Standalone Christmas Lesson (2023)
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Introduction:
We are blessed in life
Christmas reminds us of this
The blessing of family
The blessing of gifts
The blessing of rest
There are many examples
But the greatest blessings of all come from Jesus
Salvation
Purpose
Christmas reminds us of this
The birth of the blesser
Tonight: the blessings of Christ on believers
Mary’s prayer in Luke 1
Need:
It is easy to feel like our blessings are few and far between in life
Life is hard
People are difficult
We are tired
Easy to think that Christmas is all about “stuff”
Christ’s blessings are better than the “stuff” of Christmas
We need this now more than ever!
Read passage in its entirety first, then break-down
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Context: Mary and Elizabeth
John the Baptist
leaps in her womb when Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting
Elizabeth filled with HS
Blesses Mary
Calls her “the mother of my Lord”
Confirmation of Jesus being the Messiah
This gives Mary joy
Let’s break it down:
The Big Idea: Christ blesses all believers.
The Big Question: How does Christ bless all believers?
He shares mercy (1:50, 54-55)
He gives praise opportunities (1:46-49)
He changes things (1:51-53)
Luke 1:50, 54-55
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Explanation:
Mercy
Not getting what you do deserve
What we deserve: separation from God.
God shows mercy to His people throughout the whole Bible
Mary receives mercy
She’s a sinner, like anybody else
Being blessed despite her simple upbringings
Mother of Messiah = great mercy!
Mercy from Mary to “generation to generation”
Mary’s specific blessing of mercy is an example of the general mercy that God gives to all of His people
“Those who know God and his grace can well echo Mary’s song. We do not have the honor of giving birth to the Savior of the world, but we do have the blessing of becoming one of his children.”
-Darrell Bock, NIV Application Commentary
Same mercy, different examples
The same mercy that allowed the virgin birth to take place is the same mercy that allows the salvation of His people
Mary’s mercy and our mercy are consistent with God’s past mercy
The Abrahamic Covenant, blessing to the nations
Backwards and forwards: from Abraham and to forever
Jesus’ birth reminds us of the gift of God’s mercy
Illustration:
Not great at buying gifts for family
But they show me mercy
Better than any gift under the tree
God’s mercy = even better
Application:
How have you experienced God’s mercy in your life?
Past events? Recently?
How can you experience God’s mercy this Christmas?
Show mercy to others
Show mercy to yourself
Spend time celebrating God’s mercy
The Big Question: How does Christ bless all believers?
He shares mercy (1:50, 54-55)
He gives praise opportunities (1:46-49)
He changes things (1:51-53)
Luke 1:46–49 (ESV)
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
Explanation:
“Magnifies” = “Magnificat” in Latin
That’s what Mary’s prayer is known as
Literally: “to make great”
Think of a magnifying glass
Bringing something into focus
Magnifying God isn’t to make Him great, because He is great. Rather, it is to bring him into focus in our hearts
Using the magnifying glass of our hearts to focus on Him.
Magnifying God became a habit for Mary
She was observant about the ways that God was moving in her life
It should be a habit for us, too
Being amazed with God’s involvement in our day to day lives (Bock)
Magnifying leads to rejoicing
Focusing on God gives us joy
Christmas is a time for us to experience joy by focusing on Jesus’ birth
Humble estate = not rich, simple upbringing
More on this later!
Mary experiences the personal blessing of God as she thanks Him through this unique experience
We experience His blessing too through our own unique experiences
God has done “great things”
The noun version of “magnifies”
The God who is great deserves to be made great in our hearts
His holy “name”
In antiquity, name = whole person
A Holy God
God’s holiness gives us opportunities to praise Him
Application:
What opportunities has God given you to praise Him recently?
How might Christmas this year be an opportunity to give Him praise?
Thank Him for your family
Thank Him for your gifts
Thank Him for your salvation
The Big Question: How does Christ bless all believers?
He shares mercy (1:50, 54-55)
He gives praise opportunities (1:46-49)
He changes things (1:51-53)
Luke 1:51–53 (ESV)
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
Explanation:
Christ’s coming reminds us that we serve a God who changes things
He scatters the proud
He brings down the mighty from their thrones
He lifts the humble up
He feeds the hungry
He makes the rich poor
This points forward to Jesus’ ministry (He wasn’t going to stay a baby forever!)
Not the Messiah that they expected
Not an earthly king
No military power
Not wealthy
The king was a carpenter
Jesus spoke of “the great reversal” on a regular basis
33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.
Things are not always as they seem to the world
The Crucifixion
God died on a tree
His death brought life
And then...
The Resurrection
Death-reversed
Not possible without Jesus’ birth
Born in a manger
The ultimate example of God changing things
Illustration:
Matthew moving into our apartment
Difficult adjustment
Ultimately a blessing (for him and us)
We worship a God who changes things
Application:
What has God changed in your life?
From death to life
From meaninglessness to purpose
Answers to prayer
How can God change your life this Christmas?
Renewed perspective/focus
Season of rest
Be changed and thank God for changing things!
Conclusion:
Christ’s blessings outshine any gift that you will get under the tree this year
Don’t lose sight of what this season is all about
God has blessed you
Thank him, and be a blessing to others
PRAY
Lesson Overview:
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
The Big Idea: Christ blesses all believers.
The Big Question: How does Christ bless all believers?
He shares mercy (1:50, 54-55)
He gives praise opportunities (1:46-49)
He changes things (1:51-53)
Small Group Questions:
What are you looking forward to the most this Christmas?
What is your favorite part about Mary’s song?
What are some of the different ways that God has shown you mercy in your life?
How can you use this Christmas break as an opportunity to praise God?
What has God changed in your life? What would you like to see him change over Christmas break?