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Friday, December 7, 2018

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (12/9/18)

Practice for the Christmas play has begun. Please have your children at church 9:45 AM each Sunday for practice.

Scripture for Sunday
Malachi 3:1-4 (ESV)  
"Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. [2] But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. [3] He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. [4] Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Luke 3:1-6 (ESV)  
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,  [2] during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.  [3] And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  [4] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. [5] Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, [6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Questions for Reflection
1.    When have you participated in a meaningful outdoor worship service?
2.    What different rulers did Luke mention in giving a historical setting to John the Baptist’s ministry? (3:1-2)
3.    *What was John’s basic message? (3:3)
4.    Where did John the Baptist carry out his ministry? (3:3)
5.    What Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist? (3:4)
6.    What is repentance?
7.    When John explained repentance to people, how did it relate to the work they did in life?
8.    *When we are confronted with a call to repent, why do we tend to accept or reject the invitation strongly?
9.    What connection is there between repentance and forgiveness?