From Waiting to Wonder | Dec 9 – Dec 15, 2018
Message Big Idea
“Turn the Page” by recognizing the everyday wonders of Jesus in our world.
Scripture
Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 15:29-31
Icebreaker
What’s a favorite tradition you have around Christmas?
Opening Thought
We as a culture seem to have lost a lot of our ability to wonder. We don’t want to wait for anything anymore and that means that Christmas starts after Halloween and Halloween just after the 4th of July. Waiting is long and boring and requires self-discipline. Has your patience or ability to wait changed over the years?
Bible Discussion
- Read Luke 2:1-20, what stood out to you?
- The story of Jesus’ birth can easily become too familiar, too rote to us. Try taking turns reading it out loud and see if the change of voice shakes anything loose for you. What parts do you never think twice about anymore?
- Read Matthew 15:29-31, what did you notice here? Does it change how you see the Luke passage? If so, how? If not, why not?
Life Application
- Waiting can be one of the hardest things we have to do. It can be even harder when it feels like we’re waiting on God. The Christmas story is the advent or breaking in of God onto our reality. Jesus is born and the wait is over because God has appeared at long last after hundreds of years of silence for the Israelites! Have you had a time in your life when you felt like God wasn’t showing up? What was that like?
- Read the quote from Frederick Buechner and discuss the absurdity of God being born into obscurity. What do you think Buechner means by taking it seriously enough to be scandalized?
“The incarnation is a kind of vast joke whereby the Creator of the ends of the earth comes among us in diapers… Until we too have taken the idea of the God-man seriously enough to be scandalized by it, we have not taken it as seriously as it demands to be taken.” -Frederick Buechner
- God wants to breakthrough our lives, our relationships, our health, our finances, and our careers to help us recognize the everyday wonder of Jesus in our lives. Where do you need a breakthrough?
Challenge
Pair off in your group and share where you need to see God break through your life. Take turns sharing and then pray for each other. Pray for each other throughout the week – that God would open your eyes to daily see the wonders of Jesus.
Sign up for the Turn the Page Bible Experience. Visit communitychristian.org/bible to sign up and catch up on previous readings and podcasts.
