Introduction // 5 minutes
Have your group share “travel nightmare” stories
Observation // 15 minutes
Read Luke 2:1-7
Describe the mess of the first Christmas
Sample Answers May Include…
- Families travelling, split apart, to be counted during the census (v2)
- Mary, pregnant virgin living under the hint of scandal (v5)
- Mary had to travel a great distance while pregnant (v5)
- Mary and Joseph couldn’t find a place to stay while in Bethlehem (v7)
- Mary forced to give birth in an unlikely, inconvenient and unsanitary location… a manger (v7)
Read Luke 2:8-20
What’s the message of the first Christmas?
Sample Answers May Include…
- Do no be afraid (v10)
- There is good news for all that will cause great joy (v10)
- The true Savior, Messiah and Lord has been born (v11)
- His birth brings Glory to God (v14)
- His birth brings peace to those on whom his favor or grace rest (v14)
Understanding // 15 minutes
What are the messes of Christmas today… and what is the message people believe in those messes?
Commentary: This season for many is marked by business, stress, materialism and family pressures to name a few. Christmas seems so fragile in our world today. Everything must be perfect and perfection is up to us! We tend to buy into the message that tells us if we have enough, give enough or do enough we will become enough and experience “Christmas bliss.”
Application // 20 minutes
What mess are you facing this Christmas?
How could the true message of Christmas meet you in that mess?
Live It Out // 10 minutes
What if you lived out the true message of Christmas this year? How might those around you be impacted?
Prayer: Spend time thanking God for the race and peace that we are offered during this season through the birth of Jesus. Pray that all other competing messages would be silenced and unable to win our attention and affection. Pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to enable us to be people who not only receive grace and peace but express in every relationship.