We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. According to the sermon, identity is the story you believe about who you are. What story do you think has been shaping you most lately, and how do you see it showing up in your reactions or habits?

2. Pastor Eric described baptism as initiation, not graduation, and about direction, not perfection. Where might you be waiting to feel ready instead of stepping forward in trust?

3. Look at Matthew 28:19 and notice that baptism comes early in the disciple making process. Why do you think Jesus connects belonging to Him with baptism before long term behavior change?

4. Shifting the center of life from yourself to Jesus was a big theme in the message. What is one area where you still feel the pressure to carry everything on your own?

5. Look at Titus 3:5 and reflect on the idea that renewal is something God does in us, not just something we work harder at. How does that reshape the way you think about growth right now?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. The sermon says following Jesus was meant to turn our lives outward. Where do you notice your faith turning inward instead, and what would it practically look like to reorient it outward this year?

2. The message acknowledges that sharing faith often feels uncomfortable even though it is no longer dangerous. What do you think actually causes that discomfort for you personally, fear of awkwardness, fear of rejection, lack of confidence, or something else?

3. Read Mark 1:16–17 and reflect on Jesus’ invitation to fish for people. Why do you think Jesus made this the starting point of his ministry rather than teaching, miracles, or spiritual disciplines?

4. The message framed discipleship as invest and invite, not argue or perform. Who is one real person in your life you could invest in relationally this year, and what is one small, realistic step that would not feel forced or fake?

5. Read Matthew 28:18–20 and discuss the idea that the church does not have a mission but the mission has a church. How does that challenge the way you think about church attendance, programs, and your role as a follower of Jesus?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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Try a SOAP Study on a key verse from this message. SOAP is just another way of reading your Bible and applying what you read in a practical way.

SOAP stands for:

Scripture – Read a passage of scripture and write down a verse or two that jumps out to you.

Observation – What are your personal observations that you note from this scripture?

Application – How does it now apply to your everyday life? What can you do to apply this in your life today?

Prayer – Write a personal prayer based on your observation and application.

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. The sermon describes life seasons that feel like silence or waiting. Where in your life does hope feel thin right now, and how does the idea of an “and then one day” moment challenge or encourage you?

2. Mary and Joseph both faced fear when God interrupted their ordinary plans. What fears tend to guide your decisions more than you would like, and what might it look like to choose trust over fear in one small area this week?

3. Look at Luke 1:26–31. What stands out to you about how quietly and unexpectedly God enters Mary’s story, and how does that shape the way you think about God working in your own everyday life?

4. The sermon says Christmas is not about pretending everything is okay, but about holding onto hope. What is one thing you may need to release or entrust to God in order to make room for hope again?

5. Look at Isaiah 9:2 or Isaiah 9:6. How do these verses connect to the idea that light enters darkness in small, easily missed ways, and where might God be inviting you to notice His nearness right now?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. The sermon named specific kinds of captivity like fear, shame, addiction, and cycles that will not break. Which one do you most easily minimize in yourself, and what does that reveal about how you define freedom?

2. Imagine someone comes to Christmas Eve at Plum Creek and feels bound but invisible. Based on the sermon, what would extending freedom to them actually look like without fixing, preaching, or avoiding them?

3. Look at Luke 4:18–21 and pay attention to the word today. Why do you think Jesus anchored freedom in the present moment instead of pointing people toward future change?

4. The message said freedom is not just escape but restoration to who you were meant to be. What part of you feels most distant from that original design right now?

5. The sermon framed One Day as a simple yes that becomes action. If you said yes this week, what would realistically change in how you give, pray, or pay attention to others?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. When have you felt the loss of a future you imagined, and how did that interruption shape your view of joy?

2. Think about a closed door or setback in your past. What good can you now see that you could not see inside the interruption?

3. Look at Jeremiah 29:11. What stands out when you read it the way Israel first heard it (before anything in their situation improved)?

4. How can you practice reframing your internal story this week using the sermon’s idea of a truer truth instead of fear-driven assumptions?

5. Read Genesis 12:2 to 3. How does Israel’s original calling help you rethink God’s purpose in your own unexpected seasons?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. Look at Micah 5:4 to 5. What does it mean to you that Jesus is described as the source of peace instead of simply a messenger of peace?

2. When have you mistaken escape, distraction, or numbing for peace and how can you tell the difference?

3. Read John 14:27. Which part of the gift Jesus describes (peace of mind or peace of heart) feels harder for you to receive right now?

4. When you hit a hard week, what does your mind naturally fix itself on and how does that compare to Isaiah 26:3?

5. Which part of shalom (wholeness, restoration, healing, completeness) feels most relevant to your life today?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give

We're so glad you've chosen to listen to our online experience! Here at Plum Creek, we’re all about changed lives, changing lives; and what that simply means is that what Christ has done in us is not just for us, but it’s for us to share with others in our community and around the world.

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If you're using this teaching for a Home Groups setting, we've included discussion prompts to help guide your conversation:

1. Where in your life right now do you need to trust that the God who kept His word for centuries will keep His word to you today?

2. The sermon says Christmas is evidence that God finishes what He starts. What part of your story feels unfinished and how might God already be working in the quiet places you do not see yet?

3. Look at Luke 4:18 to 21. How does Jesus declaring a prophecy fulfilled on that very day shape the way you view His authority and reliability?

4. The season was described as a time when hearts are softened and conversations become possible. Who has God placed in your path that you might need to invite or simply be kind toward in a more intentional way?

5. Look at Isaiah 7:14 alongside Matthew 1:22 to 23. How does seeing a detailed prophecy fulfilled exactly as written affect your sense of wonder during Christmas?

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Wondering what Plum Creek Church is all about? Watch this video.

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Links

Home: https://www.plumcreek.church/

Next Steps: https://www.plumcreek.church/next

Ministries: https://www.plumcreek.church/ministries

Give: https://www.plumcreek.church/give