Discussion Guide: The Wise Women of Christmas Week 2

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

As Christmas approaches this month, we will be taking a look at the backstory of the birth of Jesus by focusing on some specific people’s voices and stories are connected to Jesus Christ. Long before there were any wise men who came to deliver gifts, there were wise women who offered their lives. And, to best understand Jesus, we need to better understand them…The Wise Women of Christmas.

Today’s Topic

Ruth – She Who Clung

Discussion Questions

Who was your best friend when you were a kid, and what was it that made that friendship so special?

Ruth 1:6-11

“Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters…”

How would you describe the relationship between Naomi and her daughters-in-law based on this passage?

What was Naomi trying to do for these women here?

As a widow in that culture, what would have happened to Naomi if both of these women left?

Why do you think it was so hard for them to leave Naomi?

Yet, what would be the consequences if they stayed?

Eventually, Orpah goes back home, but Ruth doubles down on her commitment. What do you think that did for her relationship with Naomi?

John 13:12-15

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

John 13:34-35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

How has the last two years made relationships with others even more difficult than usual?

When it comes to following Jesus and being part of a local church community, how does Jesus want us to treat one another?

How might our treating one another that way make an impact on our church, and on the community around us?

Closing Thought

What does it take to love one another like that, and how does the Gospel empower us to do so?



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