{"id":101926,"date":"2021-11-26T07:36:51","date_gmt":"2021-11-26T12:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discovergrace.com\/?p=101926"},"modified":"2023-09-19T16:52:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T20:52:27","slug":"sermon-discussion-guide-a-certain-kind-of-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discovergrace.com\/sermon-discussion-guide-a-certain-kind-of-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Sermon Discussion Guide: A Certain Kind of Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Week 1: Hope (Matthew 1:18-25)<\/strong>
\nHow to Be Certain When We\u2019re Unsure <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What special traditions contributed to \u201cA Certain Kind of Christmas\u201d in your childhood home? What are your favorite Christmas traditions today?<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. What feels \u201ccertain\u201d in your life right now?<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Where are you wrestling with uncertainty?<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Our text this weekend, Matthew 1:18-25, touched on several themes: betrayal (or the perception of it), duty, fear, shame, disgrace. Which of these themes resonates the most and why?<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Advent is a season of longing, expectation, and preparation. How will you prepare to have a Christ-centered Advent this year? <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     
    \nWeek 2: Joy (Luke 2:1-15)<\/strong>
    \nHow to be Certain When Doors Close<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Share one of your most joyful Christmas memories.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Would you characterize yourself as a joyful person? Why or why not? Do you think other people would characterize you as joyful, or \u201cspiritually optimistic\u201d?<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Read Luke 2:1-15. What stands out to you either from the text itself, or from the sermon this weekend? <\/span><\/li>\n
    4. How can we be certain if our circumstances don\u2019t always align with our plans?<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. How does anxiety rob us of joy? Would anyone like to illustrate with a personal example? What next steps can we take to welcome joy into our lives?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       
      \nWeek 3: Love (Matthew 2:1-23)<\/strong>
      \nHow to be Certain There\u2019s a Big Picture<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. When was the last time you felt like you couldn\u2019t see the \u201cbig picture\u201d? <\/span><\/li>\n
      2. What are some reasons we tend to lose sight of the bigger picture of God\u2019s sovereignty, eternity, and future hope? <\/span><\/li>\n
      3. In our text this weekend, Matthew 2:1-23, we saw how Herod\u2019s fear and uncertainty led to horrific suffering and oppression. How can uncertainty be dangerous?<\/span><\/li>\n
      4. Can you think of a time when you acted out of fear or anxiety and hurt someone else as a result? How did you mend the relationship?<\/span><\/li>\n
      5. When facing persecution or suffering, what are some practical ways we can keep our eyes fixed on the bigger picture?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         
        \nWeek 4: Peace (Luke 2:25-40)<\/strong>
        \nHow to be Certain Our Faithfulness Will Be Rewarded<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. On a scale of 1-10, how much peace would you say you\u2019re feeling lately? <\/span><\/li>\n
        2. What is the number one thing that robs you of peace? In other words, what keeps you up at night; where do your anxious thoughts tend to gravitate? How do you push back against anxiety?<\/span><\/li>\n
        3. Read Luke 2:25-40. What\u2019s your biggest takeaway from the life of either Simeon or Anna?<\/span><\/li>\n
        4. What does it look like to be certain of the future when the reward is so far away?<\/span><\/li>\n
        5. How has your sense of certainty grown as a result of this Advent series? What next steps have you taken?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           
          \nJoin the discussion by visiting<\/span><\/i> discovergrace.com\/visit<\/span><\/i><\/a> to find a local Grace Campus, worship online, or take your next step toward finding community. <\/span><\/i>
          \n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Week 1: Hope (Matthew 1:18-25) How to Be Certain When We\u2019re Unsure  What special traditions contributed to \u201cA Certain Kind of Christmas\u201d in your childhood home? What are your favorite…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":104556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,98,46,28,104],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-101926","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-discussion-questions","8":"category-grace-church","9":"category-magazine","10":"category-message-series","11":"category-sermon-discussion-guide"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSermon Discussion Guide: A Certain Kind of Christmas - Grace Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discussion questions for the Certain Kind of Christmas message series at Grace Church.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/discovergrace.com\/sermon-discussion-guide-a-certain-kind-of-christmas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sermon Discussion Guide: A Certain Kind of Christmas - 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