Christmas Day 2016 falls on a Sunday this year. We, at Prairie Flower Baptist Church, are excited about that; and we give to you a heartfelt invitation to join us for our Christmas Day Service, starting at 10:15 AM. However, we fully understand that many of you won’t be able to attend our service for a variety of different reasons. So we have crafted the Family Worship Guide below to give you a roadmap to use in your own private home. Though corporate worship is strongly encouraged, if you can’t make it, please worship with your family using the guide below:

• Christmas Carols: Start by singing two or three of your favorite Christmas carols. Really focus on the words you’re singing. For lyrics, just google the song you wish to sing.
• Passionate Prayer: Have each member of the family share one reason they are most grateful that Jesus was born into the world. Then spend intentional time praising God for these things and then petition Him for the things you need.
• Scripture Reading: Read Jonah 3:10-4:11.
  • The BIG Idea: God graciously and relentlessly pursues sinners (in their sin) and offers them redemption (i.e. rescue) in exchange for their repentance (i.e. turning from sin and turning to the Savior).
  • Outline Passage:
    • We tend to have a disconnect between what we know and what we love (Jonah 4:1-4).
      • Does what you know about God transfer to you loving God more deeply and people more passionately? OR do you use what you know about God to hurt others around you?
    • We tend to rejoice over personal comforts, but not personal contacts (Jonah 4:5-9).
      • Personal comforts (i.e. toys and trinkets) are nice, but they aren’t worthy of too much emotional capital…people are always a much more worthy investment of your emotional capital. Invest in people, not stuff!
    • We tend to prioritize our present situation and forget all about eternity (Jonah 4:10-11).
      • On this Christmas Day, prioritize and praise the eternal and take smaller delight in the here and now.
• Engaging Conversation:
  • Why do you think there was such a disconnect between what Jonah knew about God (Jonah 4:2) and what he actually loved (Jonah 4:6)?
    • Do you see a similar disconnect in your own life? Explain.
  • When Jonah got angry, he simply wanted God to kill him (Jonah 4:3, 8, and 9). Obviously, this is an inappropriate response to anger. What is a proper response/action to our anger (cf. Eph. 4:26-27)?
    • Is anger always wrong (cf. Jonah 4:4 and 9a)? Why or why not?
  • Jonah got seriously happy over a plant (Jonah 4:6), but enraged at the salvation of the Ninevites (Jonah 4:1). Why do you think he had such extreme emotional responses?
    • Do you see a similar pattern in your own life? Explain.
  • Why is it so easy to loose sight of things of eternal value (i.e. people) and only focus on the here and now (i.e. stuff/toys)?
    • What is God most concerned with (cf. Jonah 4:10-11)?
  • Name one thing from Jonah 4 that convicts you. Name one thing from Jonah 4 that encourages you.
• Final Reading: Matt. 12:38-41…Who is the One greater than Jonah? Answer: Matt. 1:18-25.
• Final Prayer: End by praising God for who He is (i.e. gracious, merciful, slow to anger, etc.) and ask Him for the grace and strength you and your family need to love deeper, rejoice better, and focus clearer.
• Social Media: Post/Tweet on what you learned and use the hashtags: #IAmJonah, #ThisIsChristmas, #PFBC.

God Bless and Merry Christmas!!