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.

First moments together as a group to connect and pray (approx. 10-15 min).

• 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.

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: John 1:9-18; 1 John 4:9-10, 19; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Big Idea from Message: Real love didn’t show up as activity at Christmas, it showed up as a Person.

Start by reading John 1:9-18 together as a group.

Light is a major theme in the Christmas story. Have you ever walked into a dark room and had the lights suddenly turned on? What was that experience like—comforting, annoying, disorienting, relieving? In what ways can light be disruptive when we’ve been in darkness for a long time?

Christmas often celebrates light entering darkness—but light doesn’t just illuminate, it exposes and changes things. In what ways does the Christmas story help expose or change things in your current reality?
 
This passage in John tells us that God became one of us by taking on flesh. How might being reminded of the humanity of Jesus during Christmas help us rather than focusing on his divinity?

Pastor Tyler said that Christmas love is something we receive, not earn. Why is it often easier to try to earn love than to receive it? How does the idea that love is a gift (not a reward) challenge the way we relate to God?

There were 4 points made about “winter” love versus Christmas love: 
1. Winter’s love produces activity without affection. How has this played out in your life? Are there things you need to reevaluate because they’re not motivated from love or are not producing loving fruit?
2. Christmas love moves toward, not away, at all costs. Why do you think moving toward people can be costly? Where do you see Jesus moving toward brokenness, sin, or pain rather than avoiding it?
3. Christmas love is received, not earned. What would it look like to love others with “no strings attached”?
4. The greatest love was born in a manger to die on a cross. How does this shape our understanding of how God views humanity? What does it tell us about the nature of what real love looks like?

The challenge for the week ahead is to grow in our faith and lovingly hold each other accountable through the community.

The big question this week was: What would change if I let Jesus love me before I try to love others? For your challenge this week, instead of giving you things to do, the point of the message is to just receive the love of Jesus this season. The challenge will be for you to actually do less, give up fighting or striving, and resist the temptation to be frivolously busy. Recognize when feelings of competition, earning, measuring up, etc. are rising in you, then bear witness to them. And instead of acting on them, release them to God and just receive the free gift of the love of Jesus that is already yours!