Session 4
Luke 2:1-15
tell about the best Christmas gift you ever received growing up,
as well as the favorite gift ever given to someone else.
this session is a Christmas-focused lesson outside of Genesis,
but it still fits within the context of “Firsts.”
read the opening paragraph on page 37.
this session focuses on a “first” that serves as
the pinnacle event for every other first-
an incredibly important date circled on God’s calendar of redemption.
The previous session focused on the fall into sin.
Today’s study examines the birth of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah
God in flesh and blood.The child born in Bethlehem was the centerpiece in God’s plan
to remove the sin barrier that had been erected in the garden of Eden.
A key element here is how God took the initiative to restore His relationship with humanity.
He came to earth for all of us.We sometimes form opinions based on what we hear about someone or something.
Then when we actually experience that something or meet that someone, it’s not what we expected.
Ever since the first sin in the garden of Eden and God’s promise of the woman’s offspring
who would defeat the serpent, sin, and death,
there was great anticipation for the coming of this great Conqueror.
However, when Jesus finally came to earth, He came in a very unexpected way. (PSG, p. 37)
Emphasize that Jesus’s arrival was “unexpected,” even though Jews had been seeking the Messiah for hundreds of years.
Today, we’re going to look for evidence that Jesus is the greatest gift anyone can receive from God.
Explore the Text
briefly set the context for these verses and to provide background on the Gospel of Luke.
consider what God reveals about Himself through the birth of Jesus as described in Luke 2.