Is the Christmas Story Just a Fairy Tale?

• Ken talked about “faith-based” Christmas and “holiday” Christmas.  What happens if these get all mixed up?
• Have you ever been questioned about the validity of the Christmas narratives in the Bible?  What did people ask?  How did you respond?
• What was the other “Son of God” story circulating in the Roman Empire?  Do you think people really believed it?  Why or why not?
• Read John 1.1-5, 9-14.  This is John’s explanation of Jesus’ origins.  How is it different from the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke?  Who might John have been trying to reach by using this format?
• The Greeks and Romans believed the term “Word” referred to the divine soul or rational mind behind all things.  How do you think the average person heard this?  What do you think it meant to them?
• Look at these verses from the Old Testament about how the term “Word” was used. How is this different from the Greek / Roman concept mentioned above?
  • Genesis 1.3, 11.
  • Psalm 33.6
  • Isaiah 38.4
  • Jeremiah 1.11
  • Isaiah 1.10
• What do each of these phrases in John 1 indicate…
  • “In the beginning was the Word”
  • “the word was with God”
  • “the word was God”
• Read vs. 14 again.  Why is this such an astounding claim?  Why is it so offensive to some?
• The Bible contains many accounts of miracles.  Name some from both the Old and the New Testaments.  Why do people doubt these things happened?
• How does the history of the church contradict the claim that the gospel is a fairy tale?
  
• If you believe the whole gospel – from the birth of Jesus to his resurrection – what difference has it made in your life?  How does it show up in the way you live and how you treat others?