CHRISTMAS HUDDLE (12/13/20-1/1/21)

Zach Below   -   December 13, 2020

INTRO QUESTIONS

  1. What is your favorite thing about the Christmas season?

 

  1. What was one Christmas tradition your family had growing up?

 

  1. What are you most looking forward to this Christmas?

 

 

LESSON INTRO

This week, we will explore Luke 7:11-17 as we continue our series, “Merry Christmas Anyway: Finding Beauty in Difficulty.” This will be our final huddle of 2020.

 

 

SCRIPTURE ENGAGMENT—LUKE 7:11-17

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

 

Context: This story takes place in a town called Nain. Historians and archeologists now believe that Nain was a small town about 6 miles from Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up. If this is true, it is possible that Jesus was very familiar with the town and could have possibly even known the widow in the story. It is also important to note, that in the first century culture in which this story takes place, a widow losing her only son was a very BIG deal. A widow would count on her children to support and provide for her as well as carry on the family name. A widow losing her only son would mean that she would have a very difficult time getting by the rest of her life.

 

 

SCRIPTURE ENGAGMENT QUESTIONS

  1. What stood out to you from the text?

 

  1. What questions/confusion did it bring up?

 

  1. What do you notice about Jesus in the text?

 

  1. What does Jesus reveal about God in this text?

 

 

BEAUTY IN DIFFICULTY

On Sunday, Pastor Bret provided two insights from the story for finding beauty in difficulty.

 

  1. If you want to find beauty in difficulty . . . FEEL COMPASSION

 

  1. If you want to find beauty in difficulty . . . TAKE THE LONG VIEW 

 

 

COMPASSION

In this story, we see that Jesus reveals a God of compassion.

 

  1. Do you remember a time when someone had compassion on you in a needed moment?

 

  1. How does compassion help us find beauty in difficulty? Both giving and receiving.

 

 

TAKE THE LONG VIEW

  1. How does the following quote speak to both ‘beauty in difficulty’ and ‘taking the long view?’ — “Miracles REQUIRE”

 

  1. In the miracle of raising the widow’s son, Jesus gives us a picture of a future reality. Pastor Bret said it this way, “There is coming a day when THAT miracle is THE ” What do you think this means?

 

  1. Reread verse 15. What does this text say that Jesus did?

 

  1. Why do you think Jesus ‘gave him back to his mother’ instead of having the son leave everything and follow Him like he told so many others?

 

  1. What does this teach us about God?

 

 

APPLICATION

  1. Who is someone in your life that needs compassion right now? Perhaps it is someone that your heart has hardened to over the last few months/years. What is one thing you can do to show them compassion this week?

 

  1. What is something that you are going through right now that you may need to step back from and try and adopt the long view? What might God be teaching you through this experience?

 

 

CLOSE IN PRAYER

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!