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 BIG IDEA:
The Christmas Story is the true story of the “incarnation of God to man.”  As Pastor Terry stated in his message, the incarnation literally means the “infleshing” of God or “the embodiment of God in flesh.” The incarnation is the extravagant, missional act of a sinless God taking human form, becoming one of us, and moving into the neighborhood of our lives.

SUMMARY:
For God so loved every person on earth that he gave his only Son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish, but rather have abundant, true life in this world and everlasting life at the end of their earthly days.  Through the incarnation of Christ, Jesus came to identify with us in the midst of our struggle in this fallen world, so that he could open the way for us to identify with the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit working within us by Jesus name.

Discussion Points:

What does the incarnation really say to us?

ONE:
The incarnation reveals the value of our lives. Your physical life matters to God!
Read Luke 12:6-7 & 22-31. 
Discuss the point Jesus is trying to make about how much God cares about our physical life, even to the degree of exaggerated emphasis regarding the hairs of our head being numbered.

TWO: 
The incarnation proves that God understands our world.
Read Psalm 103:13-14 and Hebrews 4:14-16  Discuss how the incarnation of Christ helps to make God’s ground level understanding of us more comprehensible to our finite hearts and minds.

THREE:
The incarnation shows us that God wants to be with the ones He loves.
Read Luke 13:34 and Psalm 91:1-4  Discuss how some view God as a distant aloof God in contrast with the message being portrayed in these verses that describes God’s heart to be near the ones he loves.

FOUR:
The incarnation serves as the model for loving, serving and reaching our
generation. 
Read John 17:13-19 and John 5:19  Discuss how Jesus came, not only to save us, but to show us how to live like he did and to “do what the Father is doing.”

Taking Action: In your prayer time this week, ask God to show you how you can make incarnational living your passion this advent season and for the rest of your life.
Ministry Time

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OPEN IN PRAYER and / or WORSHIP

BIG IDEA:
 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.  —1 Chronicles 16:34

OVERVIEW:
Wouldn’t it be interesting to know the percentage of people in America who actually set time aside to say “thank you” to God during the Thanksgiving holiday (besides the token prayer over the turkey dinner)?  We will never know, but God does. It is interesting that the American holiday of Thanksgiving was proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln in the middle of the darkest season of our nation’s history—the Civil War.  Below is an excerpt from his proclamation.  See page 2 (back) of these notes for the entire proclamation.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the heavens.   

 — President Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1863

In your LifeGroups this week, read the following scriptures and take time to discuss, contemplate and offer thanksgiving to the one from whom all good things come.

DISCUSSION:

Read 1 Chronicles again from the top of the page, and also read James 1:16-18.  Talk about the nature of God, in the context of his goodness.  How does knowing that God is good help us to put the following scripture into practice?
 In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.      –1 Thessalonians 5:18

Read passage below. Discuss how a grateful heart clears a pathway for God’s blessing.
“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”                                                                                                                             —Psalm 50:23

Read the quote below and discuss: Do you agree with Mr. Beecher?  Why or why not?

The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!    –Henry Ward Beecher

Raise this question in your group:  Is it true that if we anchor our soul in thankfulness, that we are better positioned to be able to see God in ways that we could not otherwise see him?  Discuss how that might be so.

Take Time to Give Thanks:
Read Psalm 100 and take a few minutes to share what you are thankful for.  Offer prayers of thanks to God for all he has done for you and the people in your group.

Taking Action:
On Biblegateway.com, or in your Bible’s concordance, look up at least 7 different scriptures with the word thank, thanksgiving, thankful or thanks in it.  Meditate upon what these passages say and how you can apply it in your life.  Memorize your favorite one, and add a new one to memory every year at Thanksgiving for the rest of your life.
Ministry Time

O By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

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BIG IDEA:
A dominate theme found in the Bible is to correct mankind’s case of mistaken identity. Adam and Eve’s rebellion marked humankind with a sinful nature.  Jesus came to give us each a completely new identity which can only be found in him, but Satan is still at work trying to convince us that we are not the “new person” God has re”formed”. Throughout our lives, we are flooded with contradictory messages that imprint our minds with mistruths and lies about our true identity.  These false messages come through some of the people in our lives, and from a culture saturated in secular humanistic thought.  Unfortunately, false signals can also come from pulpits where religious ideas and legalism has drowned out the good news of our righteousness found in Christ alone.  Our own “self-talk” is another strong voice reinforcing a “mistaken identity.” In our LifeGroups tonight, let’s talk about the liberating truths found in the Bible and taught about this weekend. 

DISCUSSION POINTS:  Read the scriptures and thoughts below and discuss their application and their potential for releasing God’s power in our lives.

 “If you believe the wrong things about yourself, you behave in a way that is out of accord with what God has created you to be.”  –Pastor Terry 

Example of the above: Think of a child who was told by his/her father “You’re a no good, hopeless failure and you’ll never amount to anything” and that child BELIEVED that about themselves.  How would that shape their future?  Have you ever heard the devil try to “identify” you as a “no good hopeless sinner” as you seek to live a holy life?  Read Romans 8:1-2 and talk about how important it is that we see ourselves as God sees us.  

We are Children of God, made in His image:
Read John 3:3, Galatians 4:6-7 and Genesis 1:26-27
We know that natural born children bear the DNA of their parents.  Talk about how these passages in Genesis, John and Galatians describe our true identity, our DNA, as children of God.  How is that significant?  Discuss it in terms of the “royal bloodline of a king.”

We are a New Creation in Christ:  read below then discuss our “identity in Christ”
 “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person (creation). The old life is gone; a new life has begun.”

– The Apostle Paul, (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

“For you have been born again, not of perishable (imperfect) seed, but of imperishable (perfect seed), through the living and enduring word of God.”                                                        — The Apostle Peter (1 Pet. 1:23 NIV)

To make the point that believers are a “new” creation, consider the following analogy: 
“A car that has been in an accident can be restored and resold under a “salvaged title.” It’s still the same old car, it’s just been patched up and made to look new again.  Many Christians think that’s what God has done for them, and that is a false identity. We are not the old beat up person that has been patched up and put back on the road as “salvaged.”  In Christ, the old self has been taken to the wrecking yard and buried (waters of baptism).” The life God has given us is a brand new life, fresh off the showroom floor.  It might look like the other life on the outside, but it is not held together with bondo putty, it is a new life made in the “image of God” and it runs on an entirely different fuel than the old model.

Read Galatians 2:20. Discuss the powerful perspective this gives us on our true identity.

TAKING ACTION: This week, do an in depth study in the Word about your identity in Christ and give thanks!!!

MINISTRY TIME

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 Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship
 
Big Idea:  A stable, balanced life begins with living in the “Sabbath rest” we are offered through Christ as we make him the center of gravity for our whole being.  Worshiping Jesus, by placing him at the center, enables us to keep from losing our balance as we walk the tightrope of life.  The Bible offers guidance on how to keep our equilibrium in all facets of our lives by resting in God’s truth.  In your groups, read the following scriptures and discuss how they relate to our lives practically.

Discussion Points:   Below are —four keys to balanced living— which Pastor Terry discussed in the weekend message.  Read the passages of scripture below and discuss how living these scriptural truths can stabilize our lives and keep us from losing our balance and missing God’s purpose for our lives.

ONE: Balance through knowing Jesus.
Read Matthew 11:28-30  What kind of “rest” is Jesus talking about, and how can living in that rest position us to experience God’s best for our lives? 
Read Luke 6:47-49  Talk about how being anchored in knowing and obeying Christ keeps us from being thrown off balance by the uncertainties we face in life. 

TWO: Balance through knowing our purpose.  Read the following passage:
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.
Colossians 1:16-17(the Message)

There are two different ways that believers seek to live out lives of purpose.  One is to ask God to come and bless the purposes we have determined for ourselves.  The other is to see that our purpose in life originates with Christ (as seen in Colossians 1 above) and then asking God to lead us to an awareness of what that looks like for our lives.  In your group, talk about which approach brings equilibrium to our life and which one makes us dizzy… and why.

THREE: Balance through knowing the season we are in.
Read Galatians 6:9   Talk about how we can “keep from growing weary” during seasons of intensity in our lives (example: child rearing years, cyclical work seasons (ie. tax time for an HR Block tax advisor), working and going to school, etc.  Give your own examples.  Discuss how to stay balanced during these seasons.

FOUR: Balance through knowing our limits. Read the passage below and 1.) talk about the wisdom of having a healthy self-awareness and 2.) how “balance” is often realized by leaning on others when we’ve reached our own limits and 3.) how being connected to the “body” of Christ can help us keep our balance.  
Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.            Romans 12:3b-6a (NLT)  

Taking Action:  During your devotional time this week, prayerfully consider these four keys for staying balanced in our lives.  Ask God to give you insight for how they apply to your life personally.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom (James 1:5) for regaining equilibrium in any area you sense needs stabilized in your life.  Write down what He speaks to your heart about and also write out your plan of action to regain your balance.
Prayer and Ministry Time