​We want a deliverer who will fix all our external circumstances and make life more bearable for us, but Jesus is a Savior who frees us from our deepest bondages.

Discussion Questions: 

1. What’s something you used to want very badly in life that doesn’t feel as important to you anymore?
2. In what ways did the Jew's expectation of the Messiah differ from the mission of Jesus? 
3. Why do you think Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem on a donkey? What does that tell us about the kind of king he is and the kind of salvation he offers?
4. Can you think of a time when God didn’t fix your circumstances the way you hoped but did something deeper in your life instead?
5. Jesus warns us to “walk while you have the light.” What do you think it means to walk in the light?
6. John suggests that judgment is not only future-oriented but happens now through our responses to God. How does that reshape the way you think about faith and daily decisions?
7. The passage from Isaiah speaks about hardened hearts and blinded eyes. How do repeated choices shape our ability to hear and respond to God over time?
8. The sermon frames this not as a threat, but as an invitation. What might God be inviting you to respond to right now? Is there any light He’s given that you’ve been tempted to ignore or postpone?

 

​Jesus’ restoration of Peter in John 21 shows us that God does not allow our past experiences of serving to have the final word, but heals and restores us for continued service in his name.

Discussion Questions:

1. What’s one photo or memory from your past that still brings up strong emotions when you think about it?
2. What are some ways you've served in the past (whether at ICC or another ministry) but no longer do. How do you tend to remember those past seasons of serving?
3. Have you ever stepped back from serving because of burnout, disappointment, or personal failing? What impact did that experience have on how you view serving today?
4. In John 21, why do you think Jesus begins his restoration of Peter with the question, “Do you love me?”
5. Each time Peter affirms his love, Jesus responds with, “Feed my sheep.” What does this connection between loving Jesus and caring for others reveal about the heart of Christian service?
6. Rest can be either restorative or become a permanent withdrawal. How can we discern the difference in our own lives?
7. In what ways can God redeem our past painful ministry experiences? How can these wounds shape us to better serve others?
8. Looking at the gifts, skills, and experiences God has already given you (whether through ministry, work, or life experiences), what themes emerge? How might he be preparing you to serve others?
9. As you think about the coming year, what is one small, concrete step you could take to prayerfully explore God’s call to serve?

​We often fail to experience true, biblical joy because we allow our circumstances, our fears, and our forgetfulness to rob us of the joy the gospel brings. But when we worship the God who sees and saves us, and trust that through our brokenness, He will bless the world -- we can experience the fullness of joy that can only be found in Christ in any situation of life.

​Discussion Questions: 

​1.The sermon opened with a childhood Christmas memory that shaped joy. What is a moment—Christmas-related or not—when you felt unexpectedly seen, loved, or cared for? What made that moment joyful?
2. The sermon suggested that fear, circumstances, and forgetfulness often rob us of joy. Which of these most commonly steals joy from you? Why?
3. Mary’s joy flows from knowing that God has seen her humble state. Where do you struggle to believe that God truly sees and values you?
4. Mary’s Magnificat describes a God who lifts the lowly and fills the hungry while humbling the proud. Where do you see this “Great Reversal” in Jesus’ life or teachings?
5. God’s promise to Abraham was not just blessing, but becoming a blessing. The sermon suggested that God blesses the broken so that through them He might bless the world. How have your own wounds or weaknesses shaped you and allowed you to bless others?
6. During this Advent season, where might God be inviting you to experience joy—not by changing your circumstances, but by trusting His presence and promises?
7. What is one practical way you could act as a channel of God’s blessing this season—to the lonely, the overlooked, or the weary?

​True peace rests entirely on the promised arrival of the King, Jesus Christ, who enters our world as a child to grow, live, die, and resurrect to become our ultimate and eternal Shalom.

Discussion Questions: 

​1. ​Shalom is defined not just as the absence of conflict, but as the presence of harmony, wholeness, and oneness—God's "Should Be." When have you experienced a moment in your life that gave you a true, deep "taste" of Shalom? 

2. The reason Shalom is broken is the ongoing human desire to "be like God" (Genesis 3:5). Where in your life are you currently trying to "play God"—by taking control, striving for self-preservation, or trying to achieve a "God-like power" over your circumstances or image? How does this effort ultimately block the true flow of God's Shalom?

3. We all have "counterfeit shalom" strategies, whether it's outrunning anxiety with constant over-working,  seeking approval by controlling our social media image, believing we can fix inner fragmentation independently or even maintaining "superficial, quiet, false peace" by avoiding necessary conflict in relationships. The list is endless.  What shalom counterfeits may be tempting for you right now, and why? How might that counterfeit effort be exhausting you more than it's giving you peace?

4. Jesus restored Shalom across four specific dimensions: with God, with Self, with Others, and with Creation. Which of these four areas feels the most fragmented or broken in your life right now? In what specific way does the peace of God provide the most practical and necessary healing for that dimension?
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5. What is one tangible, small action you can take this week to actively "usher in the way of Shalom" (wholeness, justice, restoration) in your immediate circles—your family, workplace, or neighborhood?




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