Listen up, little ones
Especially for the littles in your household.
Listen for the word fear, afraid, angel.
Reading
Luke 1:5-38—Do Not Be Afraid
Optional Reading
Isaiah 41:1-10
Keys for kids
Also for the littles. Young households might choose, after Keys for Kids, to go directly to praise and prayer.
- An angel appeared to Zechariah and Mary.
- That would be scary!
- The angel told Mary and Zechariah not to be afraid.
Questions
(Some read the ?s before the notes/ ask them after.)
- Why was Zechariah afraid?
- Why was Mary afraid?
- What should you do when you are afraid?
Catechism
(1 Q&A each week related to the preaching text)
WSC #21
Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?
The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, for ever.
(1 Timothy 2:5-6; John 1:14; Galatians 4:4; Romans 9:5; Luke 1:35; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 7:24-25)
Notes
(See Saturday for authors.)
The angel Gabriel told both Zechariah and Mary, "Do not be afraid." Why was Zechariah afraid? Because an angel suddenly appeared in front of him! Most people would be scared if that happened. Zechariah was shocked and frightened.
Gabriel's message was meant to comfort him. "Do not be afraid." Those are special words that appear more than 50 times in the Bible. People often feel afraid, but God wants His people to trust Him instead of living in fear.
Mary was afraid too. Like Zechariah, she was surprised and troubled when Gabriel appeared to her. Both of them saw something supernatural, something we don’t usually see. Angels are God's servants to His people (Heb 1:14), but seeing one in person would be more than a little scary!
Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, people have been afraid of God because of sin (Gen 3:10). But Gabriel came with good news. He told Mary, "You have found favor with God." God had chosen Mary for a very special purpose. She would give birth to Jesus who is the source of God's favor and blessing for everyone who trusts in Him.
Swedish Method questions
See the Sunday notes for meaning of the symbols.
Praise
Psalm 27a, 119v
Prayer
- Ask God to help you to not fear, but rather to trust Him.
- Pray for a specific application from yesterday’s sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.