Seeing Generosity in the Christmas Story

Mary – Gave the gift of her future.

Luke 1:29-35, 37-38 (NLT) Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God…For the word of God will never fail.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Jeremiah 29:11a (NLT) For I know the plans I have for you…

Joseph – Gave the gift of his reputation.

Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV) This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

The Shepherds – Gave the gift of their time.

Luke 2:8-11;15-17 (NLT) That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.

The Wise Men – Gave gifts of their treasure.

Matthew 2:7-12 (NIV) Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Jesus – Gave us the gift of salvation.

Luke 19:10 (NLT) “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Talk It Over

• Mary was young, poor, female-all characteristics that, to the people of her day would make her seem unusable by God for any major task. But God chose Mary for one of the most important acts of obedience he has ever demanded of anyone. We can often feel that our ability, experience, or education makes us an unlikely candidate for God’s service. Do you limit God’s choices? How can you learn to trust God, and not limit his use of you for his glory?

• Joseph faced a difficult choice after discovering Mary was pregnant. Perhaps Joseph thought he only had two options: divorce Mary quietly or have her stoned. God gave a third option-marry her. This had not occurred to Joseph. God often shows us there are more options available than what we think. Can you recall a time in your life where God showed you another option?

• Read Luke 2:8-15. The shepherds were terrified, but their fear turned to joy as the angles announced the birth of the Messiah. Jesus is your Messiah, your Savior. Do you look forward to meeting him in prayer and in his Word each day? Have you discovered a Lord so wonderful that you can’t help sharing your joy with your friends?

• Wise men brought gifts and worshipped Jesus for who he was. This is the essence of true worship-honoring Christ for who he is and being willing to give him what is valuable to you. What ways do you worship God? Do you give him the best you have to give or is your time with God more of an afterthought? If so, how can you work on giving God your best?

Parents: As a family using Google Maps, look at the modern-day streets of Bethlehem. Ask the question: What do you think Bethlehem was like when Jesus was born?