Introduction & Prayer
We are now less than a week from Christmas. How have you prepared for remembering His Advent? What has prevented you from remembering and celebrating His birth?
Read Colossians 3:13-17 Out Loud Together
13Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
According to verse 15, what should rule our hearts?
This week we light the 4th candle—the Angel’s Candle which is also called the Peace candle. According to other traditions, which other Advent candle can be classified as the Peace candle? [The 2nd Candle]
Pray
Read Luke 2:8-11
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
Why does this message bring great joy to all people?
Read Luke 2:13-14
13Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
What is the first thing spoken by this group of angels?
Does your approach to Christmas reflect what these angels are saying? How would the people closest to you describe how you have approached Christmas this past week?
What is one thing that you could do this week to bring glory to God?
The original individual angel spoke of joy. But now this group of angels speaks about what?
Describe this peace that the angels are proclaiming. Is this merely the absence of war?
Thinking back to Colossians 3:15-16, what does it look like for peace to rule in our hearts?
Is everyone in Bethlehem hearing and responding to the angels?
Why does the angel specify that this peace is for those whom God is pleased with? Why is it that we don’t live in this peace all the time?
Can you think of someone around you who is experiencing this peace?
Think on This…
How can you specifically proclaim the Peace of Advent this Christmas?
Practice Memorizing Verse 15 and 16
15And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Pray
*We will not be providing small group material over the next two weeks as many groups take a short pause for the Christmas holiday. Please take a moment to send an email to Beth (bethyoung@bethelevv.com) and let her know if you intend to continue using this Bethel Small Group material.
Comments