Awakened to the Identity of Jesus

Matthew 2:9-11

Table/Room Decorations

Create a spa or relaxation theme. Cover the tables with white, light purple or light blue tablecloths. Place jars with sprigs of lavender or greenery, candles or wax warmers with refreshing relaxing scents like lavender or eucalyptus on the tables. Play instrumental worship music in the background

Table Favors

Purchase under eye masks, face masks, small lotion bottles, or anything that can remind them of relaxation and fragrances.

Refreshments

Serve finger foods such as mini sandwiches, veggie tray, fruit tray, lemonade, or fruit infused water.

Guest Speaker Idea

Invite a Christian massage therapist, a mental health professional or stretching instructor who can share about the value of stress relief. Read Scripture on promises from Jesus that focus our thoughts on who God has created us to be.

Ice Breaker/Welcome Activities

Mystery scents

• Purchase a few essential oils from Walmart or Amazon and put a few drops on cotton balls inside of a snack size Ziploc bag. Pass them around and have women guess the scent.

DIY Body Scrub or Bath Salt

• Body Scrub: Ingredients needed: Brown Sugar, Coconut Oil, Essential Oils, containers for each woman (mini mason jars work great!)
  • Recipe can be found at PerrysPlate.com. (search on Body Scrub)
• Bath Salt: Ingredients needed: Epsom Salt (2 cups per person), Essential Oils (15 drops per person)

Gifts for a King

Matthew 2:9-11 (NLT)

At the beginning of the meeting, pass out strips of paper with the following verses for various women to read when called on: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 2:10, John 1:12, Jeremiah 1:5, Romans 6:6, John 15:16.

During the busyness of the Christmas season, and as women who often have a longer to-do list during this time of year, it’s easy to neglect ourselves and forget the true meaning of the celebration of Christmas. Today, we’re going to spend some time together learning about identity. The world often tries to tell us who we are or how we should define ourselves. We are moms, sisters, friends, teachers, wives, daughters, employees, managers, and with those roles comes a list of expectations and responsibilities. It’s easy to get wrapped up in those expectations. Today, we’re going to focus on our identity in Christ – who He has made us and called us to be.

Before we can talk about who Christ has made us to be, we have to start at the beginning with who Jesus is! We can find great examples of who He is in the Bible, but I want to use this time during this Advent season to talk about how Jesus was described as a little boy.

Matthew 2:9-11 is toward the end of the traditional “nativity” story, but it holds so much truth for us to unpack. The wise men traveled a long distance that scholars believe could have taken several years to meet the new baby Jesus. As you might remember, they followed a star all the way to Bethlehem from their homeland and presented Jesus with three gifts. Do you remember what they were? (Allow time for response) Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, that’s right! Those gifts seem strange to us in our current culture – why didn’t they bring diapers, wipes and bottles? Or gift cards, a casserole and a gift basket? Well, they may not be what we call “traditional” gifts for a young child, but they did speak to the identity of Jesus. They referenced the faith of the wise men and the fulfillment of prophecy.

Gold represented value and was often used to create idols to false gods in ancient history. This gift of gold was a representation of God in the flesh. Jesus is God. God came to us, His people, as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Frankincense was drained from trees to use as an offering to God. It had a strong fragrance and would be used when burnt offerings were given to God. This was a symbol that Jesus would later sacrifice himself to replace those burnt offerings. He himself would be the sacrifice so that we could have eternal life and forgiveness of sin.

And finally, the last gift was Myrrh. In ancient days, Myrrh was drained from trees and used as a spice during the embalming and burial of the dead. Myrrh has a bitter flavor and was a symbol of suffering and death. It also was used in mixtures during the anointing of kings. Myrrh was a symbol of both the suffering and death that Jesus would endure, and the authority of Jesus as king of Kings.

The identity of Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament, spoken about by prophets and priests and was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus in the New Testament. Because Jesus is the one true God, because He did suffer and die for you and me and because He Himself was the sacrifice for our sin, we have new identities when we belong to Him.

(Ask the women who have strips of paper with bible verses to read them aloud)

God chose us. He chose you. All that is required of us is to believe that Jesus was the Son of God and that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Then, we get this new identity of freedom from sin, eternal life, and children of God.

As you smell the candles and the essential oils today and as you use fragrances in your daily life, remember the frankincense and myrrh, the ancient fragrances that remind us of Jesus’ identity. Then be reminded of who you are because of Jesus.

Education Activity

• Purchase the essential oils for this part of the lesson, which can be purchased from Amazon.
• Education information from Piedmont.org àEssential Oil Lesson
  • Health benefits of essential oils
  • Your sense of smell is closely tied to your memories and emotions, perhaps more so than any of your other senses. This is because when you smell something, it passes through your olfactory bulb, which runs from your nose along the bottom of your brain, connecting it to your hippocampus and amygdala. These areas of the brain are responsible for your memories and feelings, which is why scent can be so powerful.
  • As a massage therapist at Cancer Wellness, Cara Thurman likes to use a blend of essential oils to enhance her massage treatments. “Essential oils can help relax the body, help you sleep, reduce headaches and enhance massage therapy,” says Thurman.
  • Health benefits of aromatherapy
    • Chamomile: Reduce stress
    • Clary sage: Promote relaxation
    • Eucalyptus: Clear sinuses
    • Ginger: Reduce nausea
    • Lavender: Better sleep
    • Lemon: Increase happiness, improve concentration
    • Peppermint: Boost alertness, reduce headaches
    • Rosemary: Increase focus
    • Sweet orange: Reduce anxiety
    • Ylang-ylang: Decrease stress
  • How to use essential oils
    • There are several ways to enjoy essential oils:
    • Add a few drops to a spray bottle filled with water and spritz on your pillow and sheets
    • Apply a few drops to a cotton ball, then put the cotton ball in your car’s air vents
    • Put a few drops in your bathtub
    • Rub oil on your pulse points
    • Take a quick whiff from the bottle whenever needed
    • Use an oil diffuser or vaporizer
    • Wear jewelry specifically designed to diffuse essential oils