Christmas Eve

More from Behold

Teaching Notes

Behold: to gaze, to wonder, to look at “someone or something until something has been grasped of the significance of that person or thing.”

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. (Behold) I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:9-12

If we have any intellectual integrity, we must ask the question—what child is this?

What child is this?

  • Whose life DIVIDED history.

"I am a historian, I am not a believer. But I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history."

- Historian, H.G. Wells

  • Whose teaching DIRECTED humanity.
  • Whose death DEFIED reality.

 

"The resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing."

– Frederick Buechner

If this baby really is Immanuel (God with us), what does this tell us about God?

What does this child tell us about God?

  • God is PERSONAL.
  • God is APPROACHABLE.
  • God is PRESENT in the mess.
  • God is a PROMISE-KEEPER.

What are we to do with this child?