December 4 – 10
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SERMON DESCRIPTION
THEME: FORGIVE
Christmas is a time for giving – presents to our friends and family, time to service and money so others can enjoy gifts. While we are in this giving mode, why not give the gift of forgiveness? Jesus came to earth to reconcile us to God and others. Let us remember that gift this Christmas.
PRAYER
Holy God; creator, redeemer, sustainer. Your grace is ever flowing, your mercies are new each day. Your love and forgiveness knows no bounds. Help me to be your agent of peace, love and forgiveness in our broken world.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- It is important to understand that forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. Can you “forgive and forget?” What is the difference between forgiving and forgetting?
- Human experience reveals that forgiveness is hard. There is always unresolved pain, tension, offense and much more.
- Do you have a relationship that you cannot forgive?
- How do you use God’s support to forgive others?
- What is your most memorable experience of forgiveness?
- We all know the pain from being wronged by someone we love. How can our belief in God help us move forward?
- The secret and power to exercising forgiveness is to realize you have received tremendous grace from Christ. How does this factor into your willingness to forgive?
- What is your role in forgiveness?
GO DEEPER
Resource Suggestions
- Watch the Guided Christian Meditation: Embracing Forgiveness
- Watch BibleProject: The Messiah
- Scripture from Isaiah describes the Messiah in this video.
- What is the significance of Juda in the promise of the Messiah?
- What does Messiah mean to you?
Music
Daily Devotional
- Watch the Daily Lift
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:1-9 NIV
The Branch from Jesse
11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.