938 Church

How to deal with your anger

Community Question: How can you recapture wonder, even in the face of unexpected situations where there may appear to be none?

Read Luke 2:22-35 as a group and write down what you observe about the passage. Talk about initial observations/questions of the passage as a group and then transition into these questions.

Mary and Joseph were thrust into a life situation that was completely unplanned. There were to raise God as a child. However, Simeon’s blessing caused them to pause and “marvel” (aka “wonder”) at what was said because Simeon’s blessing was not what they expected. Jesus was coming to save Israel AND the Gentiles.

We lose our wonder when we wonder why God has let certain things happen. You

Three ways to recapture the Wonder:

Community Question: How does God’s unique entrance into this world change His relationship with you and enhance the wonder of this life?

Read Luke 2:1-21 as a group and write down what you observe about the passage. Talk about initial observations/questions of the passage as a group and then transition into these questions.

God entered the world in a very insufficient way. God needed swaddling, warmth, and comfort. Someone else was in control. None of us likes to experience insufficiency, so we may reduce the value of the situation, so we do not feel insufficient.

The Angel did not choose a king, but rather chose shepherds to whom the

This Christmas, take a step toward wonder in three ways:

Community Question: Mary shared with Joseph that her child was God’s child. Joseph was presented with an unexpected situation, but his life expectations set a limit on what was possible. What we see sets our expectations on reality, but there is a world of wonder beyond our own expectations. When things do not go as you expect, how do you respond?

Matthew 1:18-25 as a group and write down what you observe about the passage. Talk about initial observations/questions of the passage as a group and then transition into these questions.

Joseph’s unexpected situation was immersed in tension that could lead to his and Mary’s being outcasts in their society. We live in constant tension between what we expect God to do and what he actually does.

Joseph’s response could have had a life-threatening result for Mary or a

Acceptance: Accepting our situations as that which God is using to bring

Joseph had his own plan for his life, but God presented him with a situation that changed everything. Through that change came great wonder.

**Community Question:**Mary, after becoming pregnant with Jesus, was placed in a situation that caused isolation and worry as she was isolated from her community. Luke records Mary’s song of praise, known as The Magnificat, in which she accepts her situation and praises God. How did Mary arrive at the point where she was able to accept and rejoice in the wonder that was about to come?

Read Luke 1:46-56 as a group and write down what you observe about the passage. Talk about initial observations/questions of the passage as a group and then transition into these questions.

Worry: When we worry, we become stuck. When we are stuck, we are unable to experience wonder. Mary was stuck and we can relate to the burden she carried.

Wonder: Acceptance leads to wonder. The pathway of humility is the only way to acceptance. However, Resentment, “Uniqueitis”, Regret, and Pride are all barriers to this doorway. Mary struggled to accept her situation as something that would lead to Wonder.

Acceptance: Accepting our situations as that which God is using to bring

Recapture the Wonder: Mary’s path led to the wonderful birth of Jesus. Via

**Community Question:**Paul states that “From him [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph 4:15). As we saw in the Lego videos, we can do more together. But do you think of yourself as part of the body?

Read Eph. 4:11-16 as a group and write down what you observe about the passage. Talk about initial observations/questions of the passage as a group and then transition into these questions.

The Truth: Paul states, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head” (Eph 4:15)

Know the truth: Paul refers to “every wind of teaching” and “infants,

Speak the truth in love: Christians have been known to be more condemning than loving. Read and reflect on John 4:8-26. Jesus could have shamed the Samaritan woman for her sin but spoke to her out of love instead.