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Group Discussion
Questions for facilitating dynamic discussion
Christmas at the Movies
December 6,2025
Week 2: It's a Wonderful Life
Jeff Griffin
Acts 9:36-42
Christmas classics have a way of filling our hearts with the joy of the season and the anticipation that comes with it. Ironically, one of the most beloved films is about a man who despairs of having wrecked everything for those he loves. Jeff helped us find meaning in this story and in God’s plan for our lives in his sermon on Acts 9:36-42 this week.
This is a series related to Christmas movies, so of course it begs the question: what is your favorite Christmas movie and how does it invoke the spirit of Christmastime for you?
1. Obscurity: it describes what could have become of this week’s movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, and is something many people fear becoming of their lives. What do you believe makes the thought of dying in obscurity so unnerving?
2. Read Acts 9:36-42. We learned from Jeff’s sermon that the descriptive title given to Tabitha here is “believer/disciple.” Not “leader” or “director” or “head of the local church.” And who did she primarily minister to (v. 39)? We know that widows held a fragile, socially vulnerable place in ancient Israel. What does this say about the visibility of Tabitha’s service? (Hint: she wasn’t in a role of prominence).
3. The disciples referred to in v. 38 would have been Tabitha’s fellow believers in the church at Joppa. What did they do in response to her passing? What can we infer about her reputation in the church from this?
4. Jeff tied Tabitha’s reputation for doing good and helping the poor to Matthew 25:31-40. Read that passage together now. How does this turn the world’s idea of who deserves recognition for what they’ve done on its head? What do all of the deeds Jesus cites here have in common?
5. Tabitha’s life inspired those she served and other believers around her. Who did her return from death impact? Jeff said that “sometimes we can do a small act of kindness that becomes the first domino to fall [in a series leading to larger impacts].” In what way can you take inspiration from Tabitha’s story and It’s a Wonderful Life? How can you be prepared to take action in small ways using the skills and gifts you possess?
A life well lived does not require visibility or importance. Pray that each one in your group will recognize the value of what they have to offer and will find a way to put their skills to use.
“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” ~ Mother Teresa