Life Group Discussion Guide for December 11, 2022
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Silent Stars: Advent 2022
12.11.22
Silent Joy
Matthew 2:9-10 and Isaiah 35
Theme
At some point these Magi had to have wondered if they were on a “wild goose chase.” Maybe they had just imagined it all. Maybe they weren’t quite as “wise” as they had thought. And then a silent star showed up…and filled them with joy. And it wasn’t just “joy.” It was sphodra megas joy. Don’t you love that? It was “exceedingly great” joy. Or even better it was “very loud” joy. Only it wasn’t loud at all, it was silent joy. Not just in an effort not to wake the toddler from his nap, but because the hope and peace of this child had been lost on most of the neighbors. They could have been filled with sphodra megas joy as well. But it wasn’t Jesus who was sleeping when the Magi showed up, it was the majority of Judea.
Dinner Table Questions
The NIV translation of Matthew 2:10 reads, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Would it mean the same thing if it had read, “When they saw the star, they were really happy.”
What is the difference between happiness and joy? Is there a difference or is it just semantics?
Open Bible Questions
Read Isaiah 35 together. What do you know about the context of this beautiful and hopeful song? When was it written? What was happening with Israel at this time? How were they like a “desert” and “a parched land?” What were they hoping for?
Why is Isaiah 35 suggested as a scripture to pay attention to at “Advent?” How does it seem to speak beyond its immediate context?
What do you make of the phrase in verse 9 “No lion will be there?” How does that relate to recent conversations of this church family? What do you think it means here in Isaiah?
What do you make of the ending of this song in Isaiah 35?
Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
How is being overtaken by joy and gladness different than “the pursuit of happiness?” How does that relate to what the Magi experienced when they saw the star? Is joy something that you make happen or something that happens to you? What makes someone joyful?
Is it possible to be “sorrowful and sighing” and to be overtaken with “gladness and joy” at the same time? In other words, does Isaiah 35:10 point to a future hope or to a present reality? Notice the “highway” and “journey” language of 35:8 versus the “enter” arrival language of verse 10. Where in this vision do we currently find ourselves?
Monday Morning Questions
What would it look like this week to trade the “pursuit of happiness” for the pursuit of Jesus so that you might be overtaken by joy?