Christmas: The Music And The Meaning - Week 2

Check out this weeks hymn playlist @ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Qs98rx2QGXoc9ox4D7iEj?si=S5psgYNfQwKljdbBZtVNaw



Opening Prayer: 
Lord, we are so grateful for this opportunity to gather in your Holy name...right here and right now.  We ask you to fill our hearts with your love, mercy, and a desire for learning about your precious Son and each other.  Thank you for this opportunity for fun and fellowship.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
 
Ice Breaker
 
CHOICES!  Living in a modern country, we have so many choices to make in our daily lives.  From our Starbucks order or Levi's style options, to streaming platforms or car models.  Just walk into any Dierberg's snack aisle and you'll encounter a myriad of options.  While these are all materialistic examples, we also have deeper choices to make, such as our belief systems, how to spend our money and free time, who to have friendships and/or relationships with, how we treat people each day, and so much more.
 
With a simple show of hands, how does your group vote in this game of,
"Would you rather......?"
White Christmas or a warm Christmas?
Hot chocolate or eggnog?
Handel’s Messiah or The Christmas Story?
Return an unwanted gift to the store or  re-gift it?
Receive one big gift or 8 smaller gifts?
Say hello to a passer-by stranger or look the other way?
Meet the newborn Christ as a Shepherd or a Wise Man?
Read the book or watch the movie? (Can you name an instance in which you think the movie was better than the book?!)
 
The Head:
 
Hymn of the Week:  Angles From The Realms of Glory" by Henry Smart, copyright 1816.  It is about glory, celebration, and the worshiping of our newborn King.
 
In the following scriptures, angels played a vital role in Christ’s coming to earth.

Luke 1:26-38 - Angels to Mary
[Excerpt] 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s son.”

Matthew 1:18-25 - Angels to Joseph
[Excerpt] 20 As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Luke 2:1-21 - Angels to the shepherds
8 Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night.9 The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. 11 Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, 14 “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” 15 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” 16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. 18 Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. 20 The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.


The angel(s) above meant business.  Consider what they were asking Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds to do.  What questions, fears, or hardships might those angelic visitations reveal?
Do you believe you would have made the same choices as the famed Bible characters? Which choice might you have struggled with the most?

Take a closer look at the lyrics of this week's theme song, "Angels From the Realms of Glory?" The poem-song tells of how the angels were called from far ends of the earth, the wise men from afar, and the shepherds from nearby fields to "Come and worship Christ, the newborn King." We are called to come and worship Him also, both in Advent and in our everyday doings. God loves for us to worship Him.  


The Heart:
What have been, or currently are, some of your most meaningful worship experiences?
A few examples might be a favorite church service and/or specific sermon series, a Christian music concert and/or speaking event, your CoreGroup meetups, private prayer/devotionals, the sharing of communion, a particularly meaningful worship song, or even a spiritual nature experience.

What form of worship are you most comfortable with (solo, small groups, large groups)?  
What form of worship do you hope to improve on, be exposed to or do more of?

Think about your usual state of mind when you come for worship….maybe this CoreGroup meeting, your devotional earlier today, or a recent church service you attended. Were you feeling joyful or not-so-much? Distracted? Peaceful? Was there something else you were feeling? Do you routinely practice prayer and/or meditation?  If so, would you like to share any struggles and/or secrets of success?

Making a CHOICE to follow Jesus can sometimes be inconvenient or unpopular when compared to the ‘ways of this world.’  

What is one of your struggles in choosing and/or worshiping God? (I.e. challenges prioritizing quiet time with God, difficulties attending church, fears of being different, a lack of family/friend support, feelings of shame or hopelessness, etc.)

How about this Advent season in particular?  Are you experiencing any particular struggles? (i.e. over-committing, over-indulging, over-spending, over-focusing on what we don't have, being overtaken by the despair and/or injustices of this world.)


The Hands:
We celebrate the birth of our Savior once every year, but we are faced with the deep brokenness in our humanity every single day.  All is not as it should be...but we know the end of the story, which is eternal life.  Choosing celebration and worship helps us to rise above these earthly difficulties by focusing on hope for the world through Christ!

What are some of your favorite worship CHOICES which draw you closer to the newborn King this season? (i.e. Advent devotionals, time with family, singing/listening to Christmas music, volunteering/charity work, donating to Christmas Eve's Clean Water in Mozambique, etc.)
Even though none of us have likely been visited by one of God’s angels, we are still presented with a CHOICE - to either stay put or move forward.  To either choose God, or the way of the world.  To establish a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, or just mindlessly go through the motions.  To coast and/or hide, or be bearers of hope...shining His light for others to see.  

Are there any choices you feel God might be calling you or your family to do?  How about your CoreGroup?
 

Closing Prayer:
 
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your angels to ask Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds to make difficult choices. You allow us to experience difficult choices and circumstances, too.  Sometimes it's hard to keep the celebration of Christ's birth alive because we're overwhelmed with the brokenness, pain, and suffering all around us.  Help us to be your light and love to others.  I pray: "Lord, remind me...that the shepherds heard the angels break the silence in the field...that the wisemen found a baby and they could not help but kneel...that the one who heard our weeping became a child in manger sleeping.  Lord, remind me...of the eternal hope we have."  You came down as a man, lived, died, and rose again to save us through love.  We can boldly CHOOSE to live in the "right now" because we have trust in the "not yet."  May glory and celebration be the way we celebrate Christmas this season and all year long.  In your Holy name, Amen."