Date: December 29, 2024
Looking Forward in Worship
The Point: Jesus is Lord and He deserves our worship.
Get Into the Study
Share the following after reading “The Bible Meets Life.
Countries such as Palestine, Iraq, India, Colombia, Syria, and Bolivia have high levels of persecution. In fact, according to the organization Open Door, over 365 million Christians across the globe are being persecuted for their faith. Almost 5,000 Christians are killed every year as a result of their faith. This is a stark picture in contrast to our comfortable pews and beautiful sanctuaries, where we are welcomed in instead of being thrown out and ridiculed … or worse.
Young people in these volatile countries are no exception. They receive death threats, alienation from family, insults and physical harm but they continue to worship God faithfully. One such child is nine-year-old Moryom from Bangladesh. She loves her village with its rivers, trees, birds and beauty—and she loves God. But people in the village ostracize and make fun of her family for being Christians. Moryom clings to a simple worship song she learned in Sunday school and it helps to keep her focus on Jesus through the discrimination and isolation.
“Stay beside me, dear Jesus.
I cannot live without You.”
In dark times, she knows that Jesus is still with her, bringing his light into her life. And it is because Jesus is lord, that He deserves our worship. Even in the hardest times.
https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/young-persecuted-bangladesh/
Get Into the Study (Option from Adult Leader Guide)
In advance, play a Christmas worship song related to the passage to give the group an opportunity to worship Jesus and reflect on the passage.
Study the Bible (Option from Adult Leader Guide)
In advance, obtain the lyrics for “We Three Kings of Orient Are” by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. Enlist three volunteers to represent the wise men (make the point that we don’t actually know how many wise men there were). Hand each one something resembling one of the three gifts and give them copies of the lyrics. Ask each of the volunteers to read the section of the song that represents their assigned gift. Invite the group to reflect on each stanza and consider how the words honor Christ. Ask for volunteers to share their emotional response to the song’s message.
Live It Out
Share the following as a lead-in to “Live It Out.”:
In Bangladesh, young nine-year-old Moryom chooses to share her faith with others, through persecution, isolation and harassment. Forced to walk two miles to school because no one will give the “Christian” girl a ride, she focuses on Jesus instead of the hurt.
But she doesn’t have to walk far to get to church – it’s in her backyard! Clad in sheet metal, the church stands as a welcoming and safe sanctuary for the hurt outside its walls. Her father is an evangelist and pastor, and her mother, the Sunday school teacher. Moryom loves going to church, learning about Jesus, and having like-minded Christian friends that don’t ridicule, taunt, or spit on her. As part of their Sunday school class, the children love learning worship songs and reading the Bible.
Moryom’s favorite holiday is Christmas, where they get to dress up, sing and worship, and celebrate Jesus’s birthday. They even get to eat cake! But most importantly, they get to come together as a community of believers and worship God in unity, through persecution and despite discrimination. In the words of Moryom’s favorite song,
“With Your life, You saved us.
You bought me with the cost of Your blood.
Stay beside me, dear Jesus.
I cannot live without You.
You took all our sins on Your shoulders.
You sacrificed Your life on the cross for our redemption.”
From the words of a persecuted nine-year-old who has overcome so much to share her faith: Jesus is Lord and deserves our worship. As we “live it out” this Advent, choose one of the following application ideas in “Live It Out.”
Erika Morrison provided these week’s Extra. Erika is passionate about being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around her. She and her husband Chris have been married for twenty-four years and are busy parents to three kids. Erika spent ten years in missions and now calls beautiful Southwest Michigan home, where they are active in their church and community.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
- What aspects of Christmas worship services do you enjoy the most? Why?
- What is something you really enjoy even though you know it’s bad for you?
- How do we know when something is important to us?
- What does your schedule indicate is important to you?
- What is the most memorable or unusual setting you’ve ever been in for a worship service?
- What is the most magnificent and memorable place you’ve ever worshipped?
Matthew 2:1-6
- Why do you think the wise men stopped in Jerusalem during their quest?
- What qualifies something as worthy of our worship?
- What does it mean that Jesus is the one true King?
- What does it look like to worship Jesus today?
- Why is Jesus worthy of our worship?
- What makes Jesus worthy of our worship?
- What does a lifestyle of worship look like for you?
Matthew 2:7-8, 16-18
- What are some ways people resist or reject the gospel today?
- What are some objects of worship in our culture?
- What are some specific ways people oppose God in the world today?
- What are other things that people may worship today?
- How might others oppose Jesus today?
- Why would someone be opposed to worshiping Jesus?
Matthew 2:9-11
- What about Jesus can make you feel (like the Wise men) “overwhelmed with joy?”
- Since knowing Jesus, how have you used your gifts to worship Him?
- How would you describe the connection between gifts and worship?
- What gifts can we offer Jesus as our King?
- What gifts can we bring in worship today?
- When was the last time you sacrificed in order to worship The Lord?
For Those in Your Group
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
What Unusual Gift Will You Give This Year?
Podcast
Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
Why are all the pop-out pages in the leader e-book lesson blurry? For example: Wise Men and Using our Gifts? I can not seem to get a clear copy/
Those “pop out” pages are thumbnail images. We provide those for leaders who use the Leader Pack, and the images are to help them identify and pull the handouts from the Leader Pack.