Introduction & ice breaker
What an Epiphany so far: how are you feeling this week?
What did you think of Caleb’s conversation with Logan and Emily in the broadcast?
Themes to Consider
Prolonged Disappointment
Painful Provocation
Confusion over God’s faithfulness
Challenge to our identity
Challenge to our future security
Challenges to our relationships
Hannah’s God has a name: The Lord Almighty
Renewal in the presence of God
Discussion Questions
How do you feel when you see others receive something they have been longing/asking God for?
How do you deal with God not responding the way you wish in to your prayers?
Are you comfortable BRINGING YOUR HEARTBREAK TO GOD?
Do you spend time in your anguish POURING YOUR HEART OUT TO GOD?
Are you ok KNOWING THERE ARE PARTS OF THE PLAN YOU CANNOT SEE?
Do you believe that GOD CAN BE TRUSTED WITH THE RESULTS?
Guided Prayer
Time two minutes of silence. Thinking about the loudest of your hearts concerns and why they are so important.
Meditate on this text from 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Offer them up to God through some simple saying like: “God, I come with all sorts of burdens, cares, anxieties. They weigh me down. They consume my thoughts. Please take this weight off my shoulders and give me your easy yolk.”
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Confess you would like to seek the Kingdom of God, that you’d like your desires and longings to reflect his.
Hear these words from St Paul from Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Supplemental Content
The season of Epiphany, also called “epiphanytide,” is a time after Advent which celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally the visit of the Magi to Jesus inMatthew 2, and thus Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles.
We celebrate this season by considering how he has, and still is, revealing himself to us. During this series we will take a look at characters throughout the Bible who had encounters with Jesus, Old and New Testament.
