O Christmas Tree (Advent Week 1—The Tree)
In our Advent series, O Christmas Tree, we will explore the first chapter of John’s Gospel, focusing on themes of the Tree, the Lights/Star, the Ornaments, and the Presents (Presence).
1. After watching this 10 minute video in your group, talk about your traditions or memorable experiences about finding your Christmas tree.
2. There’s no traditional Christmas story in the Gospel of John—no mangers, shepherds, angels, wise men, or even a baby born in Bethlehem. John takes a different approach. Read John 1:1-18 and discuss how the Prologue of this unique gospel—by focusing on the broader implications of the Incarnation (God taking on flesh, becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ)—sets the stage for a deep experience of God this Christmas.
3. Think about the connection Shawn made in the video to Jesus as both the long-awaited Jewish Messiah and the “Logos” (or “Word”) of the Greco-Roman world in which John was writing. How does viewing Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of our deepest longings impact how you approach Christmas this year?
4. Shawn quoted this inspired line from the classic Christmas hymn, “O Holy Night”:
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Share some moments in your life your “soul felt its worth” because of Jesus Christ. How can you embrace the “thrill of hope” this Christmas? Who in this “weary world” can you share this amazing gift with?
5. In his sermon this week, Pete notes that our story begins with a tree in the Garden of Eden with which Adam and Eve rejected God and culminates at another “tree”—the cross through which God redeemed the world through His Son. When you look at a Christmas tree this season, does this connection help you see Christmas as the turning point in the human story? Discuss how this can breathe new life into our Christmas celebrations this year.
