The Beginning of Christmas

November 29, 2020

Main idea: God gives hope in the midst of broken relationships.

Genesis 1-3 reveals something ...

• Very good (Genesis 1:1-2; 1:26-31)
• Very bad (Genesis 3:1-7; 2:16-17)
• Very very good (Genesis 3:14-15)

Significance

• We are not immune to the very bad of our world ...
• ... but there is HOPE!

Icebreaker

What is your favorite Christmas song and why?

Digging Deeper

1. Read Genesis 1:1-2, 31, Genesis 3:1, 6, and Genesis 3:14-15.

   • In your own words, summarize what happens in these texts.
   • How would your understanding of Scripture change if you never read Genesis 1-3?
   • How does your understanding of Christmas change by reading Genesis 1-3 today?

2. Read Romans 16:20.

   • How does this relate to Genesis 3:14-15?
   • How can a God of peace crush? Isn't that too violent and not peaceful?
   • With what emotions do you look forward to that day where God will finally crush Satan? Why?

Next Steps

1. Although the Bible was written over a period of ~1,500 years by 40 different authors from various cultures, it has one unified theme.

   • How would you summarize that theme in one word? One sentence? (Some one sentence examples. 🙂)
   • How does the unified theme of the Bible support the authenticity and truthfulness of the Bible?

2. Consider this graphic of God's Big Story:

• With which parts of the storyline are you familiar?
• With which parts of the storyline are you unfamiliar?
• Where would you divide the storyline in half? Why?

[source]

3. Read and discuss the following quote:

"Until recently, the secular storyline has been the “better” storyline. We told ourselves there is no God. As a result, there’s also no moral accountability. We get to do whatever we want. The trade-off? There’s also no purpose. But we told ourselves that we can create our own.

Suddenly, with COVID-19, the existence of God might not be such a bad thing after all. God gives us a basis for moral accountability. And that’s all we’ve been talking about in 2020—moral accountability—with #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and the need to wear masks.

The pandemic’s deconstruction of the Western storyline is a gospel opportunity. The world is shaken in new ways and searching for answers in new places. A more secure, satisfying storyline is needed, and Christians should be sharing it.

One of my colleagues, who does Christian ministry on college campuses, says the last few years have been especially fruitful. Many students have become Christians. One factor is that college students arrive on campus with unprecedented freedoms; suddenly they don’t have teachers and parents telling them what to do. But they don’t know what they are free for. Because they have no purpose or direction. They are rudderless.

But if God exists, so can purpose." [Source]

• How does this tie into the deception seen in Genesis 3?
• How does this tie into the hope also seen in Genesis 3 (particularly Genesis 3:15)?
• How would you voice this hope to a friend?

4. Where do you need hope this Advent? How can the gospel give you hope in that area? Pray for one another with this in mind!

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