My family has a yearly tradition of reading a chapter a day of the book of Luke, leading up to Christmas. It has been such an enriching experience that helps center our holiday season on what is most important to us. If you’d like to join us in these readings, I’m providing questions to talk through with your kids to help spark conversations and meaningful engagement with what you read. I hope it’s helpful!
(Here is where you can find background information or to start this project at Chapter 1.)
Before you start each night, think about the environment you’re creating for this experience. Check your heart. Lower your expectations. Here is where you can find more ideas on how to set yourself up for success.
Questions before you read Luke 4:
What did John say you should do if you had two shirts and you meant someone who has none?
What happened to John the Baptist?
Who was present when Jesus was baptized?
What’s one name you remember from the genealogy of Jesus?
Is there anything in particular you learned from Chapter 3?
I ask my kids to listen for this information while we’re reading and I’ll ask about it after we’re done:
How long was Jesus in the wilderness?
Where did Jesus return to when he left the wilderness?
Whose fever did Jesus heal and how did he do it?
At the end of the chapter, why does Jesus say he was sent?
(Asking them to look for the information before you start reading is super helpful in keeping little learners engaged. They tend to listen pretty hard when they’re listening for something specific. I might even write the questions out so they can hold them and look for the information while we read. I will assign these questions to my youngest kids and target the longer discussion questions to my older kids. If my younger kids need to go to bed while we’re deep in discussion, they still had a chance to participate.)
Questions after you’ve read Luke 4:
What did Jesus use in his answers to the devil? Based on this passage, how important is it to know Scripture?
According to verses 18-19, what did Jesus come to do? Do you think that’s what the people expected The Messiah to do?
Why do you think it’s difficult for a prophet to be accepted in his hometown?
In this chapter Jesus shows he has power both over spiritual things and physical things. What examples do you see of that power in the chapter? Why is it important that he has both kinds of authority?
(We might get through all of these questions, or just focus on one or two, depending on how deep the discussion is getting. And some nights, we might listen to the chapter in the car and not have a chance for a great discussion at all. Be flexible.)