This Weeks Reading Plan
12/1 John 1:1-18
12/2 Isaiah 7:14
12/3 John 14:15-17
12/4 Colossians 1:15-18
12/5 John 6:68-69
12/6 Psalm 4:7
12/7 John 1:1-18
Connecting:
1. Christmas season is upon us. What are some things that get you into the Christmas mood? (ex: lights, carols, warm drinks)
2. What are some traditions your family has around Christmas?
3. What role has church and Christian community played in shaping your understanding of Christmas?
Application: God’s design is for us to have life through Him.
1. Read John 1:1-18. What words do you see being associated with Jesus in this passage?
2. John 1:4 says, “in him was life,” and John 1:3 says, “without him was not anything made.” The Christian message that Jesus/God has made you intentionally to experience life through Him clashes with messages from our culture. What are other places you see people looking to find life in during the holiday season?
3. How has knowing that Jesus is the source of life changed what you do to find fulfillment? How should it change you? Read John 6:68-69.
4. How have you seen Christians distracted from this truth? What are some life circumstances that cause this?
5. What characteristics or personalities to do you see develop in Christians who are not actively meditating on this truth? Contrast those with some you see in Christians who do meditate on this truth.
Application: Christ experienced the messiness of our lives to give us an example to follow and to give us hope.
1. Read Colossians 1:15-18. Many Americans today view God as putting the world into motion and then sitting back and watching from afar. What consequences does this view have on the hope someone might have of knowing God? How does it impact their hope in times of suffering and evil?
2. How does the message found in Colossians 1:15-18 and John 1:1-18 contrast with this view?
3. What kind of hope does this new message give towards how we might know God and handle times of suffering and evil?
4. Christ was able to suffer the cross because he knew what it would accomplish. What are we currently called to suffer through and what are we hoping to accomplish?
5. How does having this mindset of suffering in anticipation of the future produce a longing for Christs return now? What does it say about our Christian walk when we are not longing for this return?