This swap series will help us to finish out the year with an attitude of worship! Jesus is the Reason for the Holiday Season, so let’s keep our hearts and minds on Him this Christmas! Read the recommended Bible passages and the Christmasy blurb below. Send your partner a letter or notecard answering the questions at the end of this post.

Bible passages to read and reflect on this week:

Romans 15:13

Isaiah 42:13 – 53:12 (Keep in mind, the book of Isaiah was written about 700 years before the birth of Jesus.)

Throughout the Old Testament many prophets, especially Isaiah, waited in hope for the Messiah they knew would come. None of them knew when God’s promise of a Savior would be fulfilled, but they kept trusting God, because He is always faithful. We all have things we’re hoping for. Some of them we can write on our Christmas list, and maybe they’ll appear under the tree. Other things we bring to God in prayer. But sometimes it’s hard to stay hopeful when the thing you’re waiting for isn’t happening. As we begin the Holiday Season, let’s embrace this time of Hope. No matter what our circumstances look like we know—just like the prophets knew—that God is faithful and good. He loves us, and He wants to draw us closer to Him. We can let go of our worry, stress, and envy, because our hope is in him.

What are you hoping for this Holiday Season?

Can you think of a time when something you’d been hoping for finally happened?

What do you do when you feel your hope start to waver?

What connections do you see between the passage in the book of Isaiah and Jesus’ life?