Our Life With Jesus

"Jesus presents himself as the incarnation of God . . .God wanted to tell us how much he loved us, and in order to do it he had to become one of us." "God, the One who was the Creator of the Universe, became one of us. He lived among us.  He sacrificed himself for us.  He taught us things.  Most of all, Jesus was the revelation, God, showing himself off to us in a way we could understand . . ." "When he died on the cross, it was the ultimate act of love." "Doing love is what God is all about." "I wake in the morning and center down on Jesus.  I say his name over and over and over.  I focus on Jesus.  As Bill Gaither gets us to sing, 'There's Something About That Name.'  It drives back the dark forces .  It creates sacred space, what the Celtic Christians call 'the thin place.'  It takes me about 15 minutes to be inwardly still. It means that everything else is out of my mind except for Jesus.  I meditate on Je...

Two classes ago we read the poetry from Genesis 1:1-2:4a, the first "Creation Story" in the Bible.  We marveled at the power in the poetry, the way God's creative imagination was given expression. In Sunday School, our class members also considered a second such story in Genesis, from 2:4b-25,  a narrative that continues into Chapter 3--this is the one we know as the "Adam and Eve" story.  There is much to consider in both. But how many people have been aware that there is a t hird Creation Story in the Bible ?  And that this one is in the New Testament? John 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God...

We read Genesis 1:1-2:4 , the first of the two creation stories in the Book of Genesis (there is a third creation story in the New Testament, John 1:1-18. Genesis ("Beginning") is the first book in our printed Bibles. We took turns in reading the passages,recognizing what we were reading as poetry. We discussed how poetry can communicate truth in a very different way than prose. Some of the language was repeated., most notably: "And God saw that it was good."  All of God's creation is seen and affirmed in its goodness. The steps of creation unfold in what one person described as a "schedule," by days, mini-chapters, in a progression.  The poetry is meant to "stimulate our noodles," to engage us in image and depth of consideration and reflection and artistic endeavor. How is the character of God communicated in these passages? --"The Creator of the earth and everything" --"Life-Giver" --The God whose creation ...

We spent the latter part of Wednesday's class beginning to offer our conceptions and thoughts about  God: --Beyond our full knowledge --"Our refuge and our strength" (referencing Psalm 46) --Envision God as tall, ranging above, face unseeable --Different things at different times --Creator of everything (thus can be expressed in different ways and be different things) --Gets along with everyone and everything --"Leads you but you can never find Him"  (reference to Psalm 23) --"Presence" --"Peaceful" --God is working: in school, through people, doing great things Even this short list contains some remarkable avenues for further exploration and reflection. We will continue to connect them to the Bible and to the life of Jesus. What would you like to add?

We have been learning that the Bible, in its substance, is a storybook.  Much of the material in the Hebrew Scriptures (The Old Testament) was first shared in oral form--it was told, received, learned by heart, and passed down from one generation to the next. The stories in the Christian Gospels of the New Testament also began in oral form. This past Wednesday we discussed how Jesus, in his ministry, used stories to teach the people.  He used them to answer questions as well.  We read from Luke Chapter 10:25-37, which contains "The Parable of the Good Samaritan." Jesus is answering a series of questions from Pharisees, "lawyers," who are testing him. They are not interested in deep explorations or answers that might open our minds and hearts.    They just want to see if he will say things that they already agree with, or not. The first question Jesus was asked was, "Teacher,what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'  Jesus responded by asking the lawy...

How do you read the Bible? Here are some suggestions: --Begin with prayer.  Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind as you read and reflect on the bible verses. --Read the verses out loud.  Notice words that stir feeling in you--curiosity, fear, doubt, peace, challenge, hope..  Write down the words if you want.  Write down questions or insights that you come to as you read. --Think about the one who first wrote the words.  Who as it?  What was it like to be in the world at that time?   Why did the writer write these words?  What problem or situation is being addressed?  A good Bible commentary or Bible dictionary can help you answer these questions. --Think about the people the message was for.  Who were the first hearers of this story?  What did the passage meant to them?  What difference could it have made in their lives? --Write down your thoughts and discoveries.  Use Bible study tools like conc...