Before We Get Started

For our discussion today we will be using the sermon series discussion guides. If you would like to follow along you can access this discussion guide on the website at mosaicchurchaustin.com and then select “community group resources” in the menu options.

Prayer

Because the main goal of our time together is to establish relationships and learn how to walk with one another in all that God has called us to be and do, we’d like to begin by praying for one another. So, does anyone have anything you’d like us to pray for, or  anything to share regarding how you’ve seen God moving in your life that we can celebrate together.

This Week’s Topic

Today we continue our series of messages leading us through the Advent Season up to the celebration of the coming of Jesus…Christmas. It is a season of expectation, but what are we supposed to be expecting? Gifts? Stress? Loneliness? Family drama? Over the next few weeks, we will rediscover the Biblical Truths behind the birth of the Christ and what His coming is meant to accomplish in our hearts and lives.

Discussion Questions

What is an example in your life where someone either showed you mercy or where you showed mercy to someone else?

Micah 6:8

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

What is mercy?

What is requried to give mercy? 

What is required to ask for mercy?

Why are both of those things so hard to do?

Steve Massey, Pastor and Writer for Spokesman.com

“Without mercy, the myriad irritations and quirks that interfere with relationships become divisive or even irreconcilable. Without humility, relationships become a rollercoaster of closeness and contention, an up-then-down cycle that is emotionally exhausting and a poor substitute for true love. Happily, God has not merely told us to be humble and merciful to one another; he’s lavishly extended humility and mercy to us first. And he gives us the privilege of sharing these graces with each other.”

What does asking for, and receiving, mercy have to do with our relationship with God? 

How should receiving that mercy from God impact our ability to extend mercy to others?

How might extending mercy and/or asking for mercy impact our relationships with others?

Closing Thought