The Bethlehem Candle:
LOVE COMES
In Bethlehem,
Heaven
Reaches down
And touches earth
Love Quotes
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can all do small things with great love.”
-- Mother Teresa
“Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”
-- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Jesuit priest)
“There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved: It is God’s finger on man’s shoulder.”
-- Charles Morgan (British Playwright)
Opening Questions
What is your definition of ‘love’?
How have you experienced love in your life?
Discussion Questions
Read Luke 2:1-20
Who makes space for Jesus? What do they have to give up to make this space? How do they experience God’s love?
Who refuses to make space for Jesus? What does this refusal cost them or others?
When have you experienced a ‘Bethlehem,’ a place where heaven touched earth?
What things prevent us from allowing heaven to touch earth through us? What excuses do we give, both personally and as a society?
How can we make room for more of the love of God in our lives?
How can a daily practice of Sabbath rest help us to make room for God? What could our refusal to practice rest cost us or others?
Spiritual Practice:
Sabbath
What: A period of resting in God’s care
How: Intentionally pause in order to make space in your life for God’s love and care
Why: God created the natural world with rhythms of work and rest (Seasons, day & night, inhaling & exhaling, etc.)
Our well-being is tied to our ability to trust these natural rhythms and God’s ability to care for us
Concluding Questions
How can a daily Sabbath practice help us to make room for God’s loving presence in our lives?
Personal Devotionals
Daily Scripture readings and meditations