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SMALL GROUP GUIDE

Beyond Bethlehem: “Breaking Through the Silence”

Scripture Focus: Luke 1:5-25

ICEBREAKER

What is something you find hardest to sit with—silence, waiting, or unanswered questions?

OR

Have you ever experienced a season where God felt silent? What emotions surfaced for you in that time?

INTRODUCTION

Advent reminds us that God often does His deepest work in seasons that feel quiet, unresolved, or delayed. Before the announcement of Jesus’ birth, Scripture invites us into the long silence experienced by Zechariah and Elizabeth. Their story teaches us that God’s silence is never absence—and that ordinary faithfulness positions us to hear God when He speaks.

INTO THE WORD

Read Luke 1:5–7, Psalm 84:11, and Psalm 34:19. How would you describe Zechariah and Elizabeth’s life circumstances? What tension do you notice between their faithfulness and their unmet longing?

Read Luke 1:8–17, Exodus 3:1–6, and 1 Samuel 16:7b. What stands out about where and how God chooses to speak to Zechariah? Why is the content of the angel’s message so significant?

Read Luke 1:18–25, Habakkuk 2:3, and Isaiah 55:8–9. Why do you think Zechariah struggles to believe the angel’s words? What do we learn about God’s patience and purpose through Zechariah’s silence?

EMBRACE AND EMBODY

God’s silence is not the silent treatment. Throughout Scripture, silence is often the space where God is forming trust, shaping character, and preparing hearts to receive His promises. Encourage group discussion:

1. How have long seasons of waiting shaped your expectations of God—either strengthening or diminishing them?

2. In what ways might God be inviting you to remain faithful in ordinary obedience rather than seeking immediate clarity or resolution?

3. How could silence become a place of deeper trust rather than frustration or withdrawal?

TAKE YOUR NEXT RIGHT STEP

(Prayerfully consider one of the following potential next steps)

• Seek God Daily: Meditate on Isaiah 55:8-9 and surrender your desire to be “in the know” or to control the outcome.

• Build Deep Relationships: Share your season of silence with a trusted believer and invite them to pray for you as you wait.

• Worship God: Pray earnestly about an area where God feels quiet and then practice worship even without resolution.

• Serve Others: Remain faithful in unseen obedience.

• Live Generously: Extend patience and grace to others.

• Make God Known: Share how God has sustained you in silence with someone who is also waiting for an answer.

CLOSING PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we thank You that You are always at work, even in seasons when You feel silent. Teach us to trust Your timing, remain faithful in ordinary obedience, and listen attentively to Your Spirit. Strengthen our hearts with hope as we wait, believing that Your promises never fail. We place what we are waiting for into Your loving hands, confident that You will have the final word. In Jesus’ name, Amen!