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A Christmas quiz… (ESV Bible) – Scripture references on Pg.#2
Mark the correct answers – (Answer sheet on Pg.#3)

Beginning our Christmas story in Luke 1:26-35… (We will need a volunteer to read each scripture.)

Jumping ahead to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus, from Luke 2:8-14…

— Q1. What does the word “angel” mean?

O – God’s special creation.     O – A good spirit.     O – God’s messenger.

— Q2. Do angels have wings?

O – No.     O – Some do, some don’t.     O – Yes, but they need to earn them first.

— Q3. Who told the shepherds of Jesus’ birth?

O – A host of angels.     O – An angel named Herald.     O – An un-named angel.

Now from Matthew 2:7-12…

— Q4. Did the “wise men” find Jesus in the stable with the shepherds?

O – No, it must have been later when Jesus was a toddler.     O – Yes, my nativity scene says so.

— Q5. Were there only three “wise men”?

O – The Bible doesn’t say, but there could have been.     O – Yes, my nativity scene says so.

— Q6. What did the wise men bring as gifts?

O – Cash.     O – Gift certificates.     O – Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

— Q7. Why does tradition claim there were three “wise men”?

O – The number three, represents the “Trinity”.     O – It relates to the three gifts they brought to Jesus.

— Q8. What brought about the tradition of gift-giving for Christmas?

O – Scrooge’s giving in the story “A Christmas Carol”.     O – Originally celebrating the wise men’s gifts.

— Q9. Did a drummer boy really come to the manger to play for Jesus?

O – No, but it is a nice Christmas song.     O – Yes, because the Christmas carol says so.

— Q10. Which country is credited with increasing the popularity of carols during the Reformation?

O – France.     O – Switzerland.     O – Germany.

— Q11. What Christmas carol contains a line that repeats the French word for Christmas 4 times?

O – Do you hear what I hear?     O – The first Noel.     O – Petit Papa Noël.

— Q12. What Christmas carol contains the line “All is calm, all is bright”?

O – O Holy Night.     O – Angels we have heard on high.     O – Silent Night.

— Q13. What Christmas carol was written in German and in an emergency, adapted for guitar?

O – O Tannenbaum.     O – Stille Nacht.     O – Petit Papa Noël.

— Q14. (Fill in the blanks)… On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…

Twelve ________ drumming, Eleven _______ _______, Ten _______ a-leaping, Nine _______ dancing,
Eight ______ a-_______, Seven _______ a-swimming, Six _______ a-laying, Five _________ _______,
Four _______ birds, Three _______ _____, Two _______ doves… And, “a partridge in __ _______ ______!”

Click here for PDF copy quiz Pg.#1

Scripture references – ESV Bible (Quiz Pg.#2)

#1/ Luke 1:26-35… In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,  (27)  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.  (28)  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”  (29)  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.  (30)  And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  (31)  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  (32)  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,  (33)  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

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#2/ Luke 2:8-14… And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  (9)  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.  (10)  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  (11)  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  (12)  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  (13)  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,  (14)  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

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#3/ Matthew 2:7-12… Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.  (8)  And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”  (9)  After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  (10)  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  (11)  And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.  (12)  And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

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#4/ Exodus 3:1-6… Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  (2)  And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.  (3)  And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”  (4)  When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”  (5)  Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  (6)  And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Click here for PDF copy quiz Pg.#2

CHRISTMAS QUIZ ANSWERS – ESV Bible (Pg.#3)

— Q1. Angels are both special creations, and messengers from God. – I would not accept the answer “a good spirit”, as fallen angels seem to be able to take on the roles of evil spirits as well.

— An angel in the Bible is a Superhuman or heavenly being who serves as God’s messenger. Both the Hebrew “malak” and the Greek “angelos”.

— This satisfies the dilemna of how the word angel could refer to people seeing God Himself appearing to deliver a message to certain individuals in scripture. (Such as Exodus 3:1-6…)
— One test in scripture of whether it is a manifestation of God or an angel messenger, is to see if the being accepts worship or not. God’s angels refuse to accept our worship for that is offensive to God. (Rev.19:9-10)

— Q2. Another term relating to what we commonly refer to as angels is, “cherubim, ” a plural form naming winged creatures…

— Genesis 3:24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

— Exodus 25:18-20 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat.  (19)  Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends.  (20)  The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

— Q3. In Matthew 2:7-12, Mary and Joseph are recorded as having somewhat settled into life in Bethlehem, when the wise men arrive. Therefore it is assumed that Jesus was a young toddler by then (1-2 years old possibly.)…

— Q4, 5, 6, &7, are also answered from this account in Matthew, as you can see where people drew there opinions of their nativity scenes. However, the details of how many “wise men” there were, and exactly when they came to find Jesus remain unanswered.

— Q8. In some Latin American cultures, Christians hand out presents on Jan. 6, which they celebrate as Three Kings Day, instead of Dec. 25. And other cultures give gifts all 12 days. Like a certain “true love” we’re familiar with, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, which by the way originated in 1780 as a children’s memory game.

— Q9. The history of the carol “The Little Drummer Boy” comes from a traditional Czechoslovakian lullaby, Carol of the Drum, about a little boy who doesn’t have a present for baby Jesus and honors him instead by playing the drums. American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis used the idea to write this carol in 1941.

— Q10. Germany.     — Q11. The first Noel.     — Q12. Silent Night.     — Q13. Stille Nacht.

— Q14. The current version of this song is over a century old. Today, its final verse goes like this:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…
Twelve drummers drumming… Eleven pipers piping… Ten lords a-leaping… Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking… Seven swans a-swimming… Six geese a-laying…
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS…
Four calling birds… Three french hens… Two turtle doves … And, A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE!
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In closing I challenge you to join together and sing that last verse… (With GUSTO!)

…MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Click here for PDF copy quiz Pg.#3