Christmas Playlist - Week 1
Sunday, December 6, 2020
In this series, we are going through the 4 “songs” that lead into the Christmas Story. These songs are songs of pure, unadulterated joy.
When’s the last time you sang with “unadulterated joy”? What was the occasion?
In the sermon, Scott warned us about over-sentimentalizing Christmas and removing the real, human experience of it. Why is it important that we remember the reality of Christmas and not just the pretty, Hallmark-card story?
To get the context for Mary’s joyful song, first read Luke 1:26-37.
What are ways we tend to “flannelize” Mary (make her too 2-dimensional)?
If we put ourselves in her shoes, what emotions, fears, questions, or new realities would we be experiencing?
What does Mary’s combination of both confusion AND submission tell us about our own lives?
What comforts you about her response?
What challenges you?
What did Scott mean by “next step obedience”?
On our journey with God, why is “next-step obedience” so important?
Is there a next-step that you need to take now?
Why was it so pivotal that Mary visited Elizabeth?
What might this mean for our approach to our group?
Now read Mary’s song in Luke 1:46-55.
List ways she references the Old Testament.
List the various descriptions of God she uses.
Why are these references & descriptions significant? What do they tell us about her “interpretive grid” (the filters by which she thinks & acts)?
When you are faced with hard, stressful, or uncertain circumstances, how do you respond? What does it tell you about your own “interpretive grid”?
How do Mary’s honest & submission response AND her worshipful, scripture-soaked song help us think through the craziness of 2020?