Lenten Season: February 21-April 4
Lenten Series: “The Bible in Seven Words”
The Bible can be difficult to understand. Do the 66 books of the Bible share anything in common? Does it have a unifying message that would help us make sense of what we read?
This series links together seven biblical themes into a storyline that brings together the various messages of the Bible into a unified message from God. Each week, we’ll study one of the themes, adding a new one each week that suggests an overarching story about God’s timeless message to us.
Feb. 21: Creation: In the Beginning Was the Word (Genesis 1:1-5; John 1:1-5, 14)
In creation, we see God’s original intention to share in all of life with all of creation. It is this idea – the Word – of God that turns chaos into creation, that speaks into being all that God envisions. And it is this Word that becomes flesh, this Word that lives among us and lives within us.
Feb. 28: Crisis: Living at Cross Purposes(Genesis 3:1-24; 1 Cor. 15:20-21)
Genesis 3 introduces Adam and Eve and the consequences of self-directed living. The rest of the Bible tells the story of God’s attempts to reconcile humanity, to heal the brokenness in our lives and in our world.
March 7: Calling: The Invitation of a Lifetime (Robert Wallace, pulpit guest; Isaiah 6)
Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Deborah, David, Esther – the list goes on. Understanding the Bible involves our understanding that God has issued another invitation for us to share in God’s purposes, to fulfill our purpose in our own generation (compare Acts 13:36).
March 14: Covenant: Redefining Our Relationships (Exodus 19:1-6; 20:1-17; Luke 22:14-20)
The Bible speaks of the God who makes covenants with individuals and groups of people. Covenants contain promises about how we will treat each other, how we will act toward one another, how we will value one another. God promises with a rainbow not to destroy the earth again with a flood. God promises the old man Abraham a child, the first in a long line of descendants, and a place for them to call home. Centuries later, God strikes a new covenant with those descendants, now called Israel, and forges a new covenant based on 10 promises (i.e., commandments) that will shape the people’s relationship with God, each other and their world. Covenants are made with leaders (like King David) and broken by God’s people; prophets warn against breaking the covenant, and serve as spokespersons for renewing them. Finally, Jesus establishes a new covenant using bread and wine and His own life that forever redefines our relationships.
March 21: Christ: The Word Became Flesh (Isaiah 11:1-9; Luke 23:32-47; Rom. 5:1-2)
The longing for a leader (Messiah) finds its fulfillment in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Everything we have been told God is and can be comes to expression in the life and teachings of Jesus. We’ll explore aspects of Jesus’ life: His message, His miracles, and His methods in proclaiming “the kingdom of God.” And we’ll look at the significance of His death and resurrection. For the resurrection is central to understanding the “Good News” (Gospel). If Christ is not risen, the Apostle Paul said, then we are still lost and without hope. The resurrection cracks open the tomb of despair and changes everything for us and for our world.
March 28: Community (Church): Peculiar People (Matthew 16:13-19; Acts 2:41-47)
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus gave rise to a new movement. The followers of Jesus clustered together in a community that sought to embody the life of Jesus and continue His work of reconciling the world to God. The church, then, becomes more than a place we go; church is who we are as a reflection of Jesus Himself – His Body in the world.
April 4: Consummation: A Dream Come True (Luke 24:1-40; Revelation 21:1-5)
God’s intention from the beginning of creation was to live in partnership with us, to share life and love and purpose together. Sin broke that partnership. Christ’s life, death and resurrection restored our relationship. And now all of time is moving toward a future when God’s original dream will come true for us as individuals and for our world. The Bible ends with an assurance that time moves with purpose toward a future that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
