Using Christmas: The Real Story as adult study during Advent
Pastor Thomas A. Lyberg of St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Archbold, Ohio, shares how using Christmas: The Real Story during Advent sheds light on the Nativity.
"Crossways International’s Christmas: The Real Story is the focus of the Welcome Place Wednesday family night small group Bible class during the four consecutive Advent Wednesdays as a follow-up to the Alpha program,” says Pastor Lyberg. “Alpha got them excited about faith, so then they wanted to know the faith story in some real depth. Christmas: The Real Story helps us better understand the culture into which Jesus was born, the full meaning of His birth, and the difference that makes to us today.”
"Our family nights begin at 5:15 PM with a volunteer-prepared meal. At 6:00 the kindergarten through sixth graders gather together for small group activity-based Bible study. Grades 7 and 8 go to their confirmation class where the The Divine Drama® is their study focus. The adults (usually 40 to 50 of them) meet together as a large group for an hour, where I begin with my own PowerPoint introduction of Christmas-related cartoons and thought-provoking questions, followed by our chapter by chapter study of Christmas: The Real Story and its corresponding colorful graphics. Selected video clips, maps, actual photos from the Holy Land , and clip art are additional resources I use in my presentations.
"We then break into small groups, and, during the next half hour, each group’s facilitator uses a list of discussion suggestions that I prepare. These include:
| DISCUSSION STARTERS Each person is asked to introduce him or herself and then to comment on ice-breaker type questions. (15 minutes)
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“Christmas: The Real Story allows us to go beyond the traditional Western assumptions about Jesus’ birth – to the story from a biblical viewpoint.” says Pastor Lyberg. “It is powerful and eye-opening!”
For more on Christmas: The Real Story, click here.
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