Think of the barren women we encounter in Scripture.
Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel in Genesis, Hannah in 1 Samuel, and here, in Luke 1, Elizabeth to name a few. Have you ever wondered why God chose to use so many barren women in the story of Scripture? He did so because He wanted to make a point.
If you were God and were forming a brand new people, would you choose Sarah, an older barren woman? Not likely. And then would you follow that up with two other barren women—Rebekah and Rachel—within the first generations? Again, not likely.
Life from Death
And that is exactly why God chose these women—He wanted to make it obvious that something special was going on. He wanted people to pay attention because they were beholding something unique. God brought forth life from dead wombs to form a people. He brought forth life from Hannah’s dead womb to bring forth the final prophet before the advent of the monarchy in Israel. And here, in Luke, He used a dead womb to bring forth John the forerunner of Jesus. John’s birth narrative should draw our attention back to what God had done to form a people—a people through whom He promised to provide the deliverer—the snake crusher. But at the same time, John’s birth should draw our attention forward to what will follow—another unexpected birth, that of Jesus.
The Greatest Birth Miracle Ever
Each of these barren women giving birth was miraculous, but make no mistake that they all fall short of the miracle of the birth of Jesus by the virgin Mary. Barren women, even older barren women, giving birth is amazing, but someone could consider these pregnancies unlikely but possible. But the pregnancy of a woman who had never been with a man is not unlikely, but rather impossible—apart from the work of God.
After 400 years of silence, God was speaking to His people again in a powerful way. The birth of John was designed to open the eyes and ears of Israel, but the birth of Jesus was designed to open their mouths agape and their hearts anew to the gospel message He would proclaim.
*Devo from Pastor Brian, from The Gospel Project.
#JesusJams for today!
---> And here's this week's story!!
Christ Connection: When Zechariah believed God’s word, he praised God. John was born to prepare the way for Jesus. John would point people to Jesus, and they would praise God for keeping His promise to send the Savior.
If you have a bible at your house, you'll be turning to Luke chapter 1 to read with your family this week! If you don't have one, that's okay! CLICK HERE.
OPTION 1: Zipped lips Task your group with completing a challenge, such as lining up by age, acting out their favorite TV show, or using their bodies to make different shapes on the ground. Inform the kids that they may not speak while completing the challenge. SAY • Wow, that was difficult! We spend a lot of time speaking to communicate, and it’s tough to get our ideas across without talking. Today, we will learn about a man who doubted God and couldn’t speak until God kept His promise to send a baby boy. How would you feel if you couldn’t speak for nine months?
OPTION 2: A job to do Gather the kids to sit in a circle. Show the different tools or pictures of tools and ask the kids to raise their hands if they know what the tool is designed to do. Call on a kid and let her describe the tool and what it does. Suggested tools: hammer, soup ladle, padlock, pencil SAY • Each of those tools was designed with a specific job or purpose in mind. A hammer is great for pounding in nails, but it wouldn’t work well for serving soup. Today we will learn about a baby boy whom God had big plans for. When this boy grew up, God used him to prepare the way for the Messiah. How might someone prepare the way for the Messiah?
OPTION 3: Point the way Instruct the kids to sit in a circle. Select a kid to stand outside the circle. He will close his eyes while you give a button or other small object to one of the kids in the circle. She will hide the button in her hand or underneath her. The goal of the kid whose eyes are closed will be to figure out who is hiding the button. Before he opens his eyes to do so, silently select a kid, who will always point to the correct kid. Inform the others that they may point to whomever they wish. Invite the first kid to open his eyes and look to see who is pointing to whom. Challenge him to guess who is hiding the button. Play additional rounds as time allows. Select new kids to hide and find the button, but ensure that the kid who always points correctly stays the same. SAY • In that game, a lot of kids were pointing in different directions, but only one kid in each round was definitely pointing the right way. John was born to prepare the way for Jesus. Everyone who listened to John was pointed in the right direction—toward Jesus. In our lives, we need to be sure the people we listen to and follow are pointing us in the right direction too—toward loving and obeying Jesus.
