Ultimate Christmas Party: The Perfect Hosts

Luke 1

Connect:

• Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.

Prayer:

Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.

Review:

This series moves us into the Christmas Season, culminating in the Sone of God, Jesus Christ’s birth as a baby in Bethlehem! This weekend we looked at how God chose Joseph and Mary to be the “hosts” of Jesus as his earthly parents…

The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…

o What did you learn about God?

o What did you learn about people?

o What did you learn about yourself?

o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?

Reflection:

Personal Experience:

• Share about the best party/event that you have ever been to. What made it special? Where did you see attention to ambiance, detail… all of which made the event an experience in and of itself?

  Group Discussion:

• Read Luke 1:26-29, John 1:45-51

  • Nazareth was the town you didn’t want to be from— the “Hell’s Kitchen” of Israel!

    • Compare Nathaniel’s view of “those Nazareth people” with Gabriel’s view of Mary. What are the differences?

    • If someone new walks into life group, right now, with a stereotypical ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ persona (and even accent!)… what are our thoughts? Anything close to “Greetings, you who are highly favored”? Talk about that.

  • Mary was “troubled” by Gabriel’s greeting.

    • Discuss what it was about that greeting that did not fit Mary’s view of herself?

    • Compare the qualities of humility and pride; why does one make room for the presence of God and the other not?

• Read Luke 1:11-20 and Luke 1:30-38.

  • Compare the reactions of Zechariah and Mary. Same reaction (“How can this be?”) from both, but a VERY different response from the same archangel! What was the difference and why the severity of consequences?

  • Faith seems to be such a critical part of this story. Look at these two passages and discuss the role of faith (trust that God can do what He has said)? (E.g., Matthew 13:53-58)

• Read Matthew 1:18-25.

  • Joseph was a man “faithful to the law” who chose “not to expose her to public disgrace”. Discuss how this shows the tension between law and grace.

  • Scott made the point that the angel’s message turned Joseph’s pain (“Did my fiancé sleep with another guy?!”) into a promise (“…what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit… all this took place to fulfill the prophecy…”)! Shar about a time where God did something like that in your life— where has God taken a loss or fear of loss and turned it into a tremendous blessing?

Response: 

Joseph woke up and took action! What is God trusting you with this Christmas season? Share about that and pray as a group for God’s presence and anointing in that thing He has laid on your heart to do!

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