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Group Discussion
Questions for facilitating dynamic discussion
Christmas at the Movies
December 13,2025
Week 3: A Christmas Carol
Jeff Griffin
Luke 19:1-10
Christmas classics have a way of filling our hearts with the joy of the season and the anticipation that comes with it. This week Jeff helps us uncover what it is about a favorite like A Christmas Carol that makes it resonate so strongly with us. And he shows how that can mirror our own lives.
Tacky décor, long checkout lines, fruitcake. What (if anything) about the Christmas season makes you sometimes want to say, “Bah, humbug!”?
1. The stories of Ebeneezer Scrooge and Zaccheus could be called “Before and After” stories. Can you think of an example of your own life where you improved in some way – a before and after?
2. Have your group read Luke 19:1-10 to themselves. What was the “before” Zaccheus like? And “after”? What/who prompted the change, or regeneration as Jeff called it?
3. New Testament scriptures often refer to a new self vs the old self. Let’s look more closely at what each of those entail. Read Colossians 3:5-9. Which self is this referring to? What needs to go away or be “put to death” from this old way of living?
4. Now read Colossians 3:10-17. Which self does this describe? What characteristics or behaviors comprise this new life? The change from old to new is Regeneration. How do you see the other aspects of the transformation journey that Jeff described (Holy Spirit, Community, Disciplines) reflected in this passage?
5. Did you know that your before and after story is commonly known as a “testimony,” the telling of what Jesus has done to change your life? How have you been transformed so far? Are there aspects of the old self you still need to shed or parts of the new self you want to lean into with the Holy Spirit’s help? Or are you like Zaccheus, hoping to catch a glimpse and waiting for Jesus’ invitation?
Jeff called it a transformation journey because we will not reach perfection this side of heaven. Pray for each one in your group to welcome God’s ongoing work in their lives and live differently.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17