Sermon Notes December 12, 2021
December 9, 2021

Advent Week 3

Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore, the Lord will give you a sign. The young woman is pregnant and is about to give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel.

Luke 1:46-55
Mary said,
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
47 In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
48 He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
49 because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
50 He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
51 He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
52 He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
54 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
55 just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.”

  1. The theme of Advent week 1 was ?
  2. The theme of Advent week 2 was ?
  3. Mary was or years old.
  4. Do you think Mary was initially filled with joy over the news that she was pregnant?

  5. Mary was from a prosperous town and from a family of means. T or F

  6. Who was Elizabeth?
  7. What was the name of Elizabeth’s child?
  8. How did Elizabeth greet Mary?
  9. The Orthodox church has a special name for Mary. What is it?
  10. What question does that raise in your ife?

  11. Magnificat means

    .

  12. The basic theme of the Magnificat is .
  13. Joseph was a by trade.
  14. What is good news for Mary is not necessarily good news for the .

Who are you more like, Mary or the proud?

Do the lowly feel lifted up by you?

What do you remember as a time when God did “great things” in your life? How do you keep that memory alive?

What helps you to trust in God’s love and care in the midst of confusing or scary circumstances? When have you seen signs that “nothing is impossible with God” (verse 37)?

How willing are you to use your God-given ability to lift the burdens of those who are lowly in parts of life where you are strong?

Scholar William Barclay summed up Matthew’s message: “Jesus is the one person who can tell us what God is like, and what God means us to be. In him alone we see what God is and what man ought to be.” In what ways is Jesus central to your understanding of what God is like?