Small Group Discussion Questions

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Small Group Discussion Questions On this Holy Night, God declares we have value. Luke 1:26-38, 46-49

“The Soul Felt Its Worth”

Ben Davis

Luke 1:46-49 “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me- holy is his name.” Just because someone isn’t aware of something’s value doesn’t make it worthless. God c________________________________. God c________________________________. Our souls feel their worth when we allow God to lift us out of the O__________________ and into His E___________________ purpose. We LIVE our mission every single day by blessing other people. B_______________ with _________________ L__________________ E_____________ S_____________________ S______________________

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. 46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. ICE BREAKER What is something really valuable that you own? Why is it so valuable? For Mary, her cultural worth was in her virginity so to the culture around her, her value was now gone. In biblical times, sexual purity was integral to both personal and family honor. Scholar Darrel Bock writes: “In ancient culture, virginity was an honored state, a badge of self-control and moral faithfulness. Mary would appear to have conceived a child out of wedlock. Her explanation of a divine conception would be hard to swallow.” 1. Imagine you are Mary getting this news from Gabriel. Be honest: what would be your initial reaction?

2. Mary had a lot of reasons to doubt her worth and ask, “Why me?” She was poor, young, unmarried, and now pregnant. Why do you think our natural reaction is to doubt our worth and ask, “Why me?” The truth is that we all are incredibly valuable. The simple fact that God created us gives us worth. Whether or not others recognize it doesn’t affect our value. Just like a crumpled, stomped on, dirty $20 bill is still worth $20, we hold our value regardless of how others treat us. God gives us both intrinsic value and potential value. What does it look like for our “souls to feel their worth” as it says in “O Holy Night”? It means recognizing both our intrinsic and potential value, just like Mary did. God came as near to Mary as he possibly could—literally living inside her. The fact that he would come near to Mary shows just how much intrinsic value she had. Understand, this is what Christmas means for us too. Christmas means that God has come near. God came into our world to live among us. He came to us in the midst of our ordinariness, our brokenness, our loneliness, our confusion, and our chaos. 3. When are you especially aware that God is near? 4. How does celebrating Christmas help you experience God’s presence? Or do you struggle to sense God during the Christmas season? Mary also had a lot of potential value, and she felt this when God commissioned her with this specific mission of mothering Jesus. This mission was much larger than her and would require much more than her own efforts. It’s not just about Mary anymore. It’s about what God was going to do through her with the power of the Holy Spirit. 5. When have you sensed that you are part of a mission bigger than yourself? 6. How does being part of a mission bigger than yourself make you feel? Is it exciting, scary, overwhelming. 7. What would change this week if you began living with an understanding of how valuable you are? How might you approach your work, relationships, and free time differently?