2015 Women's Christmas Luncheon Part 1

In one paragraph

This message, delivered by Deborah Buckingham at a Christmas gathering, focused on how Jesus specifically elevated the status and worth of women when He came to earth. Drawing on examples from the Gospels, she traced the ways He challenged the cultural and legal norms of His day that treated women as property without voice or standing. She then walked through the lives of several women He...

Read together

1. Luke 2:8-12 opening Christmas passage read aloud about shepherds and the angel announcing the birth of Christ
2. Matthew 19 Jesus quoting Genesis that God created male and female in His image, equal value
3. Genesis 1 referenced within Matthew 19 citation, God created male and female in His image
4. Galatians 3:28 male and female are one in Christ
5. 1 Peter God paid a ransom to save you, the you being any human being
6. Ephesians 1 believers receive a portion of His spirit deposited in them, no distinction between man and woman
7. Matthew 5 Jesus tells men that lusting after another woman is adultery, shattering the double standard
8. Isaiah 26:3 God will keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him, cited as one of the promises in His word
9. Deuteronomy 4:7 God is near when we call unto Him, cited as one of the promises in His word
10. Mark 5 the woman with the bleeding issue who touched the hem of Jesus's robe and was healed
11. Luke 8 Joanna, wife of Chuza, part of a group of women who followed Jesus with the disciples

Talk about it

1. Deborah described the culture Jesus stepped into, where women had no legal standing and were considered property. What surprised you most about how Jesus pushed back against that culture, and what does it tell you about His character?
2. Deborah talked about the difference between bumping into Jesus and reaching out to Him by faith, using the woman with the bleeding issue as an example. What do you think that distinction looks like in everyday life?
3. When Jesus called the healed woman 'daughter,' Deborah connected it to the phrase 'sons of God' used for men who worshipped Yahweh. What does it mean to you personally that Jesus used language like that with someone who had been cast out for twelve years?
4. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen what is better, and Deborah said He was pointing to a hunger in every person that only God can fill. Where do you find it hardest to stop and let that need be met?
5. Deborah noted that Joanna followed Jesus at great personal risk because of her position in Herod's household. What risks, large or small, have you faced when following Jesus in the spaces where you live and work?