Immanuel: God with Us
Pastor Jim Thomas
Micah 5:2 + Luke 2:1-20
“The church has a recovery program of sorts for lost wonder and trampled anticipation leading toward Christmas. That recovery program is called Advent, which means ‘appearing,’ coming from the Latin word adventus.”
– Matt Erickson
Advent 2023
- Commemorate the birth of Christ
- Saturate in and celebrate the life of Christ
- Anticipate the return of Christ
Week 1
Isaiah 7:14 + Matthew 1:18-25: The Dawn of Redeeming Grace
- A Sign
- A Son
- A Savior
Week 2
Isaiah 9:1-7 + Matthew 4:12-22: The Joy of Every Longing Heart
- Wonderful Counselor
- Mighty God
- Everlasting Father
- Prince of Peace
Week 3
Micah 5:2 + Luke 2:1-20: The Incarnation of the Son of God
- A Divine Invasion
- A Glorious Wonder
- The Greatest Good News Ever
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”
– Micah 5:2
“Despite our efforts to keep Him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin’s womb and an empty tomb. Jesus entered our world through a door marked ‘No Entrance’ and left through a door marked ‘No Exit.’”
– Peter Larson
“The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this… There is no question in Christianity of arbitrary interferences just scattered about. It relates not a series of disconnected raids on Nature but the various steps of a strategically coherent invasion — an invasion which intends complete conquest and ‘occupation.’”
– C.S. Lewis, Miracles
Discussion Questions
- Why would Jesus willingly become one of us—taking our sin upon himself and paying the penalty for us? How will we respond? Will we go and tell?
- How can we bring fresh eyes to the familiar story of Luke 2—making sure that our familiarity with the text doesn’t breed indifference to this greatest good news ever?
- During the clamor of Christmas, what are some practical ways to pause and dwell on the true meaning of it all?
“In a culture that uses this season to get children to dream about how their lives would be made better by possessing a certain material thing, where Christmas has been reduced to a shopper’s nightmare and a retailer’s dream, it is vital to draw the wonder of our children away from the next great toy and toward the wonder of the coming of our great Lord and Savior, Jesus.”
– Paul David Tripp, Come Let Us Adore Him
“The Incarnation may be devastating or rubbish, but if we call it dull, what in heaven’s name is worthy to be called exciting?”
– Dorothy Sayers
“Gospel narratives are telling you not what you should do but what God has done. The birth of the son of God into the world is a gospel, good news, an announcement. You don’t save yourself. God has come to save you… Christmas shows us that Christianity is not good advice. It is good news.”
– Tim Keller, Hidden Christmas
“The nub of the matter is that we have been chosen to be the bearers of good news for the whole world, and the question is simply whether we are faithful in communicating it.”
– Lesslie Newbigin, Evangelism in the City
How did the shepherds respond and how should we respond?
- Wonder
- Worship
- Witness