By James Boice
Theme: Worship That Cannot Be Contained
In this week’s lessons, we look at those in the Christmas story who found Christ and worshipped him in truth.
Scripture: Luke 2:8-20
Many years ago a man heard the Bible teacher Reuben A. Torrey give a challenge like that, and he came up to Torrey afterwards and he told Torrey that he had investigated and Christianity and concluded that there was nothing to it. Torrey challenged the man to read John’s gospel and to pray along the lines I have just suggestion. Torrey asked the man that if after doing these things, he came to discover that the message about Jesus Christ is true, would he trust in Christ and follow Him. The man agreed, but he was still convinced Christianity was a sham.
By James Boice
Theme: The Error of King and Cleric
In this week’s lessons, we examine people in the Christmas story who did not respond to the birth of Christ as they should have.
Scripture: Luke 2:1-7
The second man who missed Christmas was Herod. Herod was the king of Judaea, or as we should more accurately say, an under-king of a border province of the far-flung Roman Empire. There was nothing likable about Herod. He was a sly old fox, guilty of many murders, including at least one wife and three sons. He probably had no religion. He was a cynic. He knew the traditions of Israel, but he only half-believed them if, indeed, he believed them at all. Yet he should have found Christmas, if only because he had such a large stake in the outcome.
By James Boice
Theme: Missing the Birth of the Savior
In this week’s lessons, we examine people in the Christmas story who did not respond to the birth of Christ as they should have.
Scripture: Luke 2:1-7
Few things in life are more tragic than having missed something important for no good reason. Yet this is the experience of many, many people. Early in June 1944, the German general Rommel was strengthening the fortifications of the beaches of western France against the imminent Allied invasion of Hitler s Europe. This was the Rommel who had gained fame as a military strategist in North Africa. He was convinced that in this stage of the war if the Allies should ever gain a foothold in France the war would be lost for Germany. He had done much to put the defenses in readiness, but as the first week of June drew to an end and the weather off the Atlantic coast grew worse, Rommel felt that he could spare a few days away from the feverish action. It was the birthday of h