Month: June 2019
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Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday morning came around as it always does, and we came to church, as we always do, and we had Sunday school and worship and fellowship and more Sunday school, as we always do. To any outside observer it would have seemed indistinguishable from any other Sunday. We could feel the difference, of course. We […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Matthew 5 1-12
We are studying Matthew 5:1-12 for Sunday, June 30 – that is, the familiar text known as “the Beatitudes.” [Study notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider before, or discuss in, class: In verse 1, Jesus is described as sitting “up” an unnamed mountain, and teaching […]
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A Little More Love for Judges?
This month’s “special study” was the book of Judges. The curriculum consisted of Marc Zvi Brettler’s short, interesting non-commentary on the book of Judges. I say “non-commentary,” because Brettler announces explicitly in his preface that the work, a volume in the Old Testament Readings series, is “not intended as a commentary; instead its focus, following […]
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Study Notes – Matthew 5 1-12
We are studying Matthew 5:1-12 for Sunday, June 30 – the familiar “Beatitudes,” or as I’ve heard some people call them, the “Be – Attitudes,” which begin the Sermon on the Mount. Here are a few notes on the text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: We are back in Matthew’s gospel, at the beginning of the Sermon […]
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Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We did a lot of crying today. The church has always been, from the very beginning, a community of people coming and going, in every kind of way, at every stage of life: a community of strangers we meet and welcome and come to know as friends and companions and bid farewell and Godspeed. It […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Colossians 2 1-15
We are studying Colossians 2:1-15 for Sunday, June 23. This is a short exhortation to faithfulness to Christ, head of the church and source of the love, life and solidarity of its members. [Study notes on that text are here.] Here are a few questions we might want to think about or discuss in class: […]
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On Being Christian
Williams, Rowan. Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014. [An Installment of the “Read Me” Project.] This is an amazing and wonderful book. Being Christian is simple and direct, clear and lovely, and immediately recognizable as true – as something we will have already known for a long time, if […]
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Study Notes – Colossians 2 1-15
We are studying Colossians 2:1-15 for Sunday, June 23. This is a portion of a letter that draws on an exalted view of Christ’s relationship to creation to encourage its audience to hold firm in the faith. [Discussion questions for the text are here.] Here are my notes on the text: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: Colossians […]
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Trinity Sunday
We all know, or should know, that it is not possible for our human minds to grasp the deep mystery of the Trinity. Fortunately, then, our pastor did not attempt to explain the Trinity in church this morning. [The angel of the Corydon Presbyterian Church may have breathed a sigh of relief. At least, I […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Hebrews 9 11-22
We are studying Hebrews 9:11-22 for Sunday, June 16. [Study notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions about the text that we might want to consider before class, or together in class: In vv13-14, the imagery of the “ashes of a heifer” refers to ritual purification of people who have come […]
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What is it about Religious People?
Richter, Kent. Religion: A Study in Beauty, Truth, and Goodness Oxford University Press: 2017. [An Installment of the “Read Me” Project.] Here’s why I asked for a textbook for Christmas: because I am always on the lookout for textbooks, and because I had found this one that looked like it might be ideal for Introduction […]
Matters of Interpretation 