Author: David Burns

In this study, you will understand how Joseph’s place in the nativity story is much like our own. In life, we encounter circumstances that we would have never chosen for ourselves. At times it can be tempting just to walk away. Joseph provides us a great example of humbly obeying God even when we don’t understand and faithfully moving forward in the strength that God provides.
Exchange your doubt for courage this Advent and Christmas season.

Learn to accept and glorify God’s will even when circumstances make it difficult to do so.

This Youth Study Book takes the ideas presented in Adam Hamilton’s book and interprets them for young people grades 6-12.

In Session 3 titled Raising a Child Not Your Own, Adam Hamilton makes the point that we experience joy when we accept God’s call to reach out and serve others. Hamilton identifies three specific ways we may reach out in service that are based on the life of Joseph. Listen for these ways as you view the video. Running Time: 10:50 Instructions: To stream a purchased video, login with your cokesbury.com user account, click on My Cokesbury.com, and select Downloads/Subscriptions.

In this study, you will understand how Joseph’s place in the nativity story is much like our own. In life, we encounter circumstances that we would have never chosen for ourselves. At times it can be tempting just to walk away. Joseph provides us a great example of humbly obeying God even when we don’t understand and faithfully moving forward in the strength that God provides.
Exchange your doubt for courage this Advent and Christmas season.

Learn to accept and glorify God’s will even when circumstances make it difficult to do so.

The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the four-week study, including session plans, activities, and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.

We’re not that different from Joseph. True, we may not be part of a story that will be remembered for all time, but like Joseph, we encounter circumstances that we’d never choose for ourselves. At times, it can be tempting just to walk away, but Joseph provides us a great example of humbly obeying God even when we don’t understand, faithfully moving forward in the strength that God provides. Join Adam Hamilton as he examines Christmas through the eyes of Joseph and learn to accept and glorify God’s will even when our situation makes it difficult to do so. Additional components for a four-week adult study include a comprehensive Leader Guide and a DVD, as well as a Youth Study Book and a Children’s Leader Guide to create an all-church Advent study.

Chapter topics include:

A Carpenter Named Joseph
Whose Child is This?
Raising a Child Not Your Own
The Journey to Bethlehem
Bonus Session: The Rest of the Story

The four-session DVD features Adam Hamilton presenting to a group in his engaging style. The video segments are approximately 10-12 minutes each and, when combined with the book, make an ideal four-week group study. All videos sessions are closed captioned.

In this study, you will understand how Joseph’s place in the nativity story is much like our own. In life, we encounter circumstances that we would have never chosen for ourselves. At times it can be tempting just to walk away. Joseph provides us a great example of humbly obeying God even when we don’t understand and faithfully moving forward in the strength that God provides. Exchange your doubt for courage this Advent and Christmas season.
The Children’s Leader Guide contains session plans for younger and older children, including games, activities, craft ideas, and reproducible handouts.