Connect

• Have you ever seen Miracle on 34th Street?

• Do you have a favorite Christmas movie that holds special meaning for you? Why?

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Engage

Read Isaiah 40:1-11

• What images and phrases bring hope in this passage?

• What does this passage reveal about God?

• Who in the New Testament quotes Isaiah 40:3?

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Apply

• How has your understanding and observance of Advent changed over the years?
• In what ways do people strive for security, achievement, and control in an attempt to alleviate anxiety?
• How does the concept of hope as rebellion resonate with you? In what ways is hope a counter-cultural act?
• What practical steps can individuals take to live in the rebellion of hope in their daily lives?

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Prayer

Spend time praying for each other, your towns, and the Bay Area. Then close your time by reading this poem by Wendell Berry that was quoted in the sermon:

“So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord.

Love the world.

Work for nothing.

Take all that you have and be poor. Love someone who does not deserve it. Ask the questions that have no answers. Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant,

that you will not live to harvest.

Be joyful though you have considered all the facts. Practice resurrection.”

- Wendell Berry

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Going Deeper

Menlo Midweek Podcast:

Tune in every Wednesday for a conversation with the previous week’s speaker. It’s a deeper dive into the message and an engaging time to learn, reflect, grow—and have fun.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/menlo-church-sermon-podcast/id129950807