Nativity: Our Lord is Perfect in His Birth

OBJECTIVE

Students will be able to understand the fulfilment of the prophecies in the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Students will also develop the understanding of the perfection of Our Lord Jesus Christ in His Incarnation and Nativity.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes

Students can be shown a rose bud and a full blooming rose. They can be asked to identify any of the differences that they see or perceive. Ultimately, they are to mention the fact that the bud was cut before its optimal time. However, the full flower was cut at the "perfect time."

Relating to the timing of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The last prophet in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible is Micah the prophet. Micah the Prophet predates the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ by 400 years. For 400 years, there was "heavenly silence." People were anxious for the Messiah to come. They had been anxious for centuries.

It was not until the timing during the reign of Herod and Augustus Caesar that the timing was perfect.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son" (Galatians 4:4)
"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law." (Galatians 4:4)
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23)
"And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 20 Minutes

Transition: It was not until the reign of Herod and Augustus Caesar, that the timing was perfect. In addition to timing, Our Lord Jesus Christ was perfect in His Family and His Humility.

Using an organizational chart with three brackets (Timing, Family, and Humility) would help students organize the information.

Perfect Timing - Analyzing the passages below - ask the students to relate them to timing.

Perfect timing in relation to Our Lord Jesus Christ

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Galatians 4:4)
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the Child, His name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before He was conceived in the womb. (St. Luke Ch. 2:21)

Perfect timing in relation to the story of St. Simeon and St. Anna (Luke Ch. 2:25-26 and 38).

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And she (Anna) coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Church tradition holds that St. Simeon was one of the writers of the Septuagint (translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek). The Septuagint was commissioned by the ruler Ptolemy II of Egypt around the year 285-247 BC. It is said that he hesitated to translate the verse from the Prophet: Isaiah 7:14 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive...") and was going to correct it to (woman), an angel appeared to him and told him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ born of a virgin. This would make him well over two hundred years old at the time of the meeting described in Luke, and therefore miraculously long-lived.How old was St. Simeon?

The Perfect Families - St. Zacharias and St. Elizabeth / The Holy Theotokos St. Mary. Important to note that both families were different, even atypical, but nonetheless blessed.

The family of St. Zacharias and St. Elizabeth: Emphasis on: "And they were both righteous before God."

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

St. Zacharias and St. Elizabeth had understood the commandments and ordinances of the Lord God. They were both very old, but did not have any children. In their era, not having children was understood to be a punishment or curse from God. Despite not understanding the purpose of this supposed "hardship" of being barren, St. Zacharias and St. Elizabeth would give birth to St. John the Baptist, conceived despite being old and barren. St. Elizabeth then announced, the Lord "has taken away the disgrace that I have endured among my people" (St. Luke 1:7, St. Luke 1:25).

The family of St. Mary: Emphasis on: "Blessed art thou among women." Not much is known about the immediate family of St. Mary, except that she was raised in the temple.

"And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women" (St. Luke 1:28)
Daughter of St. Joachim and St. Anna
Presented to the Temple at the age of 3 to serve
She served the temple until the age of 12
She heard the word of God for 9 years everyday
She heard the prophecies of the Old Testament for 9 years
Saints Simeon the Elder and Anna were waiting for her return with Our Lord Jesus Christ

Our Lord Jesus Christ is Perfect in His Humility. The following verses in the context of the Nativity, exemplify how He was humble:

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel. (St. Mt. 2:6)
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (St. Luke 2:7)

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

Students will review the three areas of perfection of Our Lord Jesus Christ through His Nativity:

Name one of the stories discussed about timing and how it relates to the perfect timing of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
What are a few similarities and differences between the families of Zacharias and Elizabeth, and the family of St. Mary the Theotokos?
Explain the greatness of the humility of our Lord Jesus Christ: God becoming man, throne to manger, owner of all to no room at the inn, etc.

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

Students will select one of the item below to consider practicing during the week

What to do when your timeline is not aligned with God's? - timing is one of the most difficult items to accept. We can only practice patience and not rush like Sarah (with Hagar) and Rachel (with her handmaid).
Family Matters and You CAN Influence the Family - fasting Wednesdays and Fridays, daily prayer, daily reading of the Holy Bible. Start a practice and explain to your family why you are doing it. Suggest it to the family to practice together. If they do not agree, you do it on your own. In time, the family will participate
Be Humble/Meek - how? - Humble and meekness mean that you are not lacking anything. At the same time, you are not "showing off" to anyone. Students can generate examples such as helping around the house with chores, assisting younger/older siblings, helping grandparents, etc.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

On a post-it note or on a card or paper, students will write one of the items of perfection of Our Lord Jesus Christ in His Nativity. They are to select one or two points and share it with their partner. Then in pair-shares, students will reveal their paper to their partner. They will then discuss why that particular item resonated with them. It is critical to prepare the students to be listeners to their partners by reviewing good listening practices: eye contact, concentration, and gestures.

SERVANT RESOURCES

See attached presentation below