I also talked about anticipation and prophecy. There were many prophecies leading up to the Savior of the world. People were anticipating a savior. Many were picturing a ruling king who would come lead the Jewish people as more of an earthly leader. Others understood the prophecies of Isaiah 53 and saw that the king must suffer. They saw he had to be “oppressed and afflicted” and “led like a lamb to the slaughter” (vs. 7). They came to understand that he “took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (vs. 4) and that he would be “pierced for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities” (vs. 5). Others recognized Isaiah’s words while Jesus hung on the cross and was assigned “a grave with the wicked” (vs. 9). I would encourage you to read all of Isaiah 53 to understand the hope in the prophecies written hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. The hope the Jewish people had for a savior gave them great anticipation for the future.
I wanted to show my kids some of the anticipation of a coming Savior by also sharing with them these prophecies written hundreds of years prior to the coming of Jesus. Here are just a couple about the birth of the Savior:
* Born of a virgin and called Immanuel – “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14
* Born in the small, lowly town of Bethlehem – “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Here’s a link to some more prophecies.
Thank you for that it was very nice. I try to keep myself and the kids focused on Christ @ Christmas but it can be hard to do. My kids are older so the crafts often aren’t as applicable but I enjoy listening to the thoughts of another “regular ” Christian mom just trying to do her best. I use your blog as jumpstarts for conversations with my kids.