In last week’s sermon notes I (Rick Leineweber at Virginia Beach Missional Church) included a list of Scripture passages that put the events of the Christmas story in consecutive order. One of the traditions that we have established as a family is to read the Christmas story in chronological order every year. It’s lots of fun and it has helped us stay focused on the reason for the season. When our children were younger they would take the nativity figures and move them around to act out the wonderful story of Christ’s birth as we read. You can read it together as a family in one sitting or read a couple of sections each day in preparation for Christmas. If you own a Harmony of the Gospels the section numbers will be helpful but if you don’t you can just turn to the Bible passages. Enjoy!
- Section 2: John’s prologue: from pre-incarnation to crucifixion (John 1:1-18)
- Section 3: Jesus’s legal lineage through Joseph and natural lineage through Mary (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23b-38)
- Section 4: John’s birth foretold to Zacharias (Luke 1:5-25)
- Section 5: Jesus’s birth foretold to Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
- Section 6: Mary visits to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45)
- Section 7: Mary’s song of joy (Luke 1:46-56)
- Section 8: John’s Birth (Luke 1:57-66)
- Section 9: Zacharias Prophetic Song (Luke 1:67-79)
- Section 10: John’s Growth and Early Life (Luke 1:80)
- Section 11: Circumstances of Jesus’s birth explained to Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25)
- Section 12: Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-7)
- Section 13: Witness of the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)
- Section 14: Circumcision of Jesus (Luke 2:21)
- Section 15: Jesus presented at the temple (Luke 2:22-38)
- Section 16: Return to Nazareth (Luke 2:39)
- Section 17: Visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
- Section 18: Flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-18)
- Section 19: New Home in Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-23)
- Section 20: Growth and early life of Jesus (Luke 2:40)
- Section 21: Jesus’s first Passover in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-50)
- Section 22: Jesus is adolescence and early manhood (Luke 2:51-52)
Source: A Harmony of the Gospel by: Robert L. Thomas & Stanley N. Gundry, Harper Collins Publisher, 1978
[print_link] [email_link] [Based on my classes with Richard D. Leineweber, Jr. c. 2000]