Hello friends! Happy Friday! So glad you are joining in for the weekly discussion questions. This week we read about Mary and her willingness to be the Lord’s servant. Her obedience and humility really challenged and encouraged me this week.
Here are this week’s questions:
Chapter 3: The Virgin Mother Kind
*In a moment, while she was going about her daily life, Mary’s life changed dramatically. Are you hoping for a dramatic change in your life? Do you believe it can happen that quickly?
*If you were in Mary’s shoes, would you have responded the same way she did to the appearance of the angel Gabriel? Would you have had more questions or concerns?
*Mary’s decision to agree with the angel’s proclamation meant that she would potentially face various risks (such as Joseph ending their engagement, public shame, etc.). Her obedience to the Lord outweighed any potential risks. What might this kind of obedience look like in your own life? What risks to you think you face when deciding whether to obey the Lord or not?
Chapter 4: O Tidings of Comfort and Joy
*Why do you think Mary went to see Elizabeth right away? What might she have needed from her older kinswoman? What might Elizabeth have needed from Mary?
*The Holy Spirit plays a pivotal role in the stories of Mary and Elizabeth’s meeting. Do you feel that He plays a pivotal role in your life? How might you make room for the Holy Spirit to lead and teach you?
*Do you feel that Mary’s song of praise was a humble song of worship? She knew she was favored by God. Have you ever felt favored by God? Did it puff you up or create a sense of humility?
Scripture of the Week
Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:39-56
Prayer of the Week
Father God, help us to be women who obey You no matter the risk. We pray your Holy Spirit will lead and guide and direct us as we go about our daily lives. Help us not to grow weary of doing good and to know that in a moment You can do so much more than we could ever ask or imagine. Thank You for the gift of Jesus and help us to celebrate the real reason for this Christmas season. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Week
*Read Chapters 5 and 6
Have a great weekend, friends!
It’s funny how we may not want to deal with drama, but wouldn’t mind a dramatic change in our lives!
I feel like I’ve been circling this want for awhile now: less stress, less responsibility, less pressure.
The thing about life though is it’s consistently dramatic in some way or another – and not always for the better. When I wish for a dramatic change to occur in my life, of course it’s always positive!? That may truly be by definition wishful thinking! Ha!
As the author points out, “Being loved by God would not spare her the heartaches and tragedies of life.” (Page 43) I needed to hear this. I still need to hear this. It’s not easy to hear, but not realistic to not hear.
We do ourselves a great disservice when we don’t deal with struggles, or even worse, pretend they don’t exist. I’ve sat on the sidelines closing my eyes to things I wish I hadn’t seen but didn’t feel like dealing with – and they didn’t go away.
It’d be great if God didn’t allow certain things to happen. But that’s not freewill, and that’s not the world we live in. God sees our struggles and is asking us to trust Him with them, with ourselves in the midst of them.
Every choice presents different risks. If I don’t obey or trust God I risk learning a harder way (taking a detour to my destination). It’s so hard to understand what God’s doing at times, so it’s no wonder we take matters into our own hands and do things our way.
And yet He can be trusted! “He can remove any obstacle, overcome any challenge, mow down any opposition. He is the very definition of trustworthy.” (Page 54)
I’m not sure how much Mary believed she was favored, despite the angel telling her so. She was uneducated, living in a poor town and family, so being favored wasn’t really in her cards. But I think she recognized her favor wasn’t her own, but God’s favor placed upon her, and tried to make room for the Holy Spirit to work within her after receiving this amazing news.
As the new year approaches, I’ve been thinking how I need to make room for the Holy Spirit to work within me – to lead and teach me how to really trust Him.
We’re favored not based on our own merits. We’re favored because God shines His favor on us and wants us to be a part of His story.
I think my true desire has been for a dramatic change – a good dramatic change – in my life. But lately I’ve been wondering what I’m really even asking for and what I would be willing to risk or give up to have it. I don’t know what the idealized version of my life would even be. But I’ve been realizing how much my feelings lead the way. It’s not so much what I’m doing, or how life is being lived, but how I feel about it. Do I feel good and so am more willing to serve others and be more patient with them? Or am I tired or down and don’t want to be bothered? With my kids I realize how this affects my parenting and how surprised they must be to have a happy Mom one minute and an unwilling, annoyed Mom the next? In the big picture of it all, am I willing to cultivate the life I want or just do what I want at the moment? My thoughts are jumbled on this but it’s like you said “Every choice presents different risks.” A big change can happen – a career change, a move, a loss or gain- but then what? I’d still be me and have to work through the same things! Better to live with eyes on God and trust Him! I’m learning… 😉