What an amazing first week we have had! I have enjoyed every bit of our study, our small groups, and our interaction here in this group so much! What a blessing you all are to me, and I hope this has been a tremendous blessing to you as well!

The small group sessions last week brought some deep and heart-felt discussions, and many of us experienced a transformation in our perspective of Christmas. What a beautiful thing to see you all ministering to each other and drawing nearer to the heart of Christ during this holiday season.

I was especially touched this week by the story Max Lucado told in chapter 2 of the missionary from Liberia whose son had died from a tropical fever. When he buried his son, he wept inconsolably, and the chief of the village sat silently and just watched him. The chief then ran back to his village shouting, “White man, white man – he cries like one of us!”

Because he could finally identify with the missionary, he and the villagers were finally ready to hear and accept the message that Jesus saves.

This story reminds us of the lengths that God was willing to go so that we could relate to Him as well. He sent His Son into the World, fully God and fully man, to identify with us so that we could identify with Him. “He took on your face in the hope that you would see His.”

What reassurance and hope fill our hearts as we contemplate the message of Christ becoming flesh and dwelling among us as Immanuel, God with us, and to understand that Christmas is only the beginning of the story that was to be fulfilled with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Hundreds of Messianic prophesies came to pass with pinpoint accuracy, and we can therefore celebrate our eternal redemption through Jesus Christ our Lord! To Him be all glory, and honor, and praise!

Here is this week’s info:

Reading Schedule

November 21 – 27:

• Begin Because of Bethlehem
• Read chapters 1-3 and pp. 137 – 149 of the Advent portion of the book.
• Introductory small groups, but no groups of Thanksgiving Day

November 28 – December 4:

• Read chapters 4-6 and pp. 151-161 of the Advent portion
• Small groups to discuss chapters 1-3 and the first week of Advent.

December 5 – 11:

• Read chapters 7-9 and pp. 163 – 173 of the Advent portion
• Small groups to discuss chapters 4-6 and week 2 of Advent

December 12-18:

• Read chapters 10-12 and pp. 175-185 of the Advent portion

Discussion Questions

Here is a sneak peek of the questions we will be discussing this week in our small groups.

Appetizer Question: Complete this sentence: “It wouldn’t be Christmas without ______________.”

Main Course:

1. “At Advent, we are invited to immerse ourselves in hope. Biblical hope is not wishful thinking. It is the unshakable confidence that God can be trusted. It is the belief that God is always at work for our good. It is the assurance that God’s promises are true even while we wait for their fulfillment. Because our hope is certain, we wait patiently, not fretfully, trusting that God is already at work to provide the light we seek, the help we need, and the deliverance we long for.” How does the Christmas story personally fill you with hope?
2. “At Advent, hope fills us with anticipation – the King is coming and we want everything in our lives to be ready to receive Him! Max puts it this way: ‘If you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, what would you do today? Then do it! Live in such a way that you would not have to change your plans.’” What are some things in our lives we need to lay down, and what are some things we want to pick up to make more room for the coming King in our lives?
3. “The answer to darkness is light, to danger is rescue, to lethargy is vitality, to exhaustion is rest.” Which of these do you think you will need most in the days and weeks ahead?
4. Hope is not only about our glorious and secure future, but we also have hope for today because Christ came to be Immanuel, God with us. What does it mean to you that because of the birth of Christ, we have the fullness of God with us (Col 1:19) in every situation we go through in life?
5. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 NIV.) Every single one of us was born with a sinful nature. Praise God for His plan to send Christ to save us from our sins! The name Jesus actually means, “Yahweh saves” (p. 27), and that is our ultimate hope! However, not only will we be saved from the punishment and guilt of our sins for all eternity, but we are also in the process of becoming more like Him while living on this earth (2 Cor. 3:18, Romans 8:29). How does this transformation process give you hope?
6. (Bonus) “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…” Jude 1:24 NIV. Because of Christ, we do not have to fear losing the salvation that He paid the ultimate price to give us. What Christ began at Christmas, He fulfilled at the Resurrection. How does this knowledge change your perspective of Christmas?

Dessert Question: If you could ask Mary one question about the childhood of Jesus, what would it be?

How This Works

• Purchase the book and follow the reading schedule above.
• Watch the video: Max Lucado’s video for week 1 is free at Faithgateway.com. Week 2 will be available next week.
• Optional sermons: Max Lucado’s sermon series, “Because of Bethlehem,” is also available on YouTube. Here is week 2.
• Optional coloring book: Just for fun, why not purchase the coloring book too?
• Subscribe to this site, if you haven’t already, to receive future updates by email. Enter your email address to the right and click the subscribe button.
• Join our Facebook group, Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study, for daily interaction, activities, videos, and small group sessions. This is a closed group, and no one will be able to see our posts unless they are members of the group. This is for your safety and privacy.
• Small Groups: We will have photos posted in our Facebook group to mark the location of each small group meeting. You are welcome to attend any group you wish. There is no registration.
• Small Group Schedule: 

• Follow my ministry page on Facebook, Shari Lewis Ministries, to stay up-to-date on ministry events and for daily prayers, nuggets of wisdom and encouragement for your life, photos that you are welcome to share, and faith building blog posts to strengthen your walk with Christ.

Merry Christmas! Have a blessed week!