Introduction to Hebrews Advent Study
The purpose of looking at the book of Hebrews during the Christmas season is to see the supremacy of Christ, and to see what he will do for us one day. When looking at Hebrews we remember the precious baby who broke the four hundred years of silence. We see that he was not here for the sole purpose of saving us, but to knock down the walls that divided mankind from God since the fall of man. Thinking about baby Jesus in light of all that Hebrews proves him to be changes the way we worship at Christmas. The songs we sing every year become more meaningful and less of a ritual. My goal and desire with the Hebrews advent study is for us to put ourselves in the shoes of those who, so long ago, were waiting on the messiah who would come and save them, and also for us think about what it would have meant for them to be eagerly waiting on their coming king. Little did they know they would find it in a baby. This same baby who came on that Christmas so long ago is the same Jesus who is the lamb. He is found worthy to open the scroll in Revelation chapter five. He is the same Jesus who will come back for his bride. Christmas gives us hope that he will come again. Christmas gives us hope because of all he has done. In 1 Corinthians chapter one he chose the weak to shame the strong, meaning, they were looking for a king to come in power and authority, and instead, God sent a baby! I pray we read Hebrews thinking about all that Jesus has done for us, and how the birth we are celebrating this time of year is also our birth, because without Jesus we would be lost and still consumed by our sin. With the cry of a child our lives could finally go from death to life. I pray that for the first time when walking away from this study we would eagerly anticipate the second coming of Jesus. I pray we would be changed by all Hebrews tells us about Jesus. Jesus is enough, and Christmas should bring us to our knees as we are reminded that God saw fit to not leave us on our own, but to send the precious and perfect sacrifice in the form of a baby, who would grow to make all things right again. Glory to God! Come Lord Jesus.
How to use this study
This study is designed to use with your family, no matter how young or old your children are. These passages are broken up into smaller pieces so that if you have young children you will be able to hold their attention. Once you read the passage as a family, there are questions listed for you to ask. Some of the answers can be found directly in the passage, and some of the questions are more thought provoking. Use this time to learn more and more about what is going on in the heart of your child. Also, if you have young preschoolers who cannot quite understand how to answer the questions, you can walk them through the answers. For example, if the question is “where does Jesus sit?” You can say, “Jesus sits at the right hand of God.” Answer the question for them, but walk them through how you got the answer. There will also be a weekly activity to do as a family throughout the month of December. Our prayer is that these activities draw you closer to each other, closer to the Lord, and push you to serve others. The main thing in all this is that you are spending time in the Word together as a family. It is the desire of this study that you walk away with a more awe inspiring understanding of the birth of Jesus. Merry Christmas and may the Lord bless you in this season!
