DISCUSSION GUIDE
WELCOME TO YOUR FAITH DISCUSSION GUIDE! It is God’s promise to you that as you continue to love each other and seek His wisdom in your relationship, He will reveal
teachings of the Old Testament spread across the world. The Jewish people were exhausted in their efforts to regain unity, and their last hope was for the coming of the promised Messiah. Cue the star over Bethlehem.
Himself to you in beautiful ways. Be sure to have your bible handy. If you don’t have access to one, check out the Bible Gateway
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app, which is available for Apple and Android devices. To enjoy the custom Date Night In – Faith playlist featuring Christian artists, visit datenightinbox.com/faith.
Have you experienced a time of silence from God? If so, what kinds of doubts did it bring about?
As you push pause on your date night activities and make your way through this
Put yourselves in the shoes of the Israelites
discussion guide, find a comfortable spot to
at the beginning of the New Testament. You
sit together. Ready your hearts to receive
are longing for an advocate, a hero, and a
what God has in store for you through
ruler to save and reunite God’s people. Would
this discussion.
you be expecting God to send a baby born in a manager? How do you think you would have
A LONG WAIT
received this gift?
To set the scene, at the close of the Old Testament, the Israelite nation was under the rule of the Persian Empire. The line of King David had fallen away, and there was no direct ruler over God’s people. However, the descendants of Aaron were still upholding the sacred rites in the temple, as they had been commanded by Moses, and God’s people were not divided. Jumping ahead about 400 years, we open to the New Testament, and things look quite different for the Jews. They are now under the power of Rome and the rule of King Herod. The religious authorities were no longer of the line of Aaron, and there was a separation within the Israelite nation. There had not been an inspired word from God for four centuries, and His people were divided. Such a long period of silence was not wasted in God’s sovereign plan to send a savior for His people. God was changing the set much like a stage crew would as the curtains are drawn between acts. As the central power shifted from the East to the West, the
AN UNEXPECTED GIFT So many times in our lives, we find ourselves waiting with the same eager anticipation as God’s people did before the first Christmas. We are longing for a word from God, a change, and a rescue. We want a certain outcome, delivered at a specific time and in a specific way. After 400 years of silence, God’s people wanted a hero or a king to step forth. What they got was a baby—a most unexpected gift. It was widely denied that Jesus was the Messiah during His time on earth. How could He be? He was not saving His people in the way they had expected. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, even He continually commanded that the accounts of His miracles should not be shared. In Mark 7:36, we read that “Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.” But why? Why did Jesus try to keep His rising influence in the shadows? He was the gift
God’s people were waiting for. He came to start a revolution...just not the revolution the people wanted. Jesus came to offer eternal salvation, not immediate or fleeting salvation. In John 6:15, we are told “When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, ‘Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.” He did not come to be king. He came to lay down His life as a servant in order to bridge the gap between God and His people for eternity.
PRAYER AND REFLECTION If you are feeling forgotten, discouraged, or misunderstood, it is our prayer that you would be encouraged by your discussion this evening. God knows what is in your heart. He knows your needs, and He wants nothing more than for you to experience His presence in your life. Take some time to pray together for the wisdom to see God’s gifts as they are and for the patience to wait for His perfect timing. If you are unsure where to start, you can pray these words: “Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the message of Christmas. Thank You for teaching us through the gift of Jesus that You know
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exactly what we need. We pray now that You would open our eyes to how You are working in our lives. Give us the wisdom and
Has God ever answered a prayer in your life in
understanding to acknowledge Your gifts as
an unexpected way? Was it difficult to see His
good and give us the patience to wait for your
movement as a gift at the time?
perfect timing. Amen.”
CONTINUE YOUR DISCUSSION A SAVIOR FROM WHAT?
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conversation starter, and we encourage
The hope of Christmas is found in the
you to go directly to the source for further
resurrection of Christ. We are so privileged
direction on this topic. The bible is filled
today to see a fuller picture of God’s gift to
with powerful examples on how to lead a
His people. A baby born in a manger, of the
life of joy, peace, and love—regardless of
line of David, was sent to save the world by laying down His life as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. What a beautiful story of redemption! A savior is difficult to appreciate if you don’t
This discussion guide is meant to be a
your circumstances!
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For more reading on this topic, read Luke 1-2 in your bible.
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This Christmas, as the busyness takes over, try to remind each other of the gift
realize the need for one. Although God’s
you have received in Jesus.
people didn’t see the need for a savior from their sins, God knew that’s what they really needed. Although we sometimes don’t see the need for God’s unexpected gifts, we can look
Key takeaways
at the Christmas story and be reminded that He knows exactly what we need and that He never forgets His people.
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God never forgot His people, and He never will. God works in the waiting. God knows our hearts and our needs better than we do.
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