TODAY:

Advent: A King Like This – LOVE

BIG IDEA:

Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s perfect,

sacrificial, grace-filled, transformational love

SCRIPTURES:

Matthew 1:20-23, Genesis 6:5-6, Judges 21:25, John 10:30,

John 3:16-17, Genesis 28:12-15, John 1:51, Matthew 22:37-40, 2

Corinthians 5:14-15

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Q: What are some ways that you have been shown love? When have you felt

the most loved in your life?

Q: How do the Scriptures/concepts from this week help you grow as a disciple

who loves God, loves people & serves the world (lives on incarnational

mission) in everyday life?

Q: Based on these Scriptures, how can you move from unbelief to belief, from

just knowing to actually doing in your life?

Connect with God (UP)...

Q: Genesis 6:5-6 & Judges 21:25 might seem like strange verses to use to paint

the picture of God’s love, but how does it become more amazing when we

remember how much God took upon Himself and overcame to show us His

sacrificial love?

Q: How does understanding the Christmas story through the lens of the Trinity

(Immanuel – God with us) radically deepen the meaning of Christmas?

Q: Why is the doctrine of “relationship” (God coming down to creation) vs.

“religion” (man working his way up to heaven) such good news? Why would

some find it hard to trust or believe this?

Connect with Others(IN)...

Q: What are your thoughts on the article that claimed that “self-love is the

foundation for loving others”? What validity does this have, but how does

this fall radically short of Jesus’ command to love each other as He loves us?

Connect with the World (OUT)...

Q: What are some ways that you can share the love of Jesus with the people

around you this week?

QUOTES:

“In all humanity’sreligions, man reachesfor God. But in all Hisrelationships, God

reachesfor man.” (Ann Voskamp, “The Greatest Gift”)

“Jesus doesn’t show us steps to get to heaven – Jesus IS the “step to heaven”. Jesus

doesn’t merely come down to show you the way up – Jesus comes down to make

Himself into the Way who carries you up. Jesus doesn’t ultimately give you a how-to,

because Christianity is ultimately about Who-to. Every religion, every program,

every self-help book is about steps you have to take. Jesus is the only One who

becomes the Step who takes you.” (Ann Voskamp, “The Greatest Gift”)