***Editor’s Note: This year we are privileged to have, Yvonne, a reader from New Zealand publish our Advent study. For those who don’t know Advent is a countdown to Christmas and this is a perfect time to learn more about Advent. Join us the next 4 weeks on Mondays via www.tirzahmag.com for a new week’s article for you to reflect on throughout your week. This Advent study will be available after Christmas in it’s completion in our shop for you to use moving forward. We encourage you to bring your friends/family along on the journey. In December our articles are paused for our team to reflect solely on Christmas and enjoying the season with family/friends, as well as prepping for the New Year. We pray you enjoy this study and learn more of God’s heart for You.

As we journey together during the next 4 weeks let’s ponder the Nativity.  Why was it that God sovereignly ordained to first reveal Himself as He did?

For God’s direction to put this study together my friends were kind enough to support me in prayer.  Whilst praying, our Lord led me to the Nativity scene, He gave one of my friends the words for the outline and my bible/teacher/mentor helped wrap it together.  I’m also grateful to another friend, Shoba, for letting me use her Word Study format.  In and through this experience our God showed me how He can work through us when we are yielded to Him as a body – to Him be the glory!

This study is very adaptable and is best done with family/friends at home or in a group either meeting together or setting a face-time platform for sharing.  You can also do it as an individual to prepare yourself for Christmas.  What you need during the study:

(1)  A copy of this handout which you can print in a pdf format or save on a device as a word doc format and work from there. 

(2)  To set aside some time every day to reflect on the Word for the week and answer the questions in a quiet place to be able to listen to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.

(3)  A journal, pen, highlighter, your Bible and a dictionary and/or smart phone.

You then come together in your group every week and share your revelations/prayers/poems and encourage and pray for one another.

I’ve been doing Shoba’s Word Study reflections for a while, in between book and topical Bible studies. I’ve found it a good way to meditate on the richness of a single Word from God’s Word – I’ve often been astounded at the glimpses I’ve been given of our mighty, awesome God from a single word from scripture. My prayer is that at the end of this study you too will bow in adoration to our God who accomplished His greatest act of mercy sending His Son to be born in human form in a lowly Manger. Wishing each one of you a blessed time as we journey together pondering in our own groups on the same word each week this Advent. May we make more room in our hearts for our KING and SAVIOR this Christmas.

In His Service,

Yvonne