Summer of the Bible 2014 - Week 12

Week #12 - "The Church"

The Presbyterian Church of Chestertown

(Photo by John Urlock – November 2013)

Background:

            The remainder of the New Testament is comprised of a variety of materials … many of them written in the form of letters (“epistles”), written by a variety of authors and addressed to different individuals or groups who were facing very real situations and issues of faith.

            Paul is the most well-known of the authors of the letters. But other authors remain unknown. Regardless of who the author is, the purpose that all the letters share is to communicate the gospel (“good news”) of Jesus Christ and to encourage individuals or newly-formed churches to remain faithful in their commitment to Christ as their Lord and Savior. The letters were meant to be read aloud and were often circulated among many different groups of Christians in a region.

However, having said all that about “letters,” the first book we will look at will be “The Acts of the Apostles” which is unique in the New Testament. It is the second volume attributed to the gospel-writer Luke and it tells of how God continues to be at work through the followers of Jesus Christ as they developed their unique identity as the Church. The book of Acts includes sermons, speeches, biographical sketches, theological debates and travelogues. Acts was written probably in the late 1^st-century, sometime after the Gospel of Luke. It begins where Luke’s gospel leaves off – with the Ascension of Jesus. It’s one of my (Sara’s) favorite books – and I think it reads like an adventure story!  Which is pretty much what life in the church is like – an adventure for all ages of people serving Christ with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.  That’s the body of Christ at work and alive!  Come join the journey.

READINGS for WEEK #12:

·       Acts – chapter 10 (the whole chapter is about the Roman centurion Cornelius and Peter’s “conversion” to realize that the gospel is meant for everyone)

·       Acts 18:18-28 – disciples other than Paul also teach and preach the gospel, helping to establish new congregations throughout the region

·       2 Corinthians 8:1-15 – the generosity of the early church in supporting each other

·       Colossians 1:1-14 – the work of the church is also to build up one another and serve Christ to the glory of God.

·       James 5:7-16 – a word to the wise

·       1 Peter 2:4-12 – the “living stones” of the body of Christ

Additional Resources:

•  For more information on the Time Period related to the early church, read the background information available on "The Church Is Born," "Paul's Letters," and "The Second Generation of the Church" at: http://www.enterthebible.org/periods.aspx?m=3777

Summer of the Bible 2014 - Week 11

Week #11 - "From Death to Life"

 (photo by Sara Holben – May 2009)

Background:

            The gospels are really meant to be read from “back to front” – that is, starting with the Resurrection of Jesus.  After all, while the disciples experienced Jesus from the beginning of his ministry, the gospels were written through the “lens” of Resurrection so that everything that comes before Easter morning is to be understood because Jesus Christ is raised from the dead.

            All 4 of the gospels devote extended time to the last week of Jesus’ life – from Palm Sunday to Easter morning, including several post-resurrection appearances which describe disciples’ experiences of a Risen Lord.

            Testimony to Christ’s resurrection is a key feature in the witness of the early church – and it is Resurrection that still shapes our life, faith, and ministry.

            As you read through this week’s passages, note that no one gives testimony to the actual raising of Christ from the dead – no one saw it.  Their testimony is to the power of God that brings death out of life and their experience of that power in a Risen Savior. 

Readings for Week #11:

·       Read the Resurrection from all 4 Gospels: 

o   Luke 24:1-12;

o   Matthew 28:1-10;

o   Mark 16:1-8;

o   John 20:1-18.

§  What did the witnesses see?

§  What did they think they know?

·       Mark 16:9-19 – this section of Mark’s gospel with its post-resurrection appearances is not included in the earliest manuscripts and is believed to be a later addition

·       Luke 24:13-35 – the Road to Emmaus

·       John 20 and 21 – post-resurrection appearances

·       1 Corinthians 15:1-8 – Paul’s testimony

·       Colossians 1:15-20 – a hymn to the Risen Christ

Additional Resources:

• If you sign up for their weekly emails, Biblical Archaeology Review offers a variety of free "e-books" on biblical topics - including "Easter: Exploring the Resurrection of Jesus" - http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/free-ebooks/?mqsc=E3777405&utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=BHD+Week%20in%20Review%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=E4W816

Summer of the Bible 2014 - Week 10

Week 10 - "God's Kingdom"

(photo by Sara Holben – Scotland, June 2009)

Background:

            The heart of Jesus’ teaching centers around the theme of the “kingdom of God.”  Or to be more explicit:  Jesus came to preach the good news of the kingdom of God.  As scholars point out, the phrase “the kingdom of God” appears 53 times in the Gospels … and Matthew uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” (which means the same thing) another 32 times.

            When Jesus was talking about a kingdom he wasn’t speaking about a political realm within geographical boundaries, but instead was speaking about God’s “rule” or “authority” or “sovereignty” or “power” over all of life. The kingdom of God is not something we create for ourselves, but it is something we receive and it changes how we are to live our lives under God’s reign.

            Jesus speaks about what life is like under God’s rule  – where the last are first, where children are welcomed and where the lost sheep is found.  People are healed and “demons” are cast out, the captives are freed, and the oppressed are set free.  Jesus teaches through his dialogues with Pharisees, his questions and answers with his disciples, his “sermons”  (such as the Sermon on the Mount), and very often through parables which often hide as much as they reveal – a lot like God’s rule itself.  One scholar wrote:

“At its simplest, the parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.”

C.H. Dodd, Parables of the Kingdom (1961)

In the end, the kingdom of God is not simply located in heaven nor is it purely an interior experience. Jesus speaks about the kingdom being both present and future.  In the end, as one pastor writes:

The kingdom of God impacts actions, thoughts, relationships, families, institutions, and governments. In the end, it will touch everything on earth, when God’s will is fully done on earth “as it is in heaven.” Yet this expansive kingdom has begun on earth in a most unexpected and unnoticed way – rather like a mustard seed – in the ministry of Jesus.

Mark D. Roberts, “What was the message of Jesus?”  

Enjoy exploring the kingdom of God this week!

Readings for Week #10:

·       Matthew 13 – parables about the “kingdom of heaven”

·       Matthew 18:1-4 – greatest in the kingdom of heaven

·       Matthew 20:20-27 – those who would be great in the kingdom

·       Mark 2:1-12 – Jesus heals

·       Luke 13-15 – Jesus heals and teaches in parables

·       Luke 18:18-29 – the rich young ruler learns about the kingdom of God

Additional Resources:

• Read the entire article by Mark Roberts on "What was the message of Jesus?" - http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/what-was-the-message-of-jesus/
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Summer of the Bible 2014 - Week 9

Week 9 - "The Ministry of Jesus"

The Sea of Galilee

 (photo by Sara Holben – May 2009)

Background: [adapted from: The Bible from Scratch: the New Testament for Beginners by Donald L. Griggs]

            This week we explore the ministry of Jesus as described in the Gospels. The Gospels are the first 4 books of the New Testament. The word “Gospel” is an English translation of a Greek word that means “good news.” So the Gospels are about the “good news” that Jesus preached about the coming kingdom of God – but it also refers to the “good news” about Jesus Christ that is proclaimed by his followers.

The Gospels are not biographies of the life of Jesus but are witnesses to God’s good news as seen in the life, teachings, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The 4 Gospels each have their own unique characteristics and approaches, because each is addressed to a particular audience from a particular perspective. That’s why there are both similarities and differences among the Gospels.

Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels, “synoptic” coming from Greek words that mean “seeing together” – suggesting that we are to “see the 3 Gospels together.” There are many parallel passages among these 3 Gospels that indicate some shared materials that are repeated among them. Yet each of the Synoptic Gospels also has some material unique to them.

John’s Gospel is uniquely different from the other 3 and while covering similar aspects of Jesus’ life, teachings, death and resurrection, there is little shared material and a very different approach and perspective. 

In general …

·       One-quarter to one-half of all four Gospels deals with the passion and resurrection of Jesus. That helps us to see the importance of these events for the faith of the Christian community – and to help us recognize that we are to look at other events in the gospels through the “lens” of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

·       Each Gospel tends to emphasize and present different aspects of Jesus’ life:

o   Matthew = Jesus as “teacher”

o   Mark = Jesus speaks and acts with authority

o   Luke = Jesus as “healer” and “advocate” for those who are on the margins of society

o   John = Jesus as “light of the world”

Readings for Week #9:

·       Matthew 8:1-17 – Jesus’ ministry of healing

·       Matthew 5:1-12 – the Beatitudes (the entire Sermon on the Mount is found in chapters 5-7 of Matthew’s Gospel)

·       Mark 4:35-41 – Jesus calms the storm

·       Mark 8:22-30 – Healing of a blind man & Peter’s Confession

·       Luke 6:1-11 – Healing on the Sabbath

·       Luke 6:17-42 – the “Sermon on the Plain”

·       Luke 9:1-6 – Jesus sends out the twelve

·       John 2:1-11 – Turning water into wine

·       John 6:1-13 – Feeding the Five Thousand