Christmas Invitations: You are invited into the story of Jesus
The accounts of the birth of Jesus is full of unlikely participants, yet they were invited in by God to be part of history. God is a God of invitations to join Him in His story of redemption.
LIVE OAK CONNECTION POINT:
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- What’s your favorite Christmas tradition — and why do you think it means so much to you?
- Have you ever had a Christmas that changed your life in some way?
- What do you think gives the holiday season its sense of wonder?
READ: Luke 1:26-38
Spend some time SOAPing this passage. You can either spend time SOAPing individually and documenting for a several minutes and then spend time sharing with each -OR- SOAP in real time with each other. Either way make as many observations as you can.
- Observations: What are the things that stand out to you about this passage?
- How would you summarize this passage in one sentence?
- What are your observations about Mary?
- What does this passage tell me about who God is?
- What does this passage tell me about who I am?
Doug asked some questions to help us think about what it means to accept God’s invitation to TRUST:
- Can God be trusted? Mary learned it after she chose to trust. How do you know God can be trusted?
- Do I Trust God? How is that evident in my life? Do I trust God and His plans, his commands?
- Doug said that sometimes we trust God selectively, we trust Him in some areas but not in all areas. Where have you seen “selective trust” play out in your life?
- Do I trust God’s timing?
- Do I trust God enough to let Him interrupt my plans?
- Do I trust God enough to set aside my plans for His plans?
- Where and how is God inviting you to trust Him? What will you do? How will you respond?
- What else stood out from this week’s sermon?
- APPLICATION: What is your big takeaway from this week’s sermon? Be specific.
NEXT STEPS:
Everyone has a next step to apply what we have learned. What is your next step?Be specific.
*** 3 SERVICES (8:30am/10am/ 11:30am):
>What service will you be ATTENDING starting January 11, 2026?
>If you already serve on Sundays, what service will you be SERVING starting January 11?
>If you not already serving on Sundays, would you pray about serving on Sundays to allow us to create a service for us to make room for more?
*Go to SIGN UP & EVENTS to let us know which service you will be attending and serving, or to sign up to serve.
MEMORY VERSE: *Challenge yourself or your group to commit this verse to memory:
Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”
PRAYER:
Spend some time praying for each other.
Scripture References
Luke 1:26-38; Luke 1:46-55; Jeremiah 17:7; Luke 1:39-2:40