Lesson Three Broken Expectations The Birth of Jesus Luke 2:1-20
Read Together Hymn #374 Gentle Mary Laid Her Child (LSB) Gently Mary laid her child Lowly in a manger; There He lay, the Undefiled, To the world a stranger. Such a babe in such a place, Can He be the Savior? Ask the saved of all the race Who have found His favor.
Into the Bible Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph’s broken expectations In Matthew we read about a man named Joseph who was pledged to be married to a woman named Mary. At an appointed time Joseph would gather his family and friends to walk to Mary’s parents’ house. Mary would be dressed in her finest clothes and a ritual of giving Mary to Joseph would commence. A large celebration with several days of feasting would occur. At the end of this time Mary would enter Joseph’s home a married woman. Joseph, Mary, family and friends anticipated with joy this coming event.
Read verse 18 Joseph’s expectations were broken. What news did Joseph receive? (Mary was pregnant.) This was not supposed to happen. Joseph and Mary had kept their relationship pure.
Read verse 19 What was Joseph going to do? (Divorce Mary) A little explanation is needed here There were no sexual relations during a Jewish betrothal period, but it was a much more binding relationship than a modern engagement and could be broken only by divorce. Why did Joseph want to divorce Mary? (He knew the baby was not his baby.) FYI: Public disgrace was more than just public disgrace for an unwed pregnant woman. If the news got out, Mary would bring shame to her family. The community would stone Mary to death. Joseph hoped by divorcing Mary quietly her family and her life would be saved. Joseph was devastated.
Read verse 20-21 What unexpected event occurred in Joseph’s life to change his mind? (The angel of the Lord visited him in a dream.)
Read verses 22-25 What did Joseph do with Mary? (took her home to be his wife but did not have sexual intercourse with her)
Luke 1:26-38 Mary’s broken expectations Getting married was as big of deal in 0 B.C. as it is today. I am sure Mary eagerly anticipated her marriage to Joseph. She probably watched him as he created a home in which they would life together as husband and wife. Her family was busy preparing for the wedding feast. Life was good and peaceful.
Until….
Read Luke 1:26-27 What happened to Mary? (Gabriel, angel of God, came to Mary.)
Read verses 28-29 How did Gabriel greet Mary? (You are highly favored by the LORD.) How did Mary react to this greeting? (She was greatly troubled.) Why do you think Mary was greatly troubled? (Answers may vary: Mary didn’t know what it meant to be “highly favored by the LORD”. Mary may have asked herself, “Who am I that an angel would visit me?” ) Read verses 30-37 Here we read the angel’s message. Mary is to conceive (get pregnant) and have God’s Son, not a son of Joseph, her betrothed. I wonder what thoughts went through Mary’s mind. What would she tell her parents? Tell her family? Tell Joseph? What about the community? Would she be stoned? Many of Mary’s expectations of getting married and having Joseph as a husband were breaking. How would you feel? What words would you say to the angel?
Read verse 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said”. Then the angel left her. What would take for Mary say this? There is no indication in the Scriptures that Mary paused even for a moment before her response. (Mary had complete faith in God that He would provide and take care of her.)
Luke 2:1-20 Israel’s Broken Expectations Gently Mary laid her child Lowly in a manger Can this baby in a manger be the Savior? Remember, God’s people were living under Roman rule. They wanted God to be their ruler and King. KING! The people remembered Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, To us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, PRINCE of Peace.” The prophet Jeremiah writes in chapter 23:5 ‘“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, a KING who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.”’
At 0 B.C. God’s people wanted relief from the tyranny of Roman rule. God promised them a Savior who would be a king with the government upon his shoulders. It was to be a king who would reign wisely. The Israelites expected a king who would lead the people out of the slavery of Roman rule such as Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Read Luke 2:1-2 Who is in control of the people? (Caesar Augusts, Roman emperor)
Read verses 4-5 Why did Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem? (To be taxed. Joseph was a descendant of King David. {Matthew 1:1-16]) Now read Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel. Why did Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem. (answer: Bethlehem was the town where King David had been born. God promised David that one of his descendants would be the promised Savior. GOD WAS IN CONTROL of the birth of Jesus, not the Roman government. God used the Roman government to accomplish HIS purpose.)
Read verses 6-7 After all the travel and time, the baby was to be born. Where were you born? (Answers will vary. In a very clean hospital with a nurse and a doctor attending to all the needs of you and your mom.) Now, under normal circumstances, the baby would have been born in a home that had been cleaned. Where was this baby born? (in a stable, implying there were or had been animals present in this space shortly or during the birth of Jesus) Once born the baby would have been laid by the mom, who would have been rested in a bed. Where was Jesus placed? (in a manger. The straw in the manger would have insulated the manger a little, keeping the baby warm but not as warm as being snuggled up close to mom in a comfortable bed.)
Read verse 8-20 Now the shepherds were out in the field watching the animals. They expected a quiet night but that is not what they got. In verse 9-14 unexpected angels show up in the sky, singing and praising God. They tell of the birth of Christ – the promised Messiah. Life was never going to be the same for these shepherds.
As soon as the angels left, what did the shepherds do? (hurried to Bethlehem to see Joseph, Mary and the baby.) After seeing the baby, what did the shepherds do? (verse 17-18) (The shepherds told everyone they met about the baby.) Hymn: Gently Mary laid her child Lowly in a manger
Can this baby in a manger be the Savior? Let’s revisit the expectations of the Israelites. What were some of their expectations of the Messiah? Re-read Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, To us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, PRINCE of Peace.” What were some of their expectations of the promised Savior? (Someone in power in a political way – like a king. He would control the government.)
The Israelites expected a child to be born. Where would this child, a king, be expected to be born? (In a palace/castle; in the capital city of the country; to parents who were royalty)
Who would be some of a king’s first visitors? (Very important people such as other kings, dignitaries, important people.) Where was Jesus born? (Bethlehem – very small, insignificant town. In a stable/barn where there were animals. To very common, poor parents)
Who were Jesus’ first visitors? (Shepherds – who were the lowest of the lowest of workers. No body ever chose to be a shepherd. Animals were dirty and smelly. You would spend long hours by yourself walking through hills and valleys. You put your life at risk when a wild animal threatened the flocks. Shepherds were people who couldn’t find work anywhere else.)
God’s Expectations The events surrounding the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah, were just the beginning of broken expectations by the Israelites. But let’s pause just a moment and explore these broken expectations.
Mary and Joseph had certain expectations when they became betrothed. These were broken but God did not break Mary and Joseph. Rather God raised them up to become more than was humanly expected. Over 2000 years later we still talk about this otherwise unknown couple in history. They lived as an example to us when we have broken expectations. Mary’s words to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” can give us strength when we face broken expectations. Joseph put aside his expectations so Mary would have the care and support she needed. By submitted to God, they were both blessed beyond all human expectations. By listening to God and submitted ourselves, we also can be blessed.
The Israelites were tired of the Roman government. They wanted a political “savior”/king to remove the Romans. David had been a king so why shouldn’t they expect a king similar to David. But God knew that His people and all mankind lived under a more deadly and harmful ruler – sin. Remember God promised Adam and Eve a savior after they had sinned in the Garden of Eden. God had a bigger picture in mind for the Savior of the world. God’s Savior/King would remove sin and evil from our world and restore it to the created order. No earthly human king could do this. Man’s expectations had to be broken.
God expects perfection and He, through his Son, once again makes the world perfect. Our joy in broken expectations is the joy of submitting to God for His perfect expectations for our lives.
Verse Luke 1: 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we often think we know what it best for ourselves. We think “if only…” instead of being like Mary. Mary had plans for her life. She also knew and loved you. She humbled herself to be your servant and you protected her and provided for her. Help us to humble ourselves to you. Help us to trust you to always to what is “good” for us. We thank you for breaking our expectations so that we have a life with you. In the name of our Savior, Jesus. Amen
Optional Learning The Christian Calendar and Christmas The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in the United States to track days, weeks, months, and record seasons. This calendar was developed to keep track of time as we experience the movement of the sun around the earth. The calendar is divided into four seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. It is also divided into twelve periods of time called months. Each month has a set number of days ranging from twenty-eight days to thirty-one days. I tell you this, which you probably know, to contrast the Gregorian calendar with the Church Year Calendar.
If you have a Lutheran Service Book, turn to page x-xi to see the Church Year laid out. Otherwise, I will give a brief explanation of this calendar.
This calendar is different because it has been built around the life of Jesus and the Holy Scriptures. Below is a chart to complete to help you see the differences. Please fill in the blanks.
Gregorian Calendar Church Year Calendar Divided into _______ seasons. Divided into __3__ Times Divided into _______ months Divided into __7__ seasons Divided into ________ days Divided by Sundays
In this lesson we will look deeper into The Time of Christmas. The Time of Christmas has three seasons Advent Season four Sundays before Christmas Christmas Season Christmas: One day divided into four times Christmas Eve Christmas Midnight Christmas Dawn Christmas Day Two Sundays Epiphany Season Up to eight Sundays (number determined by the date of Easter.)
The word “advent” means “coming”. During these four Sundays we read the Scriptures that point us to the “coming of the Savior”; past, present, future
The day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the day when God entered as a man into the human world, The Nativity of LORD is so important we divide the day into four time periods. These are based on the ancient world of “watches of the night”. A person, a watchman, would stay awake for a set period of the night to watch for danger. Each watch was about 3-4 hours in length. At the end of his watch, a new watchman would relieve him of duty. Thus, The Nativity of our LORD is divided into four watches and specific readings from Scripture are read during each separate watch. (Not always observed inthe Lutheran Church.)
Why do you think it would be important to “keep watch” on the night we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ? (Answers will vary but the essence of this practice is to acknowledge we can expect the unexpected with God. Although Jesus lived on earth and went to heaven, He promised He would come again. We keep watch for his Second Coming to sing his praises as the angels did the first nativity.)
The Time of Epiphany is the celebration of the manifestation/appearance of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. It is commonly referred to as the “Season of Light” Read Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. If you are NOT a Jew, you are a Gentile. This is the time we celebrate Jesus coming for ALL PEOPLE, not just God’s chosen people, the Israelites. Why is Christmas December 25?
The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336AD, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December.
In 336 AD the winter solstice was December 25. It was the shortest day in the year. Think about your entire town without electricity or any other forms of light. It was be pitch black. You would not be able to see your hand if you placed it in front of your face. How do you think you would feel? (Scared?) This was a scary time of the year. And with short days for a long period of time and lots of darkness, people became fearful and easily frightened. Just when the earth was at it’s darkest time, our eyes turn to the heavens to see the glory of God coming to earth. This was a great comfort to a people who did not have light.
Darkness can be more than physical. Think about a time when something bad happens to you in your life. The world seems to be a dark place even if the sun is shining brightly. God is there to be the light for you. We can thank God He has sent His Light, HIS Son, to bring us light so we can see our path.
Together read through the following hymn.
Hymn #337 The Night Will Soon Be Ending LSB
The night will soon be ending; The dawn cannot be far. Let songs of praise ascending Now greet the Morning Star! All you whom darkness frightens with guilt or grief or pain, God’s radiant Star now brightens And bids you sing again.
The One whom angels tending Comes near, a child, to serve; Thus God, the judge offended, Bears all our sins deserve. The guilty need not cower, For God has reconciled Through His redemptive power All those who trust this child.
Yet nights will bring their sadness And rob our hearts of peace, And sin in all its madness Around us may increase. But now one Star is beaming Whose rays have pierced the night: God comes for new creation This child its seal and sign.
God dwells with us in darkness And makes the night as day; Yet we resist the brightness And turn from God away. But grace does not forsake us, However far we run. God claims us still as children Through Mary’s infant Son.
