December 26, 2021
Body Language | The After Party
The Christian hope jumps into history in the most unlikely and improbable way: a baby. Incarnation. God with us. Immanuel. And no one saw it coming.
Listen to an audio version of the message
Songs for this week: Spotify
Luke 2:21-35
Message Questions:
- Do a little research on the Jewish requirements for baby boys being born and purification rites for new moms. What were all those requirements saying to the parents?
- What has God clearly told you to do? Beyond seeing obedience as drudgery, what might God be saying to you through what he’s asked you to do?
- Simeon had “the Holy Spirit on him.” The Holy Spirit had revealed to him he wouldn’t die before he saw the Messiah. He was “moved by the Spirit.” Can you relate to Simeon? What, if any, is your experience of the Holy Spirit?
- Salvation will come from this baby! Explain what people might have imagined that to look like and then explain what you understand salvation to include.
- “This child is destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel, and to be a sign spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” None of us likes a hard time but we seem to be promised it here. How do you navigate the difficulties that come your way for believing in Jesus?
Extend your small group discussion with the expanded guide for today’s message. It includes more questions and soul training practices for you and your small group.
Share with a friend
Recent Sermons
Exodus 19:3-8 -God is seeking a community to join Him in His mission to bless and save the world. Israel was out of Egypt, where their purpose had been clear: make bricks! What was their purpose now? At the foot of Mount Sinai, before they take another step, God has a proposal.
Exodus 16:2-16 - The story of our roots continues. As the drama fades into daily routine, the real questions begin—Can we trust God for what we need each day? How much control do we really have?
Exodus 14:5-13 -The story of God’s rescue is not without drama! God’s people left Egypt only to come against a new opponent, the Red Sea! They were trapped between an angry Pharaoh and, at least as bad, an angry Sea. They cried out, expressed their terror, and God made a way. Of course, it did involve them moving their
Exodus 12:1-14 - The story of Exodus is the story of Jesus. The God we get to know in Exodus is the God who comes to us in the person of Jesus: a God who judges, who saves, and who renews.
Exodus 3:1-14 - The rescue begins. God looks for a person to lead the way—not someone perfect, but someone willing. In Exodus, God calls Moses through a burning bush and rekindles a relationship that had been years in the making.
Exodus 1:6-14 - This Sunday, we begin Roots, a new teaching series from the book of Exodus—discovering how the story of rescue in Exodus shapes our understanding of Jesus.
