The dormition of the Theotokos
15th August 2017
Preach
Scripture
Questions
Questions taken from the book Mary: Devoted to God’s Plan1…
Reflect on a time when you felt stuck between obeying God and doing the “right” thing in the eyes of your family and friends. How was your response like or unlike Mary’s?
Mary’s “yes” to God radically changed any plans she may have had for her own life. Think about how your life would change if God called you to make a radical choice to serve Him (like becoming a missionary in a far-off country or starting full-time ministry).
Read through some of the OT references expressing hope in the coming Messiah, such as Isa 9:2–7; Jer 33:14–26. How do these passages help you understand what Mary was expecting?
Read Luke 1:46-55. How could a teenage girl compose such a song? How would you evaluate Mary’s knowledge and understanding of the Hebrew bible or Old Testament? How does Mary’s song compare to Hannah’s song [1 Samuel 2:1-10]?
Have you ever written songs or poems of praise to God? If you were to do so, what themes or which of God’s actions would you focus on?
How do our lives identify with God’s great redemptive work of the past? How does this help us understand our role in God’s ongoing story of redemption?
Have you discovered what role God is asking you to play in His plan to redeem the world? What can you do to devote yourself to that calling?
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Preaching notesMichael R. Grigoni, Miles Custis, Douglas Mangum, Matthew M. Whitehead, Rebecca Brant, John D. Barry, and Elizabeth Vince, Mary: Devoted to God’s Plan, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.