Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary

Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary

Why is the Virgin Birth Important?

How to make sense of the Virgin Birth: Why is it not impossible?

What do we learn about Mary and God through engaging with this doctrine?

Scripture Practice for this Week

Read Philippians in its entirety four times this week 

(3x on your own and once aloud with at least one other person) 

Questions to consider/Instructions as you read Philippians alone:

1. What are the 2-3 major themes of this letter (jot those down in your journal and underline/note passages that are especially relevant to each theme)?
2. What are the main things Paul was seeking to accomplish by writing this letter? Put another way: what response do you think Paul was expecting from the Philippians?
3. Make it personal: what response might God be seeking from you as you interact with this particular part of His Word? 

Read Philippians aloud together as follows:

Establish The Reader(s) – Decide who will read it. One person can read the whole thing, a few of you can split it, or (what we would recommend) each person can read some of it until the whole passage is read. Spend a moment to decide how you will break up the text and who will read.

Invite the Holy Spirit – Take a deep breath and settle in. Have one person invite the Holy Spirit to help you all to listen in a posture of surrender and to form you by what is read. 

Read – Spend time to read the entire text in one sitting aloud together. 

Silence & Prayer – After the last verse is read, don’t rush onto the next part. Take a moment in silence and stillness, letting the words reverberate inside your mind and soul. After a bit, have someone pray to thank God for the experience of this Practice.

Discussion – Answer these three questions together

1. How was your experience reading in this way (i.e. a large portion out loud together in one sitting) different for you than reading the Bible by yourself?
2. What encouraged you most from the book of Philippians as you were listening to it read? 
3. What challenged you most from the book of Philippians as you were listening to it read?