– What is your favorite Christmas song/movie?

– What is your response to this John Ortberg quote: “God is the most joyful being in the universe.” Do you experience God or church as joyful? Why or why not?

– But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,(Galatians 5:22). How do you see this fruit grow in your life or in others? How does joy play a role? 

– Have you considered the concept that God finds joy in you? How does that change your picture or experience of God?

– Together, read Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 9:2-7. How do these passages show God’s promise being fulfilled through Jesus? What’s something in your life you’re waiting on God to accomplish?

– In what ways have you experienced the difference between joy and happiness? How does your faith help you experience joy even when circumstances are difficult?

– How do you interpret the imagery of “joy overtaking sorrow” in Isaiah 35:10? How have you seen this kind of transformation in your life and/or the lives of others?

– Read Jesus’ words in John 15:9-11 and John 16:22-24. How do they challenge or encourage your understanding of joy as a gift from God?

– Romans 15:13 speaks of joy and peace through trust in God. What’s one practical way you and/or your group can reflect and share this joy during this Advent season?

– What is the best gift you’ve ever received?

– What is the first thing you remember spending “a lot” of money on? (Whatever “a lot” meant to you at the time!)

– What impacted you from the message?

– Read Mark 10:17–27. Why do you think Jesus highlighted the Rich Young Man’s wealth as a barrier to following him? Do your finances affect your faith? Explain.

– How can generosity shift our trust from money to God? Do you have an experience with being generous that changed your trust in God?

– Much of the western world is considered to be materialistic or possessionfocused. Do you fall into those categories? What sort of relationship do you have with your possessions?

– Read Philippians 4:10–13. What perspective allows Paul to write these words? How is contentment found, according to Scripture? Where do we look for it instead?

– How can you practice whole life stewardship (giving of your time, talents and treasure)? Give some examples from your own life.

– How would you describe your pace of life right now – fast, slow, or right where you’d like it to be? What appeals to you about living slowly? 

– We’re told that Sabbath is about stopping. What keeps you from stopping? How does stopping honor God? 

– Describe what rest feels like. What sorts of practices in your life bring about true rest? How does Genesis 2:3 create a model of rest for us? 

– Does joy play a role in your faith? Describe what that is like. If not, what makes it challenging for you to experience joy in your faith?

– Read Exodus 20:8-11. What might it mean for Sabbath to be a “holy” day? Why does God care so much about the Sabbath day?

– Can you see yourself practicing Sabbath? If so, what is your plan? If not, what is standing in your way?

– What is the biggest (literal) mess you remember making or having to deal with?

– Did you get in trouble much as a kid? Briefly share one of your stories.

– What stood out to you from this week’s readings or message?

– Do you think the church does a good job of making sure people belong before they believe? How can we create an environment like that?

– How would you describe sin and the impact that it has on your life? Read John 10:10. How do you think our sin holds us back from experiencing life to the full?

– Have you had any experience with confession? What has that been like?

– Read 1 John 1:9. Why do you think Scripture tells us to confess if our sins are already forgiven? Why do we resist doing this?

– Share a story about forgiving someone or someone forgiving you and the impact it made on you.

– How might having an understanding of our own sin change how we love and relate to others?

– What is one thing you remember wanting really badly as a kid?

– Share an early memory of a prayer you learned or an experience with prayer. If your family prayed together, how did they pray?

– What did you learn about prayer this week? Is there something you discovered this week that you’d like to put into practice in your prayer life?

– How have you prayed in the past? What have you liked or not liked about it?

– Which of the prayer practices did you enjoy the most this week? Which was most challenging?

– Examine the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13). Describe it in your own words. Which part of the prayer hit you in a fresh way this week?

– How often do you incorporate silence into your prayers? How do you think we can actually listen and hear God?

– Do you struggle with coming to God with your true feelings? Why or why not?

– What is one of your favorite scripture verses?

– What book did you love as a kid?

– What stood out to you from the message?

– What has your experience of reading Scripture been like?

– Some people think of Scripture as confusing, outdated, or irrelevant. Have such preconceptions occurred to or impacted you? 

– This week’s reading includes a quote from Tim Mackie: “The idea is that every day for the rest of your life you slowly, quietly read the Bible out loud to yourself and then go talk about it with your friends, pondering the puzzles, making connections, and discovering what it all means. And as you let the Bible interpret itself, something remarkable happens. The Bible starts to read you. Because ultimately the writers of the Bible want you to adopt this story as your story. The ultimate goal of reading Scripture is not to form God to our preferences or become Bible scholars, but to be more formed into the person of Jesus.” How do you respond to this quote? How does it affect your view of Scripture and the purpose of reading it? Has Scripture changed you in some way? 

– Close in prayer. Ask for prayer requests and check in on last week’s requests. Close by praying Scripture (Ephesians 3:14–21 is one option).

– If you could describe your journey as a disciple of Jesus in one word, what would it be and why?

– What’s one thing that you’ve learned about yourself from listening to others

– What stood out to you this week from the message?

– How does John 14:26 describe the role of the Holy Spirit in our discipleship? How does this help you understand your own journey as a disciple of Jesus?

– In what ways can we actively participate in our own discipleship process, according to Matthew 11:28-30? What does taking Jesus’ yoke upon us look like?

– How can remembering God’s character in hard times (as seen in Psalm 23) help us work through our own stories of suffering or difficulty?

– Discuss the three levels of listening (to the Holy Spirit, to the person, and to ourselves). Which do you find the most challenging, and why?

– How can practicing the Four C’s (Calm, Curious, Compassion, Creative) improve your ability to receive and respond to others’ stories?

– How does 1 Peter 3:15 guide us in sharing our story? What does this look like in practice?

Close in prayer.

– What is a memorable road trip you’ve taken, and what made it special?

– Why do you think we often remember the journey more than the destination in life?

Read Luke 24:28-35 

– What do you think it means for our hearts to “burn” within us? Can you share a time when you felt that connection with Jesus?

Read Mark 8:27

– What big questions do you think Jesus asks us today? How do you respond to those questions?

– What does it mean to you to be a disciple or an apprentice of Jesus? How does that shape your daily life?

– How can we practice the idea of learning through action in our faith? Can you share an example?

– What are some practical ways we can embrace our journey with Jesus instead of waiting to “arrive”?

– What do you hope to discover or experience as we pay attention to Jesus on the way together?

– Share a brief story about a time of waiting, wishing or wanting when you were a kid, and what you learned.

Read Acts 3:1-10 as a group.

– How does Peter’s response to the beggar’s request challenge our understanding of what it means to give and receive from God?

Read Acts 4:10-12 as a group.

– How does recognizing Jesus as the only path to salvation impact your view of people with other faiths or beliefs?

– How do we sometimes approach salvation with a mindset of “playing our cards right” to receive rest and enjoyment in the end? How does that align or differ from the biblical view of salvation?

Read John 10:9.

– Jesus describes Himself as the gate. What do you think it means to enter through Jesus as “the gate”?

– How does the image of a gate help you better understand salvation, security, and access to God?