You’ve probably seen them being used by big city police forces. Or you may remember when President George W. Bush did a face plant as he was riding one. The concept is simple. It lives up to its name. The Segway moves a person, or now a robot, from place to place without the passenger having to expend much energy.
It’s the perfect name because Segway comes from the common word “segue” which means to transition from one thing to another smoothly and without interruptions. In fact, segue comes from the Latin word “sequor” which means “to follow”. Thus, a non-sequitur means something which does not follow.
I say all of this to introduce what I will be preaching over the next three worship experiences at Hebron – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. What I’m hoping you will see in each of these messages: “Seeing What Most Miss”, “A Place at the Table”, and “Having New Years E.A.R.S.” is a clear and effortless connection to our study of Galatians. What Matthew, Luke, and John tell us in each of the preaching texts fits seamlessly with what Paul tells the Galatians in both halves of his letter.
It’s been a treat for me to try to juggle the Galatians series with the Christmas narratives. What I’ve found is there’s no juggling needed. Everything fits as a unified whole. In fact, as the full scope of the Christmas narratives can’t be understood without the Passion Narratives (i.e. Jesus’ last days), you can’t fully appreciate what Paul tells the Galatians without seeing the segue between Jesus’ birth and death. It’s these segues that will be the focus over the next week and a half.
In preparation for each message you may wish to consider the following:
Christmas Eve: “Seeing What Most Miss” Matthew 2:1-11
- How do the wise men illustrate the power of divine grace?
- What similarities exist between the wise men and their behavior and a Christian’s walk with Christ?
- How do the wise men prove that spiritual sight is all God’s doing?
- How is their obedience to divine revelation instructive for living the Christian life?
Christmas Day: “A Place at the Table”
- How do Jesus’ words in Luke 22:15,16 capture the essence of Christmas?
- How does Jesus replace the altar with the table?
- What parallels can you draw between the tabernacle’s description in Exodus 25:10-30 and the Last Supper and the Cross?
- How is religion defined by an altar and the Gospel defined as a table?
- How is Jesus’ finished work the end of the law as Paul says in Galatians?
New Years Day: “Having New Years E.A.R.S.” John 1:1-18
- How can we tell that John’s Gospel is the last to be written?
- What conclusions are being made about Jesus in John’s description of the Incarnation.
- What four doctrines can you find in John’s account of Jesus’ birth that are fleshed out in Paul’s letter to the Galatians? (Hint: Each doctrine is hinted at in our title – E.A.R.S.)
- How does John 1:1-18 get us right back to Galatians 4?
