The Nativity
01. The Nativity: Mary and Joseph
December 22, 2019
Christmas is a season to ask: what do I really believe? In the story of the Nativity Mary shows us what true faith looks like. She yields herself to God'spromisesand holds fast to them. She trusts in God'scharactereven when those promises are hard to believe. And she remembers God'sactionthat affirms the trustworthiness of God's promises and character. Application Questions 1. Where in your life are you putting your faith in something other than God? 2. What would it look like in your life for you to lean on God's promises in confident submission? 3. How does knowing God's character bolster and affirm your faith? 4. What are five ways that you have seen God work in your life that give you confidence in His-action-?
02. The Nativity: Shepherds by Night
December 24, 2019
We often go through the motions at Christmas, having gotten used to disappointments and the underwhelming nature of things most of the time. But the birth of Jesus Christ is a shot of much needed hope that pierces the hardness of our hearts to their core. Application Questions 1. In what ways have you allowed yourself to become disillusioned by disappointment? 2. How can you take the example of the shepherds and their response to the hope they were given and apply it to your own life?
03. The Nativity: Three Wise Men
December 29, 2019
Almost every nativity scene includes three wise men bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But what's the real story behind these characters? Were they actually there at the scene in the stable? Where were they from? Why did they come? In taking time to consider the place of the Magi in the biblical storyline we can learn a surprising amount about how our own hearts respond to the news of the gospel, and we find a picture of the kind of lives we are called to live in worship of the one true King of the Jews. Application Questions 1. What does it look like when you respond to the good news of Jesus with self-preservation, trying to preserve your own plans and retain your own control of your life? 2. What does it look like when you respond to the good news of Jesus with generosity and love, trying to love others with the same kind of love that God has shown you? 3. What are some New Year's resolutions you could make that would makeotherslives better, instead of just your own?