Advent 2019, Part 3

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This week we continue our seven-week Advent series, Advent: Against the Powers of this Dark World. This week pastor Emily Schulz shares a personal story of loss as she looks at the dark forces of death and tragedy in our world.

Discussion Questions for Advent 2019 Pt3 | November 24, 2019 | Click here for printable version.

Key Passages: Psalm 6:3, 13:1-2, 35:17, 82:2; John 6:66-68; Rev 21:1-5

Discussion Questions

  1. Ask someone to give a short recap of the sermon and then open with a general discussion. You might ask one or more of the following questions to get conversation flowing: What stood out to you as significant? What resonated with you? What encouraged you? What challenged you? What did you disagree with? What questions did you leave with, or what was confusing or hard to understand?
  2. The main idea of the message was that in a dark world full of death and tragedy, God is not our enemy but is our only hope. On a scale of 1-10, how difficult is it for you to believe that idea? 1 = Extremely difficult/I don’t believe it, 10 = Somewhat easy/I believe it fully
  3. Why did you rate yourself at that number?
  4. Think about a time you experienced some kind of tragedy. How did you respond to God? Did you turn away? Doubt His existence? Get angry? Lean on Him for comfort? (Or, if you’ve never experienced tragedy, think about someone else you know who has. How did they respond?)
  5. Read John 6:66-68 together as a group. What can we learn from Peter’s response to Jesus?
  6. Read Revelation 21:1-5 together as a group. What stands out to you in this picture of eternity? How does this picture challenge how you’ve traditionally thought of eternal life? (Hint: If you’ve ever pictured heaven as a place where you’re super bored, sitting on a cloud, playing a harp and singing hymns all day, this is not that!!)
  7. How does getting a glimpse of the end of the story give us hope in the difficult things we face now?

Moving Forward

  • If you’re currently in a season of grieving, consider joining us on Wed, Dec 18th for the Longest Night service from 7pm-8pm at NDC.
  • If you are not currently in a season of grieving, identify someone in your life who is and come up with a tangible way to bless them this week. 

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