Next Step: Study & Share

Third Sunday of Advent 12.13.20 NEXT STEP: STUDY & SHARE READINGS PRAYER OF THE DAY Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Stir up the wills of your faithful people, Luke 1:46b-55 (alternate) Lord God, & open our ears to the words of He has lifted up the lowly. (v52) your prophets, that, anointed by your Spirit, we may testify to your light; through Jesus 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Christ, our Savior & Lord, who lives & John 1:6-8, 19-28 reigns with you & the Holy Spirit, one God, now & forever. Amen. SERMON TEXT- Luke 1:46b-55 46[And Mary said,] "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, & holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, & lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, & sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham & to his descendants forever." LISTENING TO . . . GOD- Christian life is rooted in the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit 1. The Psalm (this week the Magnificat) is a response/meditation/reflection on the first reading (usually from the Old Testament). What connections do you find between the Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 & Luke 1:46b-55? How does the Magnificat interpret the first lesson? Remember to include themes, imagery/illustrations, & inversions/reversals/“mirror images.” 2. Consider other miraculous pregnancies/births in the Bible- Sarah & Isaac (Genesis 18:9-15), Manoah’s wife & Samson (Judges 13:2-24), Hannah & Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-20), Elisha & Shunamite woman (2 Kings 4:8-17), Elizabeth & John (Luke 1:5-25) (consider also Isaiah 7:10-17 & your Bible’s footnotes). How do they illustrate what Mary proclaims in the Magnificat? Bonus: how do they show that God is God of the living (Matthew 22:31-32; Mark 12:26-27; Luke 20:37-38) & not an old superstition of the lifeless past? How do they give evidence for the truth of Jesus’ promised return? See Deuteronomy 32:3-6; Matthew 24:4-8; Mark 13:5-8; Galatians 4:19-29; Revelation 12:1-6 EACH OTHER- Sharing & growing with our brothers & sisters in Christ 3. The Magnificat, Mary’s song in vv46b-55, is one of the most beloved passages in Scripture. What do you find enlightening, edifying, & encouraging in it? What makes it relatable to believers not in the “first-world” of economically developed nations? How about believers in the past, not living in representative democracies? 4. The Magnificat also holds a mirror up to us so that we may see ourselves, warts & all. Where is the Lord preparing you for Jesus’ arrival by calling you to repent of being the king of the hill, top of the heap? Your pride? Power? Prestige? Privilege? Pedigree? Personality traits (flaws)? Position? (misdirected) Passion? (misguided) Purpose? Impiety? Ambition? Greed? What awaits your failure to repent (vv51-53)? See 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; 2 Peter 2:1-10a NEIGHBORS- Bearing fruit for those not yet our brothers & sisters 5. In their traditional daily prayers Christians have sung & prayed Mary’s song each night. How does such constant exposure to these words develop a heart for the things she sings about? How does it lead away from the church as “country club”, “hen house”, “look out for #1” mentality of congregational maintenance, not outward mission? 6. When she was pregnant with Jesus, Mary left the safety of her home to visit Elizabeth; how can your congregation provide a safe “home away from home” for vulnerable everyday folks on the move?

KEY VERSE: She gave birth to her firstborn son & wrapped him in bands of cloth, & laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)

-NEXT STEPS MEMORY VERSE- I am sending my messenger before you, who will prepare your way before you. (Matthew 11:10)

Prayer of the Day from SundaysandSeasons.com. Copyright 2020 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies license SB140201. Scripture is reprinted from New Revised Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Devotion prepared by Rev. Jared Stillions. Copyright 2020; may be reproduced & shared for personal, non-sale use, provided this copyright notice is included. Third Sunday of Advent 12.13.20 NEXT STEP: STUDY & SHARE READINGS PRAYER OF THE DAY Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Stir up the wills of your faithful people, Luke 1:46b-55 (alternate) Lord God, & open our ears to the words of He has lifted up the lowly. (v52) your prophets, that, anointed by your Spirit, we may testify to your light; through Jesus 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Christ, our Savior & Lord, who lives & John 1:6-8, 19-28 reigns with you & the Holy Spirit, one God, now & forever. Amen. SERMON TEXT- Luke 1:46b-55 46[And Mary said,] "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, & holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, & lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, & sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham & to his descendants forever." LISTENING TO . . . GOD- Christian life is rooted in the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit 1. The Psalm (this week the Magnificat) is a response/meditation/reflection on the first reading (usually from the Old Testament). What connections do you find between the Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 & Luke 1:46b-55? How does the Magnificat interpret the first lesson? Remember to include themes, imagery/illustrations, & inversions/reversals/“mirror images.” 2. Consider other miraculous pregnancies/births in the Bible- Sarah & Isaac (Genesis 18:9-15), Manoah’s wife & Samson (Judges 13:2-24), Hannah & Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-20), Elisha & Shunamite woman (2 Kings 4:8-17), Elizabeth & John (Luke 1:5-25) (consider also Isaiah 7:10-17 & your Bible’s footnotes). How do they illustrate what Mary proclaims in the Magnificat? Bonus: how do they show that God is God of the living (Matthew 22:31-32; Mark 12:26-27; Luke 20:37-38) & not an old superstition of the lifeless past? How do they give evidence for the truth of Jesus’ promised return? See Deuteronomy 32:3-6; Matthew 24:4-8; Mark 13:5-8; Galatians 4:19-29; Revelation 12:1-6 EACH OTHER- Sharing & growing with our brothers & sisters in Christ 3. The Magnificat, Mary’s song in vv46b-55, is one of the most beloved passages in Scripture. What do you find enlightening, edifying, & encouraging in it? What makes it relatable to believers not in the “first-world” of economically developed nations? How about believers in the past, not living in representative democracies? 4. The Magnificat also holds a mirror up to us so that we may see ourselves, warts & all. Where is the Lord preparing you for Jesus’ arrival by calling you to repent of being the king of the hill, top of the heap? Your pride? Power? Prestige? Privilege? Pedigree? Personality traits (flaws)? Position? (misdirected) Passion? (misguided) Purpose? Impiety? Ambition? Greed? What awaits your failure to repent (vv51-53)? See 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; 2 Peter 2:1-10a NEIGHBORS- Bearing fruit for those not yet our brothers & sisters 5. In their traditional daily prayers Christians have sung & prayed Mary’s song each night. How does such constant exposure to these words develop a heart for the things she sings about? How does it lead away from the church as “country club”, “hen house”, “look out for #1” mentality of congregational maintenance, not outward mission? 6. When she was pregnant with Jesus, Mary left the safety of her home to visit Elizabeth; how can your congregation provide a safe “home away from home” for vulnerable everyday folks on the move?

KEY VERSE: She gave birth to her firstborn son & wrapped him in bands of cloth, & laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)

-NEXT STEPS MEMORY VERSE- I am sending my messenger before you, who will prepare your way before you. (Matthew 11:10)