Interact
After the video, prompts are supplied for thinking and sharing with others personal perception and experience. This opening activity prompts participants to think about and relate to the topic, and to share with others.
Facing Challenges and Big Decisions
What attitudes are most common among young people when they are asked to step forward, get involved, make an important decision, or take the lead?
For each statement, choose: True for me, sometimes true for me, or not true for me.
- I do not have enough experience.
- Someone else could do this better.
- I do not have the right personality.
- I am afraid I will disappoint others.
- I am unsure whether God is really calling me to do this.
God’s call is not always built on our confidence. Sometimes it begins with humility, availability, and a courageous “Yes.” Moses felt inadequate (Exodus 3:11), Gideon felt insignificant (Judges 6:15), and Esther understood the danger of stepping forward (Esther 4:10-16). God did not wait for them to feel completely ready. He invited them to trust Him and respond.
When you do not feel capable, are you still willing to make yourself available to God?
Insight
The Bible discussion begins with a careful reading of the whole passage, either from your own Bibles, or from the provided images below.
Then participants are to ask:
- What is going on in this passage of Scripture?
- What are the key words and phrases? Highlight them.
- Why do you think this passage is included in the Bible?
- What does it contribute to our “knowing Christ” and “living in Christ”?
Mary’s question, “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34), is not the absence of faith; it is honest faith seeking understanding. God does not criticize her question or provide every detail. Instead, He promises His presence: “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (v. 35). Mary’s ability would not determine the future; God’s power would. Where might you be focusing on your limitations when God is asking you to depend on His strength? As Paul later discovered, God’s power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The angel points to Elizabeth as evidence that God is already working beyond what people considered possible. “For no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37; see also Genesis 18:14). Mary then responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled” (v. 38). She does not claim to feel capable; she simply makes herself available. Like Isaiah’s “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8), her answer places the unknown future in God’s hands. What might change if, instead of waiting until you felt completely ready, you trusted God enough to take the next faithful step? Faith is not understanding the whole plan; it is saying yes to the God whose word will not fail.
Insight Out
A parting video clip with a personal invitation to apply the message to “knowing Christ” and “living in Christ” in the coming week.