Introduction

  • Acts 17:16-23

Discussion opportunities

  • Current events may give us opportunities to start religious discussions.
  • John 4:10
  • John 6:32

“Yes, Christ’s birth WAS amazing!”

  • Luke 1:32-35; 2:10-20
  • This had been God’s plan for a long time.
  • Matthew 1:22-25

“Peace is a wonderful blessing!”

  • Luke 2:13-14
  • Matthew 10:34-36
  • Romans 5:1

“It’s weird that a tradition started about His birth when it’s His death that’s really emphasized in the Bible.”

  • I Corinthians 11:23-26 – Jesus left instructions for how we are to remember His death.
  • We don’t know precisely when Jesus was born. It was probably not in winter.
  • Over time, various facts from the scriptures have been mixed and confused in the modern traditions. For example, the wise men came to a house not a manger. Also, we have no indication that they were kings.

“Have you ever thought about when Jesus grew up?”

  • Mark 1:21-22
  • Luke 17:10
  • Matthew 19:9
  • Many of Jesus’ teachings angered people. Baby Jesus doesn’t challenge us, but grown-up Jesus does!

“Why doesn’t your church do a special Christmas service?”

  • “Well, we honor the birth of Jesus just as much as any other part of the gospels. But in Mark 7, Jesus warned about authorized practices transforming into unauthorized human traditions, and so we try to respect that warning. We want to worship only in the ways authorized in the New Testament without adding to or taking away from it.”
  • Mark 7:1-8
  • Deuteronomy 12:32
  • Mark 9:2-10 – The transfiguration.
    • What if we decided to celebrate a day for Jesus’ transfiguration?
    • II Peter 1:16-18
    • We have no authorization for celebrating such a day in a religious manner!