?
5. Do you have any questions about this story?