Sermon Questions 2025-11-30
Sermon Questions – November 30, 2025
Series: Do Not Be Afraid (Advent)
Text: Luke 1:5-25
Title: Zechariah’s Fear and the Gift of Hope
Invited: What are you looking forward to during this Advent/Christmas season? What might be challenging for you this season?
Loved: At the beginning of this new sermon series, talk about fears. What are you afraid of? (Note that some fears are easy to acknowledge, and some require vulnerability. Can you deepen the relationships in your group by taking one step out of your comfort zone? Remember to listen with empathy and affirmation, not judgment; don’t try to downplay or solve any fears in this time of sharing.)
Shaped:
- The angel tells Zechariah, “Do not be afraid; your prayer has been heard” (v.13). What do you think Zechariah was praying for? Why does the angel command him not to fear?
- What is the sign that God has heard Zechariah’s prayer? What is God going to do?
- How might this encounter with God’s angel change Zechariah – his fears, his prayers, other aspects of his life? Look at his song at the end of Luke 1 (v.68-79).
- Talk about prayers you have given up on praying, or prayers you fear God won’t / can’t answer in the way you desire.
- How might God’s message to Zechariah, “Do not be afraid; your prayer has been heard” be of assurance or encouragement to you?
- Share a story, if you can, of how God has answered one of your prayers (or someone else’s) in a beautiful or powerful way.
Sent to live like Jesus:
- What is one thing you can do this week to nurture your hope in the love and power of God?
- Pray for one another, related to your fears, your faltering prayers, and your desire for deeper hope in the Lord.