Adult Bible Study material for Lent

In Year D, I suggested the six Sundays of Lent afford a good opportunity for a lectio continua series focusing on a shorter epistle, that is, if one follows the old Westminster Directory rule of thumb: one chapter per week. That is a lot of text to treat in a 20-minute sermon, but it is doable if you keep the illustrative material (and personal stories) to a minimum.

Sermons, of course, can and do make for good discussion starters for Bible studies, and the more they conform to classical exposition, the more they can serve as Bible studies in and of themselves.

Here are two six-week "studies" worth considering for your adult Sunday school class: one on Galatians and one on the six petitions of The Lord's Prayer.

            

Or for a shorter, but evocative study for exploring the themes of repentance and suffering, endurance and healing, consider The Secret of Salix Babylonicus.

As mentioned in an earlier post, there are some good discussion questions for this Parable of the Weeping Willow over at Story Path. To which one might add some consideration of the redemptive role of music in the story. It sure seems to me those with an interest in music therapy should find rich fodder here.

Fourth Sunday of Lent (D)

Isaiah 54:1-4 (5-14) 15-17 OR Isaiah 37:14-38

Psalm 39

John 8:12-30

James 4:4-17 OR Galatians 4:1-5:1

     

 

OPENING PRAYER [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

Our Lord Jesus Christ, Light for the world, you who are from above, yet are not of this world, you are truly the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Savior of all who trust in you. For you have been lifted up, crucified, for the sins of the world. Now, allow us, we humbly pray, to lift you up in exaltation, thanksgiving, and praise, that you might draw all to yourself, and speak your Word of life and of truth, as the Father has instructed. Let us receive your Spirit into our hearts, that, as you call out to our heavenly Father, we might be awakened to your presence within us, always working to bring us safely home.

First Sunday of Lent

Deuteronomy 10:12-22 OR Nehemiah 9:1-38
Psalm 6
John 7:1-13

Galatians 2:1-14 (15-21) OR Galatians 1:1-24 OR James 1:1-27 OR James 1:17-2:13


   

   

CALL TO WORSHIP [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

You shall fear the LORD your God; him alone you shall worship.

To the LORD you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear.  

The LORD is our praise; he is our God, who has done

great and awesome things for us that our own eyes have seen.

Heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD our God,

the earth with all that is in it!

The LORD, the great God, is God of gods and Lord of lords.

Mighty and awesome, he is not partial and he takes no bribe.

Circumcise your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer,

for what does the LORD your God require of you?

Only to fear the LORD, to walk in all his ways, to love him,

to serve him with all our heart and soul, and to keep

his commandments and decrees for our own well-being.

A freedom better than independence

Now that the Independence Day celebrations are behind us for another year, why not read about and celebrate the far greater, eternal freedom promised by the gospel of Jesus Christ?

The Freedom of Christ

So what can happen when one superimposes lectio continua over Lent? Well, for one thing: this short series of six sermons on Galatians, preached ten years ago as I was designing and experimenting with Year D. With so many homiletical options on the table these days, one would not presume to issue such a collection with the expectation that such a series would ever be considered normative or exemplary—by anyone, least of all an author whose job it is to study and teach manifold approaches to preaching—nevertheless, this little book is at least a fair representation, a non-exemplary example, so to speak, of how preaching can cover significant territory with (I hope) some depth, yet at a fairly brisk pace.

More specifically and somewhat pedagogically, I offer it as an example of what I call "reiterative exposition," which is, as I understand it, akin to what Walter Brueggemann calls "re-utterance." For the record, I do realize that while Brueggemann favors, promotes, and envisions preaching as "re-utterance" of the Word, he is less positive about "reiteration." The difference, if there is one, seems to me less clear and stark than it evidently does to him. So with that expression of intent, i.e., that I think we are aiming at the same thing, here it is: a reiteration or a reutterance (as you like) of the gospel of freedom, The Freedom of Christ.

Here's hoping that, after all the flailing and failed fleshly attempts at freedom we see displayed in the weeks leading up to Lent, this articulation of and invitation to the freedom of Christ will find its way home in many a reader's heart.

UPDATE: For some reason, according to Google Trends, there seems to be particular interest in Galatians in Zimbabwe these days, so perhaps this title will grab some African readers. Note as well the rising interest in the epistle itself, in contrast to the diminishing interest in the lectionary.