WARMING UP: If we wanted to set up a crib scene with a difference, how might we do that?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything that's happened since last week's Group?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

18-19    Given that many question the 'virgin' element of Jesus' birth today (as they did in MT's time, too) is it one of those bits of the Creed we'd rather put in brackets, or is it vital? Do modern procedures such as in-vitro fertilisation make it more possible to believe in the virgin birth, or less? Is there some essential truth in the story of the virgin birth that survives any challenge to it? If we're unsure about all this, how much does it matter?
              Assuming Mary & Joseph were given a hard time by their families & the community given the unique nature of the pregnancy & birth, is it time the church became able to relate better to the many & varied sexual predicaments of life? How well have we come to terms with today's 'Marys' & 'Josephs'? Seeing Joseph comes across as a really good guy, how is it he's had to take such a back seat in the church except for the odd statues? Can we think of a better male role-model?

20-23 (cf.LK2:21) Do dreams play any part in God's plans for us these days? How do we know whether a dream is any more reliable than a pack of cards or a horoscope? How do we know when something is the 'fulfilment of prophecy'? Might there sometimes be a temptation to make a prophecy 'come true', rather than wait & see?
              Seeing babies are frequently given 'designer' names these days, might we be depriving newer generations of a more serious dimension to name giving? Or doesn't that kind of thing matter? Maybe it never did? Did we have a meaningful name into which our parents hoped we would grow (obvious example: Grace)? Have we grown into that name?
              What does it really mean that Jesus 'saves us from our sins'? How does 'saving' work? Is it OK to have different views on this matter, or are we bound to toe some particular doctrinal line if we would be saved?

24-25     By naming Jesus, & thus legally acknowledging him as his son, Joseph accepts that 'Jesus' identity & function are derived from God's action, just as they are for his followers'. (W.Carter: Matthew & the Margins, Orbis, 2000, p.72.) Do we, as followers of Jesus, consciously derive our identity & our function (in life) from God? Does today's emphasis on ego, self-worth, etc. leave us vulnerable to having no real identity, or an identity other than the one God wants us to have? Does it leave us at the mercy of having no function in life other than doing our own thing? What does God want of us?
 
 

NOTES: 1] Peter refers to what he's just quoted from PS 16, & then also quotes PS 110 to make his point about Jesus being the Messiah. 2] The whole passage is intensely vital, faith-full, hope-full, forward looking..........

WARMING UP: Do we have family history in which 'facts' vary according to who does the telling?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything that's happened since last week's Group?

EXPLORING ACTS:
29-36    Is being able to point to Hebrew Bible signposts leading up to Jesus part of our armoury, or is our knowledge of Scripture now too limited? Are there steps we could take to change this state of affairs? Does what Peter infers from the PSS about Jesus ring a bell with us, or is that kind of reasoning too far removed from the way we think to be helpful now? Is Jesus' resurrection at the centre of witness we bear to him today? Or, do we appeal more to his teaching & his outreach to people?
             Is Peter's description of Jesus raised & glorified receiving the Spirit from the Father & 'pouring it out' on his followers a reasonable & understandable summary of how the doctrine of the Holy Spirit 'works'? How widely does what Peter says here about the 'house of Israel needing to accept that the Jesus they had crucified is God's Messiah' apply to those who are not Jews? If we wonder why those of the Jewish faith still don't believe Jesus is the Messiah despite the kind of 'proofs' Peter offers, oughtn't we to wonder the same thing about the wider community that also doesn't accept Jesus as Lord?

37-42    Does anyone ever challenge us to faith as directly as Peter challenges the crowd here? Is such 'putting the case' for Jesus still part of our mission & minstry today, or do we leave that to a few 'zealots'? Does anyone ever ask us any more, "What should we do?" Are repentance (connected with baptism), forgiveness, & receiving the Spirit still central to our faith? If so, are we seeing their fruits? If not, why not? Assuming we've been baptized, how conscious are we that we carry the mark of Jesus Christ on our foreheads? How far has that moved inside us, into our hearts & minds?
              How would we sum up 'the promise' of v.39? Do we tend to overemphasise the 'for your children' bit of it? How is it that we often seem to put more concern & energy into ministering to children than into challenging the parent generation? What about our responsibility to those who are 'far away'? Who are these people who are 'far away', & whose responsibility is it to challenge them with the Gospel? How much does all of the above centre on whether God is calling them to him or not? (39) Is there anyone God isn't calling to himself?
              Are today's generations where we live any more or less 'corrupt' than those to whom Peter refers? (40) Can we divorce ourself from our, or any generation?
              Is public worship in itself able to provide adequately for the teaching,fellowship,breaking of bread, & prayers that these early Christians 'devoted themselves to'? What could we do to put these activities more firmly on our agenda?

43-47   If we were to 'dream a dream' of a new & renewed church, how much would it be like what is described here? Why shouldn't we dream such a dream? (See 2:17) Do we have faith that God can & would make it all happen?