Community Group Questions:

Engage Yourselves:

• Identify a time of darkness in your Christian life. What about that was most difficult, and what was it that carried you through?
• What is it about loneliness and despair that can often draw us to God?

Engage the Text:

• Genesis 28:15 lays out a promise to Jacob, who will later take the name Israel (see Gen. 32:22-32). What about this promise brings hope, especially during this season?
• What might John be identifying Jesus as in John 1:51? Why might this be a significant moment in the story of Jesus?

Engage your Neighbor:

• How might you bring hope to those struggling around you, especially during this Advent season?
• How should the reality that Jesus is the gate of heaven influence the way we live our lives evangelistically? What is keeping you from allowing that influence in your own life?