According To Your Word: Advent 1

Reading: Daniel 6:16-27

Connecting Question

Tell about a memorable dream you have had.

Who helps you process dreams, concerns, and life? Why?

Prayer for Illumination

God for whom we wait, you come to us in the broken bread and the cup we share. Make us ready always to welcome Christ into our hearts and send us forth to be your people in the world. Amen.

CONTEXT

How do we live in trust and hope according to God’s words? Our sermon series, According To Your Word, looks at how God’s promises have always been with us, guiding us, challenging us, and foretelling the coming of Jesus! Our title comes from Mary’s conversation with the Angel Gabriel, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Though we may not be asked to do a big thing like this – but then again, we don’t know. God makes big promises and does big things. It is our joy to be a part of it. Join Easter this season to prepare for Christ’s incarnate arrival in the world.

From Dr Dick Nysse at EntertheBible.org:

Daniel and three friends persist in their faith despite threats created by several foreign rulers whom they serve with dedication. They are a model of fidelity for those who must endure the future events Daniel’s visions depict. The God they confess will be the one who will deliver the faithful throughout history, no matter how evil forces rage.

Look at the Book

What story do you know from the book of Daniel?
Daniel is divided into two main pieces: “one dominated by court tales and another by apocalyptic literature.” One key story happens in chapter 3. Open and find what happens with a “fiery furnace.”
Daniel challenges us to not let anything get between us and God. What is something that seems to hamper your focus on God?
Martin Luther said, whatever our heart relies on is our God. What do you think he meant by that?
Daniel had the gift of interpreting dreams. Who else in the Bible had this gift? Why do you think this was a gift?
Daniel is called to a level of commitment to God that would be hard. Why?
When have you spoken up when it is hard to speak up?
Why is it challenging to be a Christian in a world of political violence and uncertainty?
Read this word from Pastor Dick Nysse. What is your reaction? Why? “It is sometimes tempting to become cynical about all the cruelty in the world’s history. We could simply accommodate ourselves to evil and only do what we have to do in order to survive in the short term. But as Christians, we have the hope of the women on Easter morning who knew, as Daniel glimpsed earlier, that everything had changed, fearful as that may be. The kingdom of God was at hand. This realization is frightening, because it brings us into the kingdom and the future God will make. In knowing that God has broken the power of evil and will transform the world, we know that such transformation will include our transformation, for we too participate in the evil of the world.”
What did Daniel attribute to not dying in the lion’s den?
What is the king’s response?
Where have you felt powerful? Where have you felt powerless?
Do you agree with how the story ends for Daniel? Why or why not?
What would you like to talk about that we have not yet?

Taking it Home

What is a dream you have for your family? For the next generation? For yourself? Commit them in prayer for God’s care.

God of the promise, you call your people together into your one mission in Christ’s name. Make us brave, grant us peace, challenge our expectations, and empower us to truly follow your Spirit’s lead. You are our one God who calls us together as one people, and we thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grow Guide | Dec 1, 2024