This Advent teaching explores how God’s love breaks into darkness, grounds personal identity, and overflows to others through Jesus’ coming at Christmas, using familiar traditions and vivid stories to contrast fear with the light of Christ. Drawing from Isaiah 9’s promise of a great light and Luke 10’s call to love God, self, and neighbor, it emphasizes rejecting the lies of earning love or being “too bad,” receiving God’s unconditional love in Christ, and then sharing that love intentionally with others—especially by inviting people to encounter God’s love this Christmas.

Discussion Questions:

1. When you consider the contrast between darkness and light in Isaiah 9, what stands out to you about how God chooses to bring hope into the world?

2. What do you notice about the order “love God, love your neighbor, as yourself” in Luke 10, and why might that sequence matter for healthy relationships?

3. Of the three common lies about love (needing to achieve it, needing everyone to like you, or being “too bad” for love), which one do you most often see in our culture, and where do you notice its impact?

4. How does believing that “God is love” and that you are deeply wanted by God challenge or reshape the way you view yourself and your worth?

5. Who is one specific person God may be inviting you to pursue with intentional love this Christmas (through an invitation, conversation, or act of kindness), and what concrete step will you take this week?