christmas readingChristmas is a wonderful time of year.  All the lights, decorations, music, movies, and tv specials make for a great season.  But in the midst of all this, we can sometimes miss the boat on the purpose of Christmas. That is why we are doing a Christmas reading challenge.  For 9 days (8 leading up to Christmas and 1 on Christmas day) we are going to walk through the story of the 1st Christmas lived through the lives of all the people involved.

Below is the reading list with a  few questions for each reading.

Day 1 – The Word become Flesh: John 1:1-8

  1. Who is “the Word”?
  2. Does verse 1 matter to you and why?
  3. Who came to bear witness to the Light?

Day 2 – Mary and the Angel: Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:26-36

  1. How does the Isaiah passage link to the Luke passage?
  2. What was Mary’s response to the news the Angel brought?
  3. How does her response challenge you today?

Day 3 – Zechariah and the Angel: Malachi 4:5; Luke 1:5-23

  1. How did Zechariah respond to the Angel? Was this different or similar to Mary’s response?
  2. What happened to Zechariah because of his reaction?
  3. Who’s response do you relate to and why?

Day 4 – Mary and Elizabeth: Luke 1:39-56

  1. How did the Elizabeth’s baby respond when Mary saw Elizabeth?
  2. How did Eizabeth and Mary respond to their time together?
  3. How can you share the great news of Christmas with others?

Day 5 – The birth of John the Baptist: Luke 1:57-80

  1. What happened when Elizabeth wanted to name the baby John?
  2. How did Zechariah respond to the naming of John?
  3. What does this teach us about obedience to God?

Day 6 – Joseph and the Angel: Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:18-25

  1. What was Joseph going to do when he found out Mary was pregnant?
  2. What changed Joseph’s mind?
  3. Have you experienced anything similar in your life and what was your response?

Day 7 – The Shepherds: Judges 6:22-23; Luke 2:8-21

  1. If you were a Shepherd, in the middle of nowhere, how do you think you would respond to Angels appearing?
  2. What did the Angels say to the Shepherds?
  3. How did they respond to this news?
  4. How did you respond when your first heard about Christ?  Similar, different?

Day 8 – The Wise Men: Isaiah 60:6; Matthew 2:1-12

  1. Why was Herod troubled by the birth of Jesus?
  2. What did he do?
  3. What did the Wise men tell Herod?
  4. Did they do what Herod asked them to do?  Why or why not?

Day 9 – Jesus’ birth: Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1-7

  1. What did Isaiah and Micah say about the birth of Jesus?
  2. Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem?
  3. Where was Jesus born?
  4. What do you feel is the most unique aspect of Jesus birth?

Final Reflection Questions:

  1. How has reading these passages about the birth of Christ this past week helped you understand God and this story better?
  2. How has it impacted you and/or challenged you?

We hope you join with us as we read through this plan. Talk about it with your family or someone else from the church. Then share what you learn or what stuck out to you with us below or on social media using #christmasreading.