Last year on our annual EPIC trip to Israel, our team visited one of my all-time favorite cathedrals: the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. The church’s imposing cupola dominates the skyline of the present-day city, but my reason for loving it is that its interior so profoundly captures the essence of the event it was built to commemorate.
On the church’s upper level, that stunning, soaring cupola pours light from above into the church’s lower level, which surrounds the original, living stone cave where (they say) the angel appeared to Mary and announced God’s favor and miraculous conception of Jesus. (That story is found in Luke 1:26-56).
The architecture is such that if you stand in the right place, it really does feel like you’re standing somewhere in the space between heaven and earth. And that space is precisely where the love of God meets each of us, inviting us into his great work of bringing the realities of earth and heaven together. When Mary stood in that space, it was not necessarily comforting, relaxing, or easy. But it was so powerful that her entire being soon overflowed with praise to God.
Sunday, as we continue our Advent reflections from Scripture about how Jesus’ arrival transformed the families of those around him, we will step into that space together and see what it means for God to love the world through us.
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(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)
Date: December 13, 2015 // Title: Advent – Annunciation of Love
Scripture: Luke 1:26-56
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
Love can, and has been, misinterpreted and misunderstood. It can been seen as selfish or hurtful. The Bible defines God as Love. The greatest demonstration of love in the whole of history is God giving himself again and again. The pinnacle act was giving His Son, Jesus, to be born and to die to be the Savior of the world. God’s love is a clear call and a gentle challenge through invitation and not imposition. His love invites us into inclusion and not isolation. He challenges us not with just information but an integration of his love into all of our life.
THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Love isn’t always what we think it is.
SEE IT Questions :: 10-15 minutes
Picture: Is it easy to misunderstand love? How has God’s love been misinterpreted? How does Mary engage in dialogue with God about his proposition? Does God’s love feel like an imposition or an invitation? Why does He give us freedom to choose? Does God’s love include or isolate?
Mirror: Where do you feel the tension in God’s freedom? Have you said “yes” to what God has called you to and felt isolation from others? Where did you find your inclusion? How have you allowed God’s love to integrate into all of your life? Are there still some places where this has not happened? Maybe there is someone you need to forgive? Maybe you still need to trust God with your child? Maybe there is some big choices that need to be made. Are you trusting God in those changes?
Window: How is the overflow of God’s love spilling out of me? Where is it having the most effect? Where do you need to have more invitation for others in your life? Do you believe that God’s plans are meant to isolate us or include us? Look for people in whom God is doing something similar in their lives.
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 5 minutes
Read through the Christmas story together. Think through the lens of God’s love and invitation, inclusion and integration.
Change IN // Group Activity 5 minutes
Plan a Christmas dinner with your group. Plan to play games, decorate a gingerbread house or do a small gift exchange. Find a way to break bread together and enjoy the season as a community and family.
Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
Holidays are the best time to reach your neighborhood. Brainstorm ways to interact with your neighbors. An idea could be to give them a roll of wrapping paper, roll of tape and ribbon as a small gift. The dollar store has tons of inexpensive wrapping options. You could bake cookies or small cakes and include a card. We can use small and inexpensive gestures to show God’s love for them this season.
CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.