Tonight I have been putting together my first ever Bible study. It will be in December so the talk is on Jesus' birth and mission. The theme is very much based on God using the "foolish things" of the world to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). It will be a reflection on the words of Isaiah 53, particularly focusing on verse 2: "He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground”. We will think about the circumstances of Jesus birth and the themes we normally associate with Christmas, the manger, the stable, no room at the inn. There will be two questions to consider and share as a group: a) a situation where we believed what we understood to be God's will for us, but His will turned out to be something us for us. b) a situation where we found ourselves struggling and depending on God to help us through our circumstances. We will close by reading the final verse "He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12) and as it is the close of the evening, we will use a night time prayer to remind us of what Jesus accomplished for us, his love and abiding presence with us.