Christmas: An Important Task
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
46 Mary said: With all my heart I praise the Lord, 47 and I am glad because of God my Savior. 48 God cares for me, his humble servant. From now on, all people will say God has blessed me. 49 God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and his name is holy. 50 He always shows mercy to everyone who worships him. 51 The Lord has used his powerful arm to scatter those who are proud. 52 God drags strong rulers from their thrones and puts humble people in places of power. 53 God gives the hungry good things to eat, and sends the rich away with nothing. 54 God helps his servant Israel and is always merciful to his people. 55 The Lord made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his family forever!
Luke 1:46-55
Memory Verse
Luke 1:42
42 Then in a loud voice she said to Mary: God has blessed you more than any other woman! He has also blessed the child you will have.
Ava remembers when her Sunday school teacher chose her for a special part in a play at her church. She felt so honored to be picked. But as the time for the production came closer, she got really nervous. What if she forgot her lines or made a mistake on stage? What if she just wasn’t good enough? But when it came time, she played the parts she was picked to play. And she really enjoyed it. She learned a lot being in the play and still remembers those lessons today.
Have you ever been chosen for something really special? Maybe like Ava, you got a great part in a play or received a special prize at school. Maybe it was a sports team or your parents trusted you with an important job at home. Whatever it was, how did it make you feel to be chosen? Excited? Nervous? Or maybe you felt something else.
God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. Through Mary, God would bring his son into the world to be the Savior of the world. How did she feel when she first got the news? Maybe she felt scared because she wasn’t even married yet. But Mary trusted God. “I am the Lord’s servant,” she said, “Let it happen as you have said” (Luke 1:38). She even wrote the song that’s in the bible reading today, telling us exactly how she felt,
“With all my heart, I praise the Lord, and I am glad because of God my Savior. He cares for me, his humble servant. From now on, all people will say God has blessed me” (Luke 1:46-48).
What an amazing response to being chosen for such an amazing honor!
Prayer
Lord, thank you for calling Mary to such an important task. Thank you for calling me to follow you as well.Related Resources
Bret Lamsma
Bret Lamsma is the Director of Faith Formation at First Christian
Reformed Church in Denver, Colorado. He has also served churches in
California and Michigan. He has a passion for youth ministry and
intergenerational ministry in the local church. When he isn’t working at
church or writing he enjoys hanging out with his wife and 2 children,
hiking, woodworking, and watching movies.