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Jesus took on my sins when he was crucified for me. All I have to do in return is to believe in him.

Sin is not acceptable to God. He must have a way of getting us to repent of our sins and remember not to do it again. I keep going back to human parenthood. Do we stand 'em in the corner, swat the seat of their pants, or take away something they value for awhile? Whatever we do as a parent, we're trying to make our children mindful of their errant ways. I think that having to kill an innocent creature for something I did wrong would go a long way in my not wanting to do it again. To remember what Jesus did for me is even a more powerful motive to repent.

In what sense is God's provision of animal sacrifice for forgiveness of sins an expression of his mercy? Were animal sacrifices actually adequate to atone for human sin? God allowing the sacrifice of an innocent animal as a way of atonement was a way of getting His people to focus on their sins. I think had I been put in the position of having to cut the throat of a pure white lamb just because of my wicked, selfish ways, I'd think twice before I committed the evil act again. Animal sacrifices weren't for God. God's grace and forgiveness have always been there. Animal sacrifices were for remembrance from God's people.

What are the basic elements involved in a sacrifice for sin? (Leviticus 4:32-35; 5:5-6) Which of these are still necessary for forgiveness of sins today? Which are no longer necessary? Why? For the Hebrews, the basic elements of a sin sacrifice are confession, the transfer of the sin to the sacrificed animal by the laying on of hands, the slaying of the animal, and the rituals then provided by the priests. Can you imagine the horror of the atoner as he (is this something that women were a part of?) confessed and saw the blood of an innocent lamb being poured out for him? The confession we still must do...and this in itself is sometimes hard...we humans like to justify our actions, too much, I think. But I think we have to see spiritually, our Christ, and His human blood shed for us, to be truly contrite and repentent. (Lest we forget!) The sacrifice of animals was only a way that God had to help the Israelites deal with their sin and ask forgiveness. After the ultimate sacrifice, that is no longer necessary. The "laying on of hands" as a way of transfer was an interesting concept for me. In my particular religion, we have several rituals that involve laying on of hands. One of them is a form of healing. As a younger woman, I had that done to me unsuccessfully for the healing I wanted and for many years I felt guilty about it...that I thought I had enough faith but I must not have. Then one day, I was asked to speak to a religious group. In preparation, several of my friends laid their hands on me and prayed for me. That worked! I have never been so filled with the Holy Spirit....I believe that I could have sung, danced, and spoken in tongues if I had been asked. I keep thinking back to the first experience. Was it me who lacked faith? Was it the person who was praying? Or did God say "NO" because He had made plans to use my ailment in another way?

Why is anger an appropriate response to sin? What is the difference between capricious or uncontrolled anger and anger that brings about justice? I think that we humans have a hard time realizing that God isn't mad at us and ready to punish us when we sin. We humans have a tendency toward anger/retaliation in our nature and try to foist the same feelings onto God. I feel, when I have sinned, that I've made God cry. I guess I base that on parenting--I have never been mad when my children misbehaved--I've just been hurt and disappointed that they disobeyed or did not follow my teaching. And I've had to repremand them in some fashion so that they will remember the mistake and not repeat it. The anger that brings about justice is a righteous anger, I think. I have felt that righteous anger many times as a teacher in a school with several different minority groups. That anger carried me through and made me make a stand for equal treatment for those minorities against students and even other teachers who sought to treat them differently. The type of anger that brings justice is controlled by our minds. We see an injustice and then decide what we, individually, can do about it. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth comes from uncontrolled anger, I think--sheer retaliation or revenge. Anyone in a rage is letting raw emotions drive him/her instead of sound mind and logic. When the rage is gone, what is left? Are things different? Usually the change that has been made is worse, the problem has been escalated.

How do you know that John the Baptist's statement about the Lamb of God refers to sacrifice? Well, I always learn something new when I take one of this studies--even though I tell myself I "know" the Bible fairly well, I think that I read too fast or not carefully enough just going it on my own. I had studied the Hebrew law dealing with atonement and had studied the Leviticus verses dealing with the sacrificial lamb, perfect and without blemish, that is a part of a sin sacrifice. I just never had noticed that the person who did the sinning had to do the killing--that chore wasn't done by a priest. Now here I am crying my eyes out because I know that I am responsible for the ultimate sin offering that is the perfect lamb, Jesus Himself. How does that make me feel? So terribly unworthy. How was the comprehensiveness of "sins of the world" so radical a concept? The Jews of the day thought they had their sins covered: Go before the priests in the temple on the Day of Atonement, bring a sacrificial lamb, cut it's throat and ta-da! The priests took care of the rest of the ritual. They did not think in terms of this ceremony covering a gentile...it was strictly a ritual for God's chosen people. John the Baptist's statement was one of the first revelations that Jesus came to us all, Jews and gentiles alike, and was there to atone for the sins of all the peoples of the world.

I am from Southwest Arkansas. I am a math teacher who so loves her work that I have retired three times and can't seem to stay that way. I am now just teaching part time at a nearby community college. I go to a small Methodist church with a regular attendance of about 30. We are the smallest of a charge, so our extra study is fairly nonexistent unless we work on it ourselves My friend Mike and I found The Joyful Heart four or five years ago, and have with great gratitude enjoyed several of the different studies. We have ended up sharing these studies with our friends and church family in many ways. My husband and I regularly work the Emmaus Walk here in Arkansas. If you are not familiar with the Emmaus Walk, Google it. It is a wonderful non-denominational renewal program that you can access from wherever you are. I am a volunteer and chaplain for a local hospice although I have been inactive since September when I had major neurosurgery. My husband is an advocate for the aged. As such, he spends at least two hours a week visiting with people in a local nursing home who do not have regular visitors. He and they become so attached to each other that it's sort of like his having bunches of surrogate parents. Both of us read our Bibles regularly and share prayer and daily devotionals. I look forward to this course and will probably share it with others during the Lenten season. Bless each and everyone of you and bless this study that we might come nearer to the Lord Jesus through Pastor Ralph's ministry.

Matthew 8:5-13 This is the story of the Roman Centurion, a gentile. Jesus marveled at the man's faith as compared to the Israelites. Matthew 21: 33-44 This is the parable of the tenants. It shows that Israel (the tenants) did not accept or appreciate the landowner's (God's)gifts--even to to the point of killing his own son (Jesus). Matthew 22: 2 - 13 This is the parable of the wedding feast. The host (God) gives a party, but all the people he invites have excuses. He must go outside his realm of acquaintances to people on the streets (the gentiles) to find people who will actually accept his invitation. Matthew 24: 14 This is assurance that the gospel will be proclaimed to all people and all nations before the second coming so that everyone has a chance to hear the message, know and serve the one true God. Matthew 28: 19 The Great Commission which tells us that as followers of Jesus, we must go into the world and proclaim the good news. What do these scriptures have in common? Well, simply that all of us have access to God through our Savior. Jesus was sent specifically to the Jews, but the gentiles were included in God's good gift. The Magi were the first of the non-Jews (gentiles) to take up the invitation. How should we be applying this mandate in our own lives? Basically, that we should not only accept the invitation, but extend the invitation to others. We have no doubt that the Magi ever faltered in their plans from Day 1. Have you read the little book called The Other Wise Man? I think a movie was based on it or vice versa. It is a wonderful parable about what can happen in our own lives as we strike out to find Jesus....just knowing that with all the adventures along the way, we will one day be with Him.

Why was it appropriate for the Magi bring gifts to the Christ-child? The Christ -child, even as a baby in human form, was one of the Trinity. It was clearly appropriate for the Magi to bring Him gifts as a form of worship and adoration. How does the extravagance of their gifts reflect their heart attitude? Just like Abel, you know that the Magi gave their very best. That is what God expects. What kinds of gifts are appropriate for us to bring? Each of us has one or more special gifts which we should develop and devote solely to God. I saw a TV segment the other day where Rick Warren was being interviewed. He said that most of us have gifts that we don't recognize--that it takes someone else looking on to recognize our gifts. I know I have struggled all my life with trying to recognize what I should bring to the throne-- and have absolutely suffered from "gift envy." It seems like I can see everyone else's gift but my own. I've even accused God of skipping me. Maybe it's because of that envy again. I hear one friend singing like an angel, I see another friend who has so much compassion for the sick...the list goes on and on.

What do we learn from seeing the Magi prostrating themselves before the child Jesus? These learned Wise Men were aware of Who was before them. God, through the use of the star, through their study of the Hebrew writings, and probably through dreams and visions, had led them to Jesus. They had no doubt who He was. They submitted themselves totally to the King of Kings. We should follow their lead. Digression: Herod had no doubts of who he was dealing with, either He, not a scholar of Jewish literature, had gathered his priests and scribes around him to advise him. I've been thinking about this a lot: Do you think that when Herod had the boy babies killed in Bethlehem that he and those priests who hungered for money and power breathed a sigh of relief and quit thinking about Jesus? I get to wondering if that is why Jesus has those missing years. He was there but not THERE just like later He could disappear into a crowd wanting to kill Him "because it was not yet His time." Or maybe God HAD sent Him somewhere else for protection. What was the significance of this for them? These were men from a different country, a country that had a different set of values, a different religion. We don't know which country, what values, what religion, but we do know that they had to have BELIEVED. Isn't it amazing that Jesus was rejected by so many of His own people but worshiped unashamedly by these men from afar? Let's see: They were wise, they were evidently rich, they evidently were not subserviant to other men more powerful than them (Is that why the writer of "We Three Kings" got the idea that they were kings themselves?). Think we'd better follow their lead? How can we emulate this kind of worship? We can emulate these men by submitting ourselves as servants to the Most High. At the sound of His name, every head should bow and every knee should bend.

This has been the BEST Bible study ever! What story do we know better than we know the story of Jesus' birth, yet how much I have learned by the careful reading needed to answer the questions and the points Pastor Ralph makes. For instance, all my life I have heard people argue that there is no historical data which supports the biblical declaration that Herod had all the boy babies in Bethlehem killed. Therefore, it must not have happened. Pastor Ralph says logically that there would probably be no more than 20 children fitting that category. Herod was responsible for the death of his own wife and children. That made news--although it was probably just whispered rumors--but I doubt that the Herod/Roman connection would have considered the killing of 20 little Jewish kids as a fact worth mentioning in a history book. Think of the trouble we hear about between modern Israel and Palestine right now. We see it almost daily on TV, but I doubt if any one of us could tell how many children have been killed in the last year because of the trouble between the two peoples. A hundred years from now, there might be a general blurb in a history book, but the crux of the printed matter will be the "important" people involved in today's events. Back to Question 1: What is the significance of the Star of Bethlehem that the Magi saw? The significance of the Star of Bethlehem was the fact that it had been prophecied earlier by Jewish prophets, yet the learned men, however many and where ever they came from, recognized it as a sign of the Messiah's birth. What was that star? I once said, rather tongue-in-cheek because I like to shake up my fundamentalist friends sometimes, that the star might have been a UFO (or at the very least a USO--unidentified stellar object). I was a little surprised that while people closest to me scooted their chairs back waiting for the lightning to strike, my dear husband, the most fundamental of all, defended me and said "Well, we've just been saying over and over that God can do anything. So I believe he could have made a little old UFO that could have led the wise men to Jesus. After all, they may have been wise, but we today still don't know about UFO's." Why do you think the Magi came to find the Christ-child when they saw the star? I think the Magi came to find the Christ-child for the same reason each of us in this study came to find the risen Christ. Once the message is on our hearts, can we help from searching?? They were guided by the Holy Spirit who urged them on--The Holy Spirit was in my UFO or USO just like the Holy Spirit was in the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire which guided the Hebrews to their freedom from the Egyptians. In what way was does prophecy prefigure this event? We have just gone back and re-read the prophesy which ties in with the search by the Magi. Isn't it amazing that within this study, we have found the very first believer (Mary) and the very first gentile believers (the Magi)?

It is so easy to get caught up in the secular Christmas holiday where retail store employees are forbidden to tell you "Merry Christmas" after you've shopped til you drop. I'll start with the last part and work up. This study has helped me with the "thoughtful meditation." It has made me realize that every advent season, I should do more than just sit in church in Sunday and listen to an advent liturgy while a candle is lit. That helps, but it isn't enough. Although I have a large family, this year I haven't concentrated on the buying of gifts like I normally do. I finally went and bought everyone a gift certificate at a chain book store yesterday. And my family will get my home baked goodies. My husband and I sent all the Christmas cards I had purchased to veterans in the state VA hospital --so in that way, I hope I've been telling others. At least I want those vets--the old WW2, the Korean War, the Viet Nam, and especially these young men coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq that they are in my heart and have my gratitude for their bravery and service to country. Anticipation has always been the key word for Advent to me. I know what happened. I knew what happened since my mind could grasp the concept as a youngster. But I believe I could listen to the entire nativity story every day and find something new. This time, thanks to Pastor Ralph, I have concentrated on Mary, and I loved his story he sent today about Mary's servitude. This is a good time to say: Merry Christmas. And may your new year contain peace and joy. It will if you have welcomed Jesus and told Him "Happy Birthday."

God thinks and plans on a greater, more glorious level than mankind. We need to remember that the Jews of the time were anticipating the advent of a magnificient Messiah--a grand and impressive warrior king in the likeness of his ancestor David. I think the word I'm looking for here is "paradigm." They had read and studied the Prophets, and that is the picture they had come up with. God had something different in mind. If Jesus had been born into luxury, he would have had to be brought low to succeed in God's intentions for Him. The Baby possessed nothing. He was an empty vessel. And people had to "think outside the box" to recognize Him for who He was. Who better to send the angels to than the simple, uneducated shepherds. They would be more apt to the wonder of the whole exquisite scheme and to spread the news. I keep thinking that those shepherds could be likened to some of the more "extreme" rednecks who live in my area. They are easily convinced of things not of this world. They think outside the box because they ain't never had a box. But those educated neighbors of the extreme rednecks take every tall tale with a grain of salt. (They have a box) Now, God had really stirred up something, and things were bound to get dicey! He had brought the Savior to the lowest of the low first who-- of all people in the world because of their reputation--no one else would believe. No wonder Jesus got to grow and mature with relatively little notoriety until He began to preach. I keep digging myself a deeper hole, trying to answer this question. God sent His Son as Savior into the world. Those who saw had to believe. The simple shepherds with no paradigm could believe immediately. Those who already had preconceived notions of what the Savior would be had to shatter that box first.

Q2. Why do you think the journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary? Oh, my goodness, Pastor Ralph! You've got to be talking about the psychological difficulty here! All us women KNOW the physical difficulties! Every time I see pictures of Joseph leading that donkey carrying Mary, I shudder! I'll bet that is just a man's idea. Mary would have walked until she couldn't walk any more before she got on that donkey! Psychologically and emotionally, the journey had to have been difficult for Mary as well. Here she was nine months pregnant, and how many people do you think--besides Joseph and Elizabeth--believed the story of Mary's impregnation?? Well, maybe old Zechariah had come to some understanding of what God could do after he had been struck mute for almost a year! Her faith had to sustain her. Hope had to be there. Here she had been told that she was carrying the Messiah himself, yet she had a stable as a birthing room and a manger for his bed. Is pleasure an indication that we are in God's will or not? Any examples from your life? Of course not! I remember the disappointment I felt in my mother when she found that she had breast cancer. Her attitude was that she didn't deserve it, and she lay down and pouted at God until the surgery and chemo cured her. All the while, I was taking her in for doctor visits and treatments, sitting in the waiting room where so many courageous people sat and smiled and went on with their lives despite the pain, the nausea from the medicine, the loss of independence, and thousands of other changes that had been made in their lives because of their illnesses. And yes, I would see some one week and read their obituaries in the paper the following week. No one is going through this life without trouble and hardship. Let's take a lesson from Job. Extra Credit: Argue for or against this proposition: "Being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow." I really laughed at this "extra credit question" because I had just read somewhere in a devotional that we sometimes get what we pray for, even when we really didn't want the answer to be like that. The illustration the author used was when we ask for patience--something that I was never blessed with. Paraphrasing, he said something like this: When you ask for patience, be prepared for God to give you lots of experiences which require patience. In other words, we learn by doing. I think I'm going to tell God that I have all the patience I need now! Seriously, though, some people view Christians as people in sack cloth and ashes with absolutely no fun in their lives. All us Christians know that isn't true. What we gain in living in right relationship with our Lord far offsets what we readily yield up.

Luke wants everyone to know that Jesus is REAL...that He really lived and is not just a mythalogical being. He is also establishing the historical setting where we who read will know under what circumstances the people of Judea were living at the time.

Joseph is a model of obedience and righteousness. He did exactly what God told him to do. It was especially significant that Joseph, as Jesus' earthly father, was a descendent of David. There is not a doubt in a Christian's mind that every messianic prophesy from the Old Testament has been fulfilled in Jesus. Those who doubt sometimes say that we cannot have it both ways--Jesus, Son of God and Jesus, descendant of David through Joseph. I saw a post just a minute ago that has an answer for disbelievers: Joseph was Jesus' LEGAL earthly father.

Isaiah 7 tells the story of King Ahaz and his stubborn refusal to ask God for a sign. (He wanted to do what he wanted--imagine that!). It was at this time that Isaiah was counseling Ahaz that he made the statement which we Christians see as a prophesy of our King --Messiah--Immanuel. A theologian friend of mine says that a lot of Isaiah's and the other great prophets' statements can make sense in two different times. That is what makes a great prophet, I think.

I don't know about Jesus' day, but as a mother of four, I was pretty picky about choosing names. After our second child was born, I told my husband that I knew I had been selfish and that he could name this third child. Our baby was several months old before I found out he had been named for his father's beloved childhood horse! Needless to say, I named our fourth! So--I definitely feel like God was making sure that there was to be no conflict in naming His Son. Remember, too, that Zecheriah had been told to name his and Elizabeth's child John--and what a surprise that was to everyone who came to John's ritual circumcision. There was significance in a name back then, and God had picked out both names with care.

What were Mary's options being pregnant and carrying a baby not her husband's? What kind of character did Joseph exhibit by deciding to divorce Mary quietly and leniently? Well, Mary actually had just one option that would work and that was to obey God. God took care of everything else, including choosing Joseph as Jesus' earthly father. Anything else would have led to ruin--she could have been stoned--or had her family's reputation ruined. These would have been about the only options. A woman could not have a child and raise it alone as some do now. Oh, don't you know there were wagging tongues?? My mother-in-law once told me about two old women in the neighborhood where I live now. She said that as soon as the two heard of a marriage, they marked it on their calendars so they could compare that date with the birthdate of the couple's first child! I am sure there were women like that in Jesus' day, too. Joseph's character is without blemish. I don't believe there would have been many men who would have stood so loyally and lovingly by Mary. I believe that he was obedient to God and that he loved Mary with all his heart--even if the marriage had been an arranged one. Come to think of it, don't you think God had done that "arranging" from the very beginning even if the characters in question were unaware of it? As I said in Q.1, I believe Joseph was chosen by God just as carefully as Mary was chosen. Back to the introductory sentence here: Mary actually had just one option. What options do we have in our daily living?? I think the same as Mary--otherwise our lives can become screwed-up messes that only God can untangle.

Question: What would Jesus have learned as the son of a carpenter? What experiences would this have exposed him to? As I thought about this, I assumed that Jesus learned some of the same lessons I learned being raised on a farm in rural Arkansas. He would have learned: 1) a work ethic --making sure that his skilled work was pure and good--and that what was promised was delivered 2) the joy of creating with one's own hands 3) the camaradarie with Joseph that comes from working closely with one's own good father 4) lessons in human nature as he watched or participated in dealing with customers. 5) since we assume Jesus' family was poor, he would have learned about not being wasteful and extravagant in his daily living Lastly, and most important, I think, is a value system that he saw every day from a humble, honest man. I'm talking about WATCHING and DOING--I don't believe my own father ever told me not to steal or cheat someone. I don't believe he ever said to give my best or to be honest. He just never said those words, but I learned those things through his actions. Don't you think God chose his Son's earthly father just as carefully as He chose Mary as the mother?

I think we protestants have been "brain-washed" somewhat in our reverence toward Mary. But we must look at just what she has meant to the whole story of our Saviour. She was "blessed above all women" because God used her as a vessel of purity. She completely opened herself to God's request. She did not laugh in disbelief as Sarah. She did not say she couldn't do it as Moses. She simply did. Another important thing to remember, I think, is that Mary was the first "Christian." She is a good model of a Christian woman.

I think that of all the characters in the Bible besides Jesus Himself, Mary was truly the most subservient to God. When I hear my Catholic friends saying their "Hail, Mary, full of grace!" I understand exactly how they feel. We often say that it is hard in the secular world that contains us to actually obey God to the fullest. What a cop-out! Because of my Wesleyan roots, when I read about Mary, I think of John Wesley's Covenant Prayer: I am no longer my own but thine. Put me to what thou wilt; rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside by thee, exalted for thee or brought low by thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thou art mine and I am thine. So be it, and the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

I was saddened to read the results of a survey once that led me to believe that ALL Christians do not believe in the Virgin Birth. For me, this miracle has to be at the very core of my faith. Jesus is the Son of God. That means he could not have been conceived by the human sexual act as the rest of us were.

My husband and I had a "discussion" about this question. He said "Zechariah asked the same question that Mary did: 'How?' and shouldn't be punished if Mary wasn't." I think there are several differences, though. First of all, God knows our hearts. He evidently saw innocence and purity in Mary's heart, and disbelief in Zechariah's. Second, Zechariah had evidently been praying and Gabriel was there with his answer. Don't we all do that sometime? We pray for an answer from God, and when we get it, we either don't understand the answer or don't accept it. The third thing: Zechariah was an old priest, steeped in Jewish theology. For him to question "how" God could make him and his wife parents at their age means that he must not have applied what he had learned about the likes of Abraham and Sarah: For God, all things are possible.