Galatians 1:1-5

How would you explain the gospel to someone who asked you today what you believe?

Russell suggested that the book of Galatians pushes us toward faith in the midst of doubt. It’s been stated that doubt is directional; we can doubt toward God, or we can doubt away from him.

• How can we doubt toward God?

C.S. Lewis wrote about an event that could be best described as a grace awakening.

“For a long time I believed that I believed in the forgiveness of sins. But suddenly (on St. Mark’s Day [April 25]) this truth appeared in my mind in so clear a light that I perceived that never before had I believed it with my whole heart.”

• Can you relate to Lewis? Share your experiences with your group?

• Join in prayer for new awakenings to the wonders of God’s grace.

Paul begins his letter with what has been described as a wish-prayer.

              V3 – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

• How can you be intentional about offering whispered prayers for people to receive and experience God’s grace and peace?

New Year's Day

Christmas Eve

Visitation Part 4: Shepherds

December 18, 2022

Visitation Part 3: Joseph

December 11, 2022

Discussion Questions:

-What’s your favorite “unexpected” detail in the Christmas story?

• What’s one unexpected way God has worked in your life lately?

-Through a divine visitation, Joseph is assured that Mary’s pregnancy is not the result of infidelity but of divine providence. And because of that, God calls Joseph to take two decisive steps: accept Mary & give her son a name.

• What would it “cost” Joseph to go ahead and marry Mary?

• Sometimes following God will require risky obedience. Can you recall a time when you were certain that God was nudging you toward this kind of obedience? How did you respond?

-Matthew says that Joseph was a just man. Russell talked about the tension Joseph felt between obedience to the law and protecting Mary. There is the sense that Joseph took the path of obedience with compassion.

• What do you think of the phrase, ‘obedience with compassion’?   What images/examples come to mind?

-Verse 21 contains the most important part of the Angel’s revelation – Jesus’ name revealed his purpose: God himself was coming to earth with the goal of saving people from sin and its consequences.

• Who do you know needs Christ’s salvation? How might you share the good news of Jesus with that person?

• Will you take time to pray for those people now as a group?

Visitation Part 2: Mary

December 4, 2022

Discussion Questions:

• Read Luke 1:26-38 together.

• What do you think it was like when Gabriel came to visit Mary? What did it look like? What do you think Mary felt like? Below are two famous paintings of Gabriel’s visit to Mary. Does either of them look like what you imagine when you read the story? How would you paint this scene? What do you think might be different or the same in comparison to these paintings?

Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation

Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Annunciation

• In v. 38, Mary says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” This is a declaration of faith in God. What kinds of questions do you think Mary had in her mind even as she said this? Can you think of a person you have known who has shown this kind of faith? What would be different about your life if you chose daily to respond to God in this way?

For those who are interested, here is a downloadable image to use as a phone Lock Screen during the season of advent:

Visitation Part 1: Zechariah

November 27, 2022.

Discussion Questions:

- What might be something God is asking you to let go of and trust him with?
- Is there any area of your life where God might want to humble you?
- How often are you silent before God?

Renewal Part 11: Revelation 21

November 20, 2022.

Discussion Questions:

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the book of Revelation?

• How would you characterize your experience with Revelation in the past?

• When you think of heaven what do you think of? Why? What has formed your understanding of heaven?

Practically, what might it look like for God’s future purpose to make everything new (Rev 21:5) to be embodied now by God’s people in our setting? What would it mean to live as a community of hospitality that embraces the “other” in our context?

How does the city of Hamilton compare to Revelation’s picture of New Jerusalem? Practically, how can we enable our longing for the future city to shape how we respond to the realities of our city?

• How are you motivated to act in light of this text?

Renewal Part 10: James 4

November 13, 2022

Discussion Questions:

Repentance is a change in direction. Through spirit-empowered repentance, we come near God and feel at home in God’s presence.

• How have your experienced this in your life? What does it mean to feel at home in God’s presence? How would you describe feeling at home in God’s presence?

• How can you draw near to God in your own life this week? How can you practice the humble repentance God asks of us?

James writes about the spiritual danger of friendship with the world (James 4:4).

• What do you think it looks like to be a “friend of the world?” Can you think of some descriptors?

• Where do you struggle with befriending the world?

• Read 1John 2:15-17. What does this passage say about friendship with the world?

In calling the church of his day to repentance, James provides several commands in verses 7-10. Read James 4:7-10:

• What aspects of this advice seem easiest to follow for us? Why is that? What aspects of this advice seem most difficult for us to follow? Why is that?

• Verse six says, “God gives more grace.” Why is this so encouraging? James also specifically names “the humble” as the ones who receive God’s grace. How do we understand the connection between grace and humility? What does “humility” mean to us?

Renewal Part 9: Nehemiah 8-9

November 6, 2022

Discussion questions (feel free to pick and choose what to focus on):

1. Jesse shared seven responses to God’s word found in Nehemiah; which of the below responses have you seen in response to Scripture? Are there other responses to Scripture that you can think of?

   • Standing (Nehemiah 8:5)

   • Raising hands and saying “amen” (Nehemiah 8:6)

   • Bowing and worshipping (Nehemiah 8:6)

   • Singing (throughout Nehemiah; see especially Nehemiah 12:27-47)

   • Feasting (Nehemiah 8:10-12)

   • Confessing sin (Nehemiah 9, whole chapter)

   • Repenting (Nehemiah 9:38—10:39)

2. The confession of sin in Nehemiah 9 is for the sin of the people, but also of their ancestors. Why did they feel it was important to confess the sin of their ancestors? What does this mean for us today? Is it appropriate for Christians today to confess the sins of those who came before us? What about in the church; do we confess the sins of the church, or only our own church tradition? What would change if we confessed not only our sins, but also the sins of those who came before us?

3. The people in Nehemiah repented of sin, meaning, they turned in a new direction by living in a new way. They were committed not to continue in the sinful ways of the generations before. We often talk about repentance as it applies to individuals, but here we see a whole nation choosing to repent. Can you think of another time when a large group of people chose together to repent and to live in a new way? Do you think that our church would be able to repent if God so called us? What kinds of repentance do you think our world needs today?