Pastor Ralph

Why was it important for Jesus -- and for us -- to grow "in favor with God and men" (2:52)? How is our relationship with people vital to our spiritual growth?

What does it mean that "the grace of God was upon him"? (2:40) Why was this necessary for Jesus? Why is it necessary for us?

Why did Jesus have to obey parents who were his spiritual inferiors? (2:51) How can our inability to submit to authority be crucial in our spiritual relationship with God?

Why was Jesus so engrossed in the Temple? (2:46-49) How was this interaction with Jerusalem's top teachers important for his own development? How did this represent something that was absolutely necessary for him to do? How did this relate to his calling?

2. How do you evaluate Jesus' carelessness in not going home with his parents when they left Jerusalem? (2:43-44) Was Jesus at fault or they? What is the difference between an error in judgment and sin, if any?

1. Since Jesus was already the Son of God, why did he have to "grow" in understanding and wisdom? (2:40, 52)

5. What expectations do Simeon and Anna have of the Messiah's salvation? What does this have to do with Jerusalem? With the Gentiles? With Jesus' own life? What kind(s) of salvation does Jesus offer today?

4. What place do praise and thanksgiving have in Simeon's and Anna's lives? What does this say about them? How do we nurture these in our lives? Why does our culture see long periods spent in prayer as wasted? How did Anna see it?

3. What did Simeon's and Anna's righteousness, devotion, and praise have to do with their sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's voice? What are some of the reasons that we can't hear God?

2. If Simeon and Anna had never seen the Messiah, in what ways might their lives have been important? In what might your life be important to God?

1. In what ways do Mary's and Joseph's consecration of Jesus set an example for us?