Group Discussion Guide
Always Winter, Never Christmas... Until He Came, Part 3
This guide is designed to help your group create a space for genuine connection and conversation within your discussion time. Don't feel pressured to address every question each week. Instead, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you as you lead your group in uncovering what God intends to communicate during your time together.
This guide comprises three sections: Loving, Learning, and Living. Each section aims to steer your conversation towards meaningful discussions about spiritual growth as individuals and as members of the body of Christ.
This guide comprises three sections: Loving, Learning, and Living. Each section aims to steer your conversation towards meaningful discussions about spiritual growth as individuals and as members of the body of Christ.
LOVING
First moments together as a group to connect and pray (approx. 10-15 min).
Open with prayer and invite God to be part of your conversation and relationship.
- How have you seen God at work in your life since the last time we met?
- What has been one high and one low since the last time we met?
- How did you do with living out what we talked about last time we met?
Open with prayer and invite God to be part of your conversation and relationship.
LEARNING
The majority of the group discussion is devoted to open dialogue, reflecting on God’s Word and its personal application to each of our lives (approx. 60-75 min).
Scripture References from Message: Luke 2:8-21; Romans 5:1-5
Big Idea from Message: Joy begins when we stop trying to survive winter and start standing on the One who stepped into it.
Scripture References from Message: Luke 2:8-21; Romans 5:1-5
Big Idea from Message: Joy begins when we stop trying to survive winter and start standing on the One who stepped into it.
Before jumping into the passage, take a moment to reflect on the big question (Are you expecting a season to provide you with a joy only the Savior can give?). When you think about joy, what do you most often tie it to? A season ending, circumstances changing, or something finally going your way?
In Luke 2, the first people to hear about the good news of Jesus’ coming were shepherds - ordinary people living on the margins. The Christmas narrative shows that God came near to people who felt far. Where in your life do you most need to remember that God is not distant but present?
No matter the season of life you might find yourself in, Jesus’ birth comes into a world that is marked by fear, oppression, and uncertainty. Romans 5, however, reminds us that suffering produces endurance and character. What areas of brokenness in your story or the world around you are you tempted to believe are permanent? And, how does the narrative of Jesus’ birth challenge the belief that this is the end of the story?
In Luke 2, the shepherds receive joy while still in the fields, before anything in their circumstances changes. What does that reveal about where joy actually comes from, and how does that challenge the way joy is typically perceived?
According to Romans 5, joy is rooted in being made right with God through Jesus, not in feelings or circumstances. How might that change the way we interpret season of suffering or emotional dryness in our faith?
In Luke 2, the first people to hear about the good news of Jesus’ coming were shepherds - ordinary people living on the margins. The Christmas narrative shows that God came near to people who felt far. Where in your life do you most need to remember that God is not distant but present?
No matter the season of life you might find yourself in, Jesus’ birth comes into a world that is marked by fear, oppression, and uncertainty. Romans 5, however, reminds us that suffering produces endurance and character. What areas of brokenness in your story or the world around you are you tempted to believe are permanent? And, how does the narrative of Jesus’ birth challenge the belief that this is the end of the story?
In Luke 2, the shepherds receive joy while still in the fields, before anything in their circumstances changes. What does that reveal about where joy actually comes from, and how does that challenge the way joy is typically perceived?
According to Romans 5, joy is rooted in being made right with God through Jesus, not in feelings or circumstances. How might that change the way we interpret season of suffering or emotional dryness in our faith?
LIVING
The challenge for the week ahead is to grow in our faith and lovingly hold each other accountable through the community.
Each day this week, take a few minutes to name where you feel stuck in winter and intentionally bring it before Jesus in prayer. Ask Him to help you stand on who He is rather than what you are facing. As you read Luke 2 or Romans 5 during the week, listen for reminders that joy is something Jesus gives and something no season can take away.
Each day this week, take a few minutes to name where you feel stuck in winter and intentionally bring it before Jesus in prayer. Ask Him to help you stand on who He is rather than what you are facing. As you read Luke 2 or Romans 5 during the week, listen for reminders that joy is something Jesus gives and something no season can take away.