December 08, 2024
Assigned Scripture
Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,[a] favored woman! The Lord is with you![b]”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[c]forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.[d]”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Group Response
Following the weekly gathering, you’re invited to respond to the service by engaging in group discussion.
What does it mean to be ‘favored’ by God? It’s not a reward. It can’t be withheld. Favor is not a commodity, it’s a relational posture. The ultimate expression of God’s favor is Christ’s filling, the incarnation. Mary was favored and filled so that we may now be favored and filled. How? Faith. The filling of Christ in Mary and in us is a theological mystery. We respond in faith by accepting His favor and magnifying Him.
Discussion Questions
- How do you respond to “God thinks you are special” language?
2. Nathan listed four things that favor isn’t. Which of these tend to be your most common hurdle?
His Favor is Not: His Response To Your Good Actions (The Elder Son)
His Favor is Not: Withheld For Your Bad Actions (The Younger Son)
His Favor is Not: His Proof in His Good Actions (Prosperity)
His Favor is Not: Absent in Bad Things (Abandonment)
3. “Favor is not a commodity, it’s a relational posture.” What does this posture visually look like to you?
4. What is your current experience of His “filling”? What is Jesus doing in you right now?
5. What is it for you to “accept” the favor of God?
6. What is it for you to magnify or “walk in” the favor of God?