SERMON NOTES
Series: Home For Christmas
Week 2: When Home isn’t what you expected
Pastor Brett Long – Reno Campus
Pastor Dusty Braun – Carson Campus
Matthew 1:26-56 NIV
- God works in the most unexpected way, and with the most unassuming people.
- Despite having obvious questions, the ultimate response is one of trust and faith.
- In the midst of the unexpected, worship becomes our posture.
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
LifeGroup Leaders: Choose a few that would be best for your unique group!
- When was a time you trusted God amidst the unexpected? What did you learn from that experience?
- In John 1:46 it says, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” referencing Jesus. Have you been underestimated based on where you’ve come from or where you’ve started?
- Gabriel told Mary that she was highly favored and that the Lord was with her. When have you dealt with difficult news and it was comforting to know that the Lord was with you?
- Mary ultimately responds to the news by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant.” How is this response an indication of her character?
- Mary’s Magnificat is a humble response to an unbelievably huge challenge. When you are challenged to do what seems impossible, do you see the blessing or the weight of responsibility?
- Luke 1:46-55 is often called “The Magnificat” or Mary’s Song of Praise. How does this song reorient towards a posture of worship?
PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How have you responded to difficult things in your own life with similar faith and trust as Mary displayed?
- Do you have a word, a promise that has come back to you over the years that has yet to see fulfillment, and are you committed to keep believing for it knowing He always fulfills what He has said He would do?
SCRIPTURES TO MEDITATE ON
RESOURCES
- Brandon D. Crowe | Essay | The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ
- Tim Keller | Book | Hidden Christmas
- Song | FirstBorn Music | PEACE (MARY)
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE TO TRY
This month, try the spiritual practice of The Gratitude Journal.
A Gratitude Journal
Take time this holiday week and begin a gratitude journal. As you sit and reflect on the Graces God has given you. Whether people, places, experiences, or new freedom, list them out then write out next to them what it means to have a God who is present with you, interacts with you, or restores you through each of these good graces. Notice if there are any that you did not deserve? What do you want to say to God about these things?
Discipline to incorporate throughout the week: End each day with a short prayer of thankfulness. Pick one thing or person where you saw God move and thank Him for what he did.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“Then you will know that I am the Lord, those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed.” – Isaiah 49:23
When was the last time you felt disappointed?
Many of us have experienced the heartbreaking disappointment of loss, family brokenness, prayers that weren’t answered in the way we expected, healings that still haven’t come. And then there are the countless mundane disappointments that are often highlighted in seasons like this— relationships that can’t satisfy our deep longing for connection, the curated Christmas moments that don’t go as planned, the feelings we have that won’t measure up to the “magic” of the holidays.
The season of Advent invites us to be honest with God and with ourselves about our disappointments, and to orient not only our Christmas season but our entire lives around the God who will never disappoint us. Allow your disappointments to reveal what you have been hoping in, and bring your vulnerable hopes and longings to the Lord, finding defiant peace in the promise- “Those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed…” – Isaiah 49:23
Life (and Christmas) is often not what we expected, but we can rejoice in the hope that with Christ, it can be so much more.
Devotional Written by: Lauren Meyer – Children’s Director
Praying this season is one of encouragement and peace!
Rob Hans | Adult Ministries Pastor