UNEXPECTED TWO: BY MY SIDE

Session 2 Summary: By My Side
Think about your best friend. It’s probably someone you think is pretty awesome, right? They like the same things you like, they really make you laugh, they text you nonstop, and of course, they ‘like’ all of your Instagram pics.  You probably feel like they really get you—and that’s a great feeling. When it comes to friendship, we’d all like to be close to someone who knows every part of our story—even the worst parts—and loves us anyway. But if you really think about it, can that kind of friend exist? Nobody is perfect, but what we’re looking for is the perfect friend. And the truth is even the very best friend can’t be a perfect friend. The good news is we do have access to Someone who truly gets us, Someone who has the ability to be the perfect friend to us.  Looking back at the Christmas story, we’ll see how God reminded Mary and Joseph of the kind of friend He was to them and the lengths He would go in order to truly be the friend who understands everything about them. And through their story, maybe you’ll begin to see that He feels the same way about you
Bottom Line
In Jesus, we get Someone who gets us.  
The Goal of Discussion
To encourage us to see God as a friend who knows everything about us and still remains loyal to us.

• What type of friend do you think is ideal for you (in other words, describe someone who just “gets” you)? 
• Why is it difficult to believe that Jesus understands what it’s like to be one of us?

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Matthew 1:20-23 New Living Translation (NLT)
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

Hebrews 4:15 New Living Translation (NLT)
15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

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• One name for Jesus is IMMANUEL, which means “God with us.” What are some advantages to having a God who is with you?  
• God knows exactly where you are, and exactly what you’re going through this Christmas. In what ways does that encourage you?
• What do you think it means for God to have a friendship with you? 
• Name something that could get in the way of seeing God as a friend. 
• What is one step you can take this Christmas in your friendship with God?

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God, thank you for giving us a relationship with you through Jesus. Thank you for sending us your Son, to be with us, to "get" us throughout all of our lives. Help us to trust in your Son and to recognize where you are in our lives. Amen

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Use this simple blessing with your family, while you bless one another, mark the cross on the forehead of each member as a reminder of your baptism.

(Name), you are a Child of God

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