DISCUSSION GUIDES
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Please note, Discussion Guides will be paused for Christmas and resume January 5th. Thanks!
Worship of Jesus takes our eyes off of ourselves. It shapes how we interact with one another. There is level ground when it comes to giving our worship to Jesus. In worship, no matter what status we hold, we can experience commonality and community. When we experience the majesty and holiness of God like the shepherds did, we are compelled to want to share that joy with others around us. O come let us adore Him!
Our hearts long for retribution; for justice to be had. In our movies, shows, and in our music, culture celebrates when someone gets their due. Here's the problem: the cycle continues because revenge only scratches the surface of the real issue. What our situations require is worship. Worship leads us to what we all really need to hear, be reminded of, and experience: God's ultimate road to justice.
Christian worship is more than a Sunday tradition. It’s a powerful, weekly practice that reorients our hearts toward humility and God’s faithfulness. Through Mary’s song in Luke 1, we’ll see how worship challenges the lies of pride and materialism while filling us with trust in the promise-keeping God.
Sometimes, in our world, something so enormously important happens that will alter the lives we live. Even though the signs are all there, people are oblivious to it and go on with their lives. In our passage today, John shows us that even though Jesus had been performing many signs and showing the people that life in relation to God was changing, the people resisted Him. Jesus warns them, and all people, that our resistance to His good news will be the very thing that judges us in the end.
What if your life is like a seed, full of incredible potential waiting to be unlocked? Jesus offers an invitation to something greater, but it requires sacrifice and a choice. Are you ready to plant your life in Him and embrace the life He’s calling you to?
When God doesn’t act as we expect, how do we respond? As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds had strong reactions—some celebrated, others opposed, and many misunderstood him. Through this moment, we see how our own expectations can shape, and even distort, our view of God. Are we pursuing God for who he truly is, or for what we hope he’ll do for us?
It is challenging to think clearly about our money. We tend to view it as a limited resource that needs to be constantly protected. The Bible, however, paints a much more compelling picture: our money is like a seed that we can chose to hold onto or to plant. It’s a powerful resource with potential that cannot be unlocked until it’s given away. So … what are you doing with your money these days?
The incredible work of Jesus in our lives is not something only to be thankful for privately, but that ought to elicit a response in our lives that the world around us can see. On many occasions throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, we see people respond to his teaching and his work….in a variety of ways. The story of Jesus’ anointing lines up two of these responses side by side, that of Mary and of Judas, and presses us to consider the type of response we often have toward Jesus.
Loss and grief are unavoidable in this world. So how do we deal with these experiences, and how do we walk alongside others in difficult times? In the story of Lazarus, Jesus identifies himself as the source of hope and models for us how to grieve well.