The Way of Peace

“Peaceful” is probably not the first word I would use to describe our household since the birth of our daughter Bethany two weeks ago. Our regular routines and waking hours have been dramatically (and perhaps traumatically) disrupted by the ongoing and natural demands of the baby. Even though Amy and I have loved being first-time parents, neither of us would call the experience “peaceful.”

And yet, as we enter the Advent season and ready ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, peace is precisely one of the major virtues that accompanies the Lord’s arrival into the world.

So how does God bring peace through a newborn child? And what can this teach us about living in peace even when all around us may not seem exactly “peaceful”?

We will read the story of a family who discovered the “way of peace” (Luke 1:79) in hope that we too might learn to walk in that way.

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SEE IT // BE IT

(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)

Date: December 6, 2015 // Title: Advent – The Way of Peace

Scripture: Luke 1:5-25, 57-80

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
As we enter the Advent season and prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, peace is one of the major virtues that accompanies the Lord’s arrival into the world. Yet true peace is precisely what is missing in most of the world today. The peace we encounter in the Bible is a tangible presence that brings a wholeness that is given and received, that is substantive and secure. The way of peace that Jesus comes to guide us into leads to life. The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is a story of a family moving from the absence and longing for peace to stepping boldly into the way of peace brought about by the coming of Jesus.

THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Jesus came to guide us from barrenness and brokenness into His way of peace.

SEE IT Questions :: 10-15 minutes

Picture: What kind of people were Zechariah and Elizabeth? What was their deepest longing? What was Zechariah’s moment of breakthrough? How did his season of silence lead him through surrender to the way of peace? When Zechariah spoke again, how did he describe the impact of the pending arrival of the child, Jesus?

Mirror: What is the meaning of peace as seen in the story? What are the areas of your life where the wholeness of peace is absent or longed for? What can you do to prepare your heart to be ready for the moment when God offers to breakthrough and guide you to true peace?

Window: : How do the people you encounter each day need peace? What about the world? What are some ways that God can transform your family and community to help bring His peace to the next generation, neighborhoods and nations? How can we find ways to make the peace we encounter “in here” impact the world “out there?”

BE IT – Practice

Change UP // Exercise 5 minutes
Take two minutes of time together to sit in genuine silence before God. Listen to what God is telling you about the areas of barrenness or brokenness in your life- where are you are longing for His peace to break through? Commit to take time to be alone with God in silence throughout the coming week.

Change IN // Group Activity 5 minutes
Read Psalm 139 out loud together. Discuss the significance of how the depth of God’s knowledge of who we are prepares a way for His peace to break into our barrenness and brokenness. Share a few stories of how the peace of Jesus has been “born” into your family.

Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
Identify one or two specific ways you can be prepared to bring peace to the people you will encounter this week. (Remember, it may require whole-hearted surrender or open-handed service.) Ask God to show you a person of peace from “out there” – out of your normal circle, from a different culture – and share the peace you have “in here” with them.

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.