The Misfits of Christmas
A fresh approach to help us apply the Christmas story to our daily lives!
Looking for an Advent study for your small group, church, or for individual use? The Misfits of Christmas combines four weeks of video lessons with an easy-to-use study guide.
The Misfits of Christmas blends the stories of biblical and secular Christmas characters to understand the roles and importance of misfits to our understanding of the season. In this video lesson series, participants will gain deeper meaning into Christmas and learn practical ways to take the Christmas lessons into the rest of the year.
The accompanying study guide will help leaders direct group discussions while providing all participants with out-of-class reflections to grasp and embed the teachings.
"We always like to choose something that puts us in the Christmas mood while also reminding us of the importance of the message of Jesus. This Bible Study fit the bill!
"The study was organized and very easy to follow. The leader guide in the back of the book made it a study that could be led by anyone, even someone with no experience in leading Bible Studies. The homework was relevant and thought-provoking but wasn’t overwhelming.
"The real gift of this study was the Practical Faith Takeaways in each lesson. This was an important element to let each of us take what we’ve learned and use the information in our everyday lives."
- Kris Roberson, small group leader, Plano, TX
The Story Behind the Misfits of Christmas
The Misfits of Christmas is now exclusively available on the Cecil Taylor Ministries online store!
"We learned that God includes everyone in his plan and has a special place for misfits. Jesus is the ultimate misfit.
"We loved the combination of thought-provoking questions and delightful coloring pages in the guide after each lesson.
"Relating the study to classic Christmas characters enhanced our experience. Someone suggested we do the study again next year!"
- Pam Mahaney, small group leader, Salt Lake City, UT
About the free first lesson
Cecil Taylor Ministries traditionally offers its first lesson in a video series for free on YouTube. This sample of the lesson series can help you decide whether you want to purchase it.
Please note that this is the only lesson given for free. To view subsequent lessons, you must purchase the series.
Am I a misfit?
It's surprising how much we identify with misfits. All of us have had times when we were the outsider or the outcast. Times when we have been shunned or ridiculed by others.
Sometimes we've been looked down upon for siding with others. We've become protectors. But those around of us may not understand our actions.
At times, we can be misfits by seeming naive or innocent. But often, it's because we view the world differently. We may even possess special knowledge that we try to share, but seemingly no one accepts it.
In the Misfits of Christmas, we learn what it's like to be a misfit in these ways. We also learn how to treat the misfits around us. Our Father God loves all children, even the misfits. And Jesus loves misfits, since he knew exactly how it felt to not fit in.
So the answer is, we're all misfits at times. And we always have misfits around us. How will we treat them? What choices do we need to make? Are we willing to make those choices, even if it makes us misfits?