The God Of Surprise

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.

7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,

15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

- Luke 1:5-18

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The Weekly Experience will be on hiatus Dec 19 - Feb 6 | New Groups season begins Feb 13

Mixer

Are you all about Christmas Tradition, or do you enjoy doing something new?

‘Neighborly’ - Daily Devotional

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1. In Student Ministries Director, Cristina’s, 12/9/21 entry, Can You Hear the Whisper?, she reminds us to turn down the noise of the world and think about the whisper of Christ’s birth. How does that Silent Night inspire you to embrace peace this Christmas?
2. In Pastor Sean’s 12/10/21 entry, Where Peace Is Found, he reminds us that “creation will never be our savior.” What did he mean? So how can you remember this busy and chaotic Christmas season to look vertically for your Prince of Peace?

Sermon Questions

Scriptures: Luke 1:5-17

1. What impacted or challenged you in today’s message?
2. Where are you in your faith - seeking understanding or seeking experience? How can you balance both?
3. How would you define an “experience” with God?
4. Have you had an experience with the water-tight person of Jesus? How did He surprise you and turn a fearful moment to a “God’s in this” moment?
5. To experience something you’ve never experienced, you have to do something you’ve never done. What are the things that you’ve never done in your relationship with God that you could start doing? (personal, family life, teaching faith to your kids, setting church rhythms, etc)
6. As a church, how can each of us better position ourselves for helping others experience God?

Go Deeper - with Goodbook

**Goodbook is on break through the end of the year.** Catch the archived sessions on demand at thechurchrb.org/goodbook

Pray

Pray this week for God to prepare your heart for the Christmas season and the upcoming Impact Offering. Thank Him for His blessings He has bestowed upon you, thereby creating an opportunity for you to be a blessing to others. Ask Him to help you see the needs around you through His eyes, that your heart would be more open than ever to positively impact the life of another, bringing a little of “up there, down here.” Amen.

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