Silent Nights

Welcome to CROLCC, so glad you are here worshiping with us! Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? I am sure by now you have been bombarded with commercials, decorations, Christmas carols, or your kids that Christmas really is indeed upon us. What do you usually do in the month of December? This year apart from gathering with our family and friends we are starting a new family tradition of counting down to the day of Christmas. This helps remind us that Christmas is indeed about our savior, Jesus, who chose to live among us and pay the price for our sins so that we can have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is indeed a blessing, isn’t it?

Have you ever thought about how people feel before Jesus was born? They didn’t have an annual Christmas tradition waiting for them to celebrate but instead they were really waiting for Jesus to come. And they waited for over 400 years, almost to the point that God seemed silent! When God seems silent, we’re tempted to think he’s absent. That’s why the Christmas story is so important. It gives us a real, tangible, and historical hope. Christmas reminds us that even when God is silent, He isn’t absent.

Moving Forward

Our greatest regrets in life come when we believe God has abandoned us and we take life into our own hands. Our greatest displays of faith come in those seasons of Silent Nights when we hear his silence and feel his absence but nevertheless trust his presence and move forward, knowing and believing that truth.

If you’re in a season of Silent Nights right now, pray this prayer: “Lord, though I hear your silence, help me see with faith. Help me see your presence.” Never confuse God’s silence with his absence.

Discussion Questions

1. What’s your favorite Christmas carol? What do you like about it?

2. Have you ever witnessed someone demonstrate faith despite God’s silence is his or her life? How did it affect you?

3. Has God’s silence ever caused you to wonder if he exists? How did God resolve that season of Silent Nights in your life? How did it change your faith?

4. Read Psalm 27:13–14. How do these verses challenge you? How do they comfort you?

5. Are you in a season of Silent Nights right now? If so, what can this group do to support and encourage you?