SEEKER'S NOOK

Welcome 2023! Here's wishing our readers a blessed and happy year ahead. A brand new year is a great time to set new goals, to become a better version of ourselves. Having said that, we invite you to try this quiz featuring the word "new" as it appears in Biblical context. Go for it!

Quiz

1. What wise man in the Bible once penned these words; "...there is no new thing under the sun."? Ecclesiastes 1

2. In the Book of Daniel, Daniel's friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given "new" names and are better known as whom?

3.In Exodus 1:8 (KJV) it is said that some time after the death of Joseph, a "new" king who hadn't heard of Joseph took over Egypt. What did this king do to the Israelites?

4. What was the 'new command' which Jesus gave to His disciples in John 13:34 (NIV)?

5.Although things looked really hopeless at the time, God told the prophet Isaiah to forget the past and see what new thing He was doing! According to Isaiah 43:19 (NIV), where was God making a new path and new streams?

6. In Revelation 2, Jesus promised those who overcome something new when speaking to the church at Pergamos. What was that new thing?

7. In Mark 1, what had Jesus done to cause people to believe that a "new" doctrine was being introduced to them?

8. Paul was a testimony of a life turned around by Christ. According to Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV), if any man be in Christ, he becomes what new thing?

9.When Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus, and buried him in his own new tomb, whose prophecy of the Messiah was fulfilled? Isaiah 53:9

10. In the Book of Revelation, John relates his vision of Jesus' return to earth and the final judgement of mankind. In Chapter 21:1, he tells of seeing what new things as he stands before the throne of God?

Correct answers will be published in next month's newsletter along with answer keys. Send your printed answers to the Church Whatsapp number 9741401874 by 25th January 2023, in the following format Name Serial number – Answer

Epiphany

A Christmas crib is incomplete without the three Magi offering their gifts to baby Jesus, but do we know the actual facts? Here are few Epiphany facts worth knowing.

Epiphany is a special part of Christmas and the story of Jesus' birth. The word Epiphany comes from the Greek epiphaneia, meaning "reveal" ,"appearance" or "manifestation," and refers to the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the world.

In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates Jesus' physical manifestation to the Three Kings, thus the revelation of God incarnate as Messiah. Eastern Christians, on the other hand, see the baptism of Christ as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God, and this is what they celebrate on January 19th (since they observe the Julian calendar).

The Gospel of Matthew is the only Gospel that mentions the three Magi, or the (three) wise men or (three) kings. Matthew chapter 2 describes them as the men who came "from the east" to pay respect to the "King of the Jews."" Matthew 2:11 states "And when they came into the house, they saw the young childwith Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh."

The Magi visited Jesus bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gifts were very symbolic: gold stood for the royal nature of Jesus and his kingship on earth. The incense was a symbol of his divinity, and myrrh, which was customarily used as embalming oil, heralded Jesus' sacrificial death. However, all three gifts were known as typical offerings to a king.

Answer keys to December 2022 Quiz

1. Caroling
2. Star
3. Rudolph
4. Santa
5. Shepherd
6. Manger
7. Angel
8. Mistletoe
9. Nativity

10. Saviour
11. Jesus
12. Ornaments
13. Christmas
14. Sleigh
15. Snowman
16. Wreath
17. Stocking
18. Presents