Old Roots New Fruits

Looking for a way to get the group talking? Try one of these conversation starters.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?
Do you have any special ornaments on your tree?
Which Christmas worship experience will you be attending, and who are you bringing with you?

Help transition the group to the discussion with one of these questions.

Select 1-2 themes from the sermon to discuss with your eGroup.

Read Isaiah 11:1-2. Isaiah prophesied that new life would come up out of the stump, which appeared dead, because God has a way of bringing life out of situations that seem impossible.
- Have you ever seen God bring something new out of things that seemed dead?
- Where have you been expecting God to do something in your life?
- In what unexpected, seemingly dead, places might you need to look to see God doing something?

Pastor Holly said that we need to identify the stump so that it won’t trip us up. Whether it’s something that (1) was done TO us, (2) was done BY us, or (3) was done by God, we need to acknowledge the stump is there rather than ignore it.
- Do you find yourself ignoring, comparing, or acknowledging the areas in your life that seem dead?
- What stumps can you identify in your life right now?
- Share one step you can take to begin working through the stumps in your life.

Pastor Holly gave us six ways to tap our roots and help new life grow from seemingly dead places: Remember, Rejoice, Request, Regard, Routine, and Remain. By tapping into these things, we can create an environment that supports the new thing that God is raising up from our stumps.
- Which of these six is the easiest for you? Which is the hardest?
- Share about any challenges you face that are preventing you from helping new things grow.
- How could you overcome your obstacles by remembering, rejoicing, requesting, regarding, routining, and remaining?

Pastor Holly said we should draw from the root and look for the shoot. The new life will be fragile, small, and unexpected, but it will grow up out of something that seemed dead. It doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.
- What new thing are you seeing spring up out of areas in your life?
- What distracts you from noticing the work God is doing in you?
- What can you do this week to nurture the new growth God is developing in your life?

Challenge your group to keep activating their faith. Make this a part of your eGroup time or send this activity to them after you meet.

Write down a list of the stumps (the places of disappointment or pain where you have been struggling) you can identify in your life.
Next, list the shoots you see coming up out of those places of pain, struggle and disappointment. Note all of the small areas where God has been speaking or working.
Take a moment to reflect on how the stumps were needed in order for the shoots to grow.
Write down 1-2 things you can do this week to help that shoot continue to grow.

Close out your group with prayer using one of these options

In closing, have each person share either a new shoot they see growing or a stump that is in need of new growth. Pray for each, that we would notice and nurture the new shoots, and that we would acknowledge and attend to the stumps so that they don’t trip us up.
Thank you that you are a supernatural God who brings forth new life out of the most unexpected places. Please cut off the things in our lives that are preventing new fruit from growing, and make us fruitful. Help us to see you at work in the dead areas of our lives so that we can notice and nurture the new shoots that you are bringing forth. May we bring you honor and glory as you continue the good work you started in us. Thank you for sending Jesus to come from the most unlikely place to give us new life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Want to help your group go deeper after you meet? Send them one of these resources that relates to the sermon topic.

To stop fixating on what seems lost and start looking ahead to what God is doing, watch the sermon “Stop Crying. It’s Coming” from Pastor Steven
For a song to help you rejoice, listen to “Sing Praises” by Elevation Worship
As we prepare to go into our Christmas Eve services this week, take some time to revisit “Emmanuel, You Are Worthy” by Elevation Worship (feat. Jordan Welch)