Thursday, November 16, 2023

Discovery Place: Advent Resources


As you prepare for the Advent Season (Sun, Dec 3 – Sun, Dec 24), here are some suggestions for small group or study groups:

Faithful: Through the Eyes of Joseph – DVD 1702 (6 copies available)

From his beginnings as a carpenter to his all-important role as the earthly father of Jesus Christ, Joseph’s place in the Nativity story is sometimes overlooked but contains valuable lessons for all of us. His courageous actions were crucial to the birth of Christ and God’s salvation plan for humanity.

This DVD contains four videos featuring Adam Hamilton teaching about Joseph and what we as Christians can learn from him. The sessions are:

1. A Carpenter Named Joseph (11:58)
2. Whose Child Is This? (8:55)
3. Raising a Child Not Your Own (10:50)
4. The Journey to Bethlehem (10:11)

The videos, when combined with the book and leader guide, provide an engaging -week group study. All video sessions are closed captioned.

Angels of Christmas: Hearing God’s Voice in Advent – DVD 8950 (3 copies available)

In The Angels of Christmas: Hearing God’s Voice in Advent, pastor and author Susan Robb explores the angelic visits surrounding the birth of Jesus with Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds in a four-week Advent experience. In this study, the reader will explore the visits and dive deep into the history of the angel Gabriel and other angels in the Bible. The messages of the angels hold meaning for listeners both then and now.

Four sessions:

1. Gabriel and Zechariah (10:59)
2. Gabriel and Mary (10:01)
3. Joseph and an Angel of the Lord (10:31)
4. The Shepherds and the Angels (10:31)

Includes DVD, 63-page leader guide, and 108-page book.

Prepare the Way for the Lord: Advent and the Message of John the Baptist – DVD 8961 (4 copies available)

For two thousand years, Christians have turned to the story and message of John the Baptist in the weeks leading up to Christmas. In this study, best-selling author and pastor Adam Hamilton explores the Advent themes of John’s life and ministry, and how John calls all followers of Jesus to prepare our hearts and lives for his coming.

Four sessions:

1. The Annunciation: “God Has Heard Your Prayers” (14:13)
2. Pregnancy, Birth, Circumcision, and Zechariah’s Prophecy (15:36)
3. John’s Ministry and Preaching (14:37)
4. Witnesses, Testifying to the Light (14:56)

Includes DVD, 61-page leader guide, and 157-page hardcover book.

Who Needs Christmas? DVD 9411 (7 copies available)

Are we too familiar with Christmas and Easter? The stories of Christmas and Easter are so familiar that we rarely dig into the details. But what if we did? We might find that they stop sounding like far-fetched fairy tales. In fact, the improbable details of these stories might even start to sound like real life - maybe even YOUR life.

In Who Needs Christmas Andy Stanley explains how the remarkable details of the Christmas story are what make it so believable. And he tells us why, after so many years, it took something unexpected to get people’s attention.

Four sessions:

1. The Story Behind the Story (20:00)
2. The Author of Life (18:00)
3. The Message of Christmas (23:00)
4. Ready or Not…He Is Coming (18:00)

This DVD also includes the sessions for Why Easter Matters, so you could reserve it through March 2024 and use during Lent.

Discovery Place Resource Center
303 Mulberry Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
717-766-7968
email  discovery@susumc.org