In this first week of our Advent series, Like a Child, Pastor Landon invites us to rediscover the surprising, disruptive, and life-changing call of Jesus: “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Advent is the perfect season to reflect on this invitation. God Himself entered our world as a child—small, vulnerable, dependent—showing us that His kingdom is woven through humility, trust, and love. And just three decades later, Jesus would teach His disciples that childlike faith is the very posture required to truly see, understand, and follow Him.
This isn’t a call to abandon thought or reason. Children are some of the most curious people on earth. Instead, Jesus invites us into a way of living marked by openness, surrender, and humility—a willingness to ask, to wonder, and to be shaped by God rather than shaping the world in our own image.
As we begin this Advent journey, Pastor Landon helps us see that those who take God’s claims seriously are changed by them. We can either soften our hearts to His love and direction… or harden them in an attempt to stay in control.
Lifegroup Questions:
1. Looking back at your childhood, what do you remember anticipating the most during Christmas? How does that sense of wonder or longing compare to how you experience Advent today?
2. In Matthew 1:18–24, Joseph faces a confusing and stressful situation. What stands out to you about Joseph’s posture in this moment? Where do you see humility at work?
3. Advent is described as a season of waiting and preparing our hearts.What helps you wait well? And what tends to distract you or pull you into hurry?
4. The sermon talked about God making “the first move” toward us in Jesus. Where in your life have you experienced God initiating, pursuing, or drawing near?
5. In Matthew 18:1–5, Jesus places a child at the center of a conversation about greatness. Imagine yourself in that moment. How does Jesus reframe the whole conversation with this one move? How does this illustration help us consider the idea of greatness still today?
6. Humility can be described not as thinking less of yourself but rather meeting others on equal footing. Where might God be inviting you to practice that kind of humility in a relationship right now?
7. Philippians 2:5–7 gives us a picture of Jesus’ humility. What part of that passage challenges you most? What part encourages you most?
8. As we move into Advent, how do you sense the Spirit inviting you to “lean in like a child”? What is one practical way you can cultivate humble, joyful anticipation this week?
9. In Luke 22, Jesus gives the disciples bread and cup as symbols of His self-giving love. How does the practice of Communion invite us into a posture of humility—both in remembering Jesus’ sacrifice and in how we relate to others?
