Are you meeting regularly with a discussion group? If you meet just once a week, you can find all of this week’s discussion questions in one place right here.
Question: What kinds of promises do you depend on in your daily life? What signs do you watch in your work and home life?
Question: What do you think John’s role would be? What was he preparing people for?
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:68-79 ESV)
Question: Who have you met who is like John the Baptist? Who isn’t good news themselves, but reminds people that it’s coming? Who has been the bearer of bad news?
In Isaiah 60:1 God said, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” Like the dawning of the sun, God was coming. The coming of the Messiah would bring light to a dark world through the mercy of our loving God.
Challenge: Take a drive or walk around town and notice areas where Jesus’ presence is needed. Pray that God would make his presence known and that people in your town would be drawn to Christ. Ask Jesus to come soon to your community, your family, and your life.