Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Discussion for 1 December 2013


 ISAIAH 2:1-5
1The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2   In days to come
          the mountain of the Lord’s house
     shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
          and shall be raised above the hills;
     all the nations shall stream to it.
3        Many peoples shall come and say,      “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
          to the house of the God of Jacob;
     that he may teach us his ways
          and that we may walk in his paths.”
     For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
          and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4   He shall judge between the nations,
          and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
     they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
          and their spears into pruning hooks;
     nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
          neither shall they learn war any more.

5   O house of Jacob,
          come, let us walk
          in the light of the LORD!

For Consideration
-Why would this passage be considered for the 1st Sunday of Advent?
-How does this passage underscore our yearning for peace and joy in the midst of our cultural behavior during the Advent season?

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Scripture Reading for 24 November 2013


Psalm 46
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, 
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;3though 
its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with 
its tumult. 4There is a river whose streams make glad the city
 of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.5God is in the 
midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when
 the morning dawns.6The nations are in an uproar, the 
kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.7The Lord 
of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. 8Come,
 behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has
 brought on the earth.9He makes wars cease to the end of the 
earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the 
shields with fire.10“Be still, 
and know that I am God! I am 
exalted among the nations, 
I am exalted in the earth.”11The
 Lord of hosts is with us; the 
God of Jacob is our refuge. 




FOR CONSIDERATION
-The 1st verse makes an awesome declaration. How does human experience  
challenge this promise?
-Where is the refuge God provides? How would those in the wake of a tsunami or tornado hear these words?

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Discussion for 17 November 2013


LUKE 20:27-38
27Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28and asked him a question, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; 30then the second 31and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless.32Finally the woman also died. 33In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her."
34Jesus said to them, "Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; 35but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive."

For Discussion
-What is the motive of the Sadducees with this intriguing question?
-How would 19th century slaves find this passage useful in the face of their current situations?

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Discussion 10 November 2013


Job 19:23-27

“O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God,whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

This Sunday, November 10, we welcome Dr. Brennan Breed, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. Dr. Breed is a graduate of the University of Virginia, Princeton Seminary and Emory University. Dr. Breed's research focuses on the reception history of the Bible, which traces the divergent uses and understandings of biblical texts from their ancient contexts of production to the present day. His other interests include Hebrew poetry, biblical theology, textual criticism, ancient and medieval visual art, and philosophy.

All adult Sunday school classes are encouraged to meet in the Fellowship Hall during the Sunday school hour.