Tag: study questions
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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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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Romans 12 1-8
We are studying Romans 12:1-8 for Sunday, May 26. These verses begin the section of Paul’s letter to the Romans that lays out Paul’s moral advice, in light of the theological vision he has described in the first part of the letter. [Study notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Luke 19 1-10
We are studying Luke19:1-10, the story of Zacchaeus, for Sunday, March 24. [Study notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we could consider before or in class: Have we heard this story before? Where? When? What images do we associate with this story? Where did those images come from? (E.g., illustrations…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Luke 14 7-14
We are studying Luke 14:7-14 for Sunday, March 3 – a text that presents a pair of Jesus’ short discourses about social propriety, which may have implications for our understanding of the reign of God. [Study notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider as we explore…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Psalm 66
We are studying Psalm 66 for Sunday, February 17: an ancient Hebrew praise song, focused on God’s mighty acts of power and God’s acceptance of repentance. [Study notes on Psalm 66.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider before or in class: The psalm begins with a call to “make a joyful…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Psalm 48
We are studying Psalm 48 for Sunday, February 10. Psalm 48 is one of the “songs of Zion,” psalms that praise the city of Jerusalem and by extension the God worshipped in that ancient city. [Study notes are here.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider as we think about and discuss…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Philippians 3 7-14
We are studying Philippians 3:7-14 for Sunday, February 3 – rounding out our recent focus on Philippians. We will be thinking about what it means that Paul regards his past status and success as loss compared with having gained Jesus Christ. Here are a few questions about the text we might want to consider, whether…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Philippians 2 1-11
We are studying Philippians 2:1-11 for Sunday, January 27. This is the continuation of Paul’s letter to the Philippians that we began studying last week, and that contains the famous Christic hymn in verses 5-11. Here are a few questions we might want to consider in or before class: Verse 1 invokes “encouragement in Christ,…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Philippians 1 12-21
We’re studying Philippians 1:12-21 for Sunday, January 20. Here are a few questions for the text that we might want to consider before or during class: What do we think Paul means when he says “the brothers and sisters [have been] made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment” (v12)? Can we think of a…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – James 4 1-10
We of the Not-That-Early Sunday school class, along with lots of others, are studying James 4:1-10 for Sunday, January 13 – a text that points us to the roots of conflicts and that contrasts two kinds of friendship: friendship with God and friendship with “the world” – with the clear implication that friendship with God…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – 2 Thessalonians 3 1-5 & 2 John 4-11
For Sunday, January 6 we’re studying two somewhat similarly-themed texts: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 and 2 John 4-11. Here are a few questions we might want to consider before or during class: What do we see as the similarities and differences between the 2 Thessalonians and the 2 John text? (For instance, that both were written…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Matthew 25 31-46
The text we (and others) are studying for Sunday, December 30 is Matthew 25:31-46, “the judgment of the nations” or “the sheep and the goats.” Here are some questions around that text that we might want to consider before or in class: The story begins with the arrival of the “Son of Man in his…
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Psalm 103
For those of us studying Psalm 103 for Sunday, December 16, here are a few questions we might want to think about before or in class: The Psalmist begins by saying “Bless YHWH, O my soul …” (v1). What mood do we hear in the Psalmist’s words? (e.g., Exuberant? Happy? Grateful, as if having just…
Matters of Interpretation 