12.4.22 - Advent, Week 2: Expectant Love (Kenny Camacho)

Revolution Church Annapolis

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 7:10-16 & Matthew 1:18-25

“Love is the foundation for our hope in this world. Love is the miracle in Creation that blossoms any time and every time we look beyond ourselves and open ourselves up to others… or to God. There’s no explanation for it on its own: there is no reason for us to put our final focus on anything beyond our own survival. But when we do it anyways, we are filled up with something beautiful, and scary, and fragile, and yet still overwhelming. Even more, we are filled up with something we cannot stay pregnant with forever: something that, if we nurture it, will overflow the banks of us and rush out into the world. A force for good, for deliverance. Love is trust. Trust nourishes love.”

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Much of this week’s sermon hinges on the connection between trust and love. What connections do you see between these things? Are they dependent on one another?

2. Consider the context of Isaiah 7:10-16. Although we often see this verse as a prophecy about Jesus, what else might it be talking about? What does it mean to Isaiah and King Ahaz?

3. Kenny suggested that Joseph, in the Matthew 1 passage, is like King Ahaz in the Isaiah passage. How so?

4. What threatens our ability to see God’s love as it is expressed in His promises to us? What gets in the way of your ability to feel God’s love?

5. Kenny spent some time talking about the miracle, hope, and fear of pregnancy. Why do you think God chooses this path for His son? For Mary? What can we learn from this?

6. Spend some time this week reflecting on the meditations we borrowed today from Henri Nouwen. Say slowly to yourself: Jesus is God’s beloved. I am God’s beloved. We are God’s beloved. How can you nurture and share love this week?