Year Wrap Up

Hi Class

Thanks for an enjoyable year of study. Sorry we didn't quite make it through to Revelation! We'll just finish up Philippians this Sunday, May 22 then take a break until Fall.

I have appreciated your commitment to the group; your wonderful, honest questions and insights; and how much we have learned from the Scriptures together because of your openness and energy.

We will reconvene the second week of September, and make a run at completing the New Testament by Christmas!

In the mean time, let us keep looking up and ahead for the blessings God has in store for us. Please hold one another in prayer through summer, perhaps with this attitude: "But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining on toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

God bless you!

Pastor Dan

Paul's Epistles

We are now in the Book of Ephesians. This letter may be an adaptation of a letter to a specific church intended for general circulation. In it Paul offers his beautiful vision for the whole of creation unified and blessed in Christ.

Last Sunday our class considered Paul's citizenship metaphor in chapter 2. We shared about how our families came to be citizens in America. We learned that our families came from many and diverse places, all, presumably, looking for new opportunity and richer lives in the New World. However our memories and awareness of this are thin; we all wished we actually knew more about how it must have felt to become a citizen of a new country. Yet this is the very awareness Paul addresses in helping new Christians understand how they belong to a new citizenry and one household under God, through Christ.

Today I found an article in "Alive Now" magazine that I think is very worth sharing with you, on this topic. The article is written by the Rev. Larry Jent, a United Methodist pastor. The title of the piece is "Dangerous Words".

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"Welcome one another, therefore, just has Christ has welcomed you." - Paul of Tarsus, Jewish citizen of Rome, Christian Apostle to the Gentiles; in Romans 15:7

These are dangerous words: welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you. Forgive, and it will be forgiven you (Luke 6). Love as you have been loved (John 15).

Once in a while we are privileged to meet someone who lives by that golden rule -- who gives with the same measure they have received from Christ. It seems to me that the folks who are best at this are generally those who feel Christ's love in a fresh way. People who have recently found the power to get clean and sober are able to see hope for anyone. People who have recently been healed are quick to offer powerful words of healing. Those who have been alone a long time -- and have recently found a home for their souls -- are very, very good at inviting others to come home.

In America, we tend to have very short memories. We believe we have always been here. Things have always been like this. Our culture grinds down our memories. Most of our families are newcomers. Most of us came without a prayer. We found our way in this land because people welcomed us . . . and we have forgotten all of that. God called the people to remember their roots. "My father was a wandering Aramean." So begins the Jewish credo. "We were strangers in a strange land -- slaves to Pharaoh -- but God brought us out to freedom."

If only we could remember how our families were welcomed; our lives would be filled with gratitude and wonder. But be careful: for we might also be called to care for strangers -- just as others have cared for us.

See you in class!

Pastor Dan

I Corinthians wrap up

Our focus the last few weeks has been on Paul's discussion of specific questions submitted to him by members of the Corinthian church. Regarding gifts of the Spirit (Chapters 12-14) in evidence in that congregation, Paul's main point is to remind people of the purpose of such gifts -- for the good of all. Higher gifts are those which more obviously benefit the body of Christ and are less prone to individual exercise and losing a sense of how they benefit the common good. This is consistent with his emphasis on coaching a very diverse congregation toward cooperation, flexibility, and unity.

Last week we focused on Paul's logical thinking about the importance of belief in resurrection (chapter 15) We might infer from his discussion that there were those, even in that early time of the church, who de-emphasized or even disdained a belief in resurrection all together. From Paul's point of view -- remember he encountered the RISEN Christ in his conversion experience -- belief in resurrection is so critical that without it all Christian practice and belief becomes meaningless. In particular, he argues that the extent of suffering he and others endure for Christ makes no sense whatsoever if there is not the promise of exalted life afterwards.

This week we will skim II Corinthians and look ahead to Paul's letters to Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae.

Dear Paul: I'm getting married . . .

Chapter 7 in I Corinthians reads rather like a modern advice column. Paul gives his advice, believing a lot of it is just his opinion, on the complexities and complications of marriage in the culturally diverse and confusing environment in Corinth.

We were, once again, impressed by Paul's thoughtfulness, gentleness, and even-handedness in treating a sensitive topic. He seems to be speaking here not just to men, but with an awareness of the feelings of women. It is clear he is speaking kindly to people in the Corinthian church who have questions about how to conduct themselves in marital relationships where culture and custom clash.

In Paul's view, love and marriage are complicated for a Christian, not just because of the distracting heat of sexual passion but because of the risks and work required to be married and raise a family. He himself seems thankful and content with the relative simplicity of being single, and though he would wish this state upon others, he concedes that celibacy is not for everyone. "Better to marry than to burn"!

He is also sensitive and gracious concerning questions about marriage between Christians and non-Christians, unions which, perhaps, were even then becoming more common in an increasingly pluralistic world. Rather than taking a hard line and prohibiting people with different beliefs from marrying, he suggests that the Christian in the relationship provides a blessing to his or her mate and children.

Throughout his discussion we assume a rather modern dynamic: that spouses and children are free to make their own choices about their beliefs, rather than being bound to those of the husband and father.

Paul is also clear in this discussion about his belief in a coming radical change in the world. "the time is short", he says -- "this world in its present form is passing away." I hear an echo of Jesus' teaching about marriage -- how in the kingdom of heaven people will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

Questions remain for me. I like being married, and all that it entails. The blessed complications are part of the richness of my life. I'm glad to think that Paul would say I have not sinned. : )

Next Sunday, February 13, we will read Chapter 8, with a view toward moving quickly through the rest of I Corinthians in the next few weeks.

-- Pastor Dan

I Corinthians Chapter 5

Paul pens tough words in this chapter, in the end referencing the Law to "expel the wicked man from among you". Deuteronomy 17:7 instructs that someone worshipping another God, contrary to the requirements of the Law, be more than expelled, but completely eliminated -- stoned to death to "purge the evil" that is among the people. So one could say that Paul's solution to a bad influence is quite softened by grace. His desire is two-fold: that the body of Christ be preserved, and that, perhaps, the one expelled may change his ways and, ultimately, be restored to the congregation.

Our class enjoyed a spirited discussion about boundaries for congregational life. Some questions: are modern congregations too tolerant of behavior that contradicts a group's distinctively Christian values? What is the role of the pastor in the contemporary church in calling congregations to account and responsibility for healthy community? In what contexts would "tolerance" be a Christian virtue; or a compromise to culture and practices that are out of sync with Christianity?

My take -- hey I'm writing the blog -- : ) is to notice ALL of what Paul is saying in the context. Besides expressing dismay about the congregation's tolerance of a man's inappropriate relationship with "his father's wife", he lists "brothers" who are sexually immoral or greedy (interesting to put these in the same breath), idolaters (see Deuteronomy 17 above) or slanderers, drunkards or swindlers, as men who must be excluded from the intimate fellowship of eating together. Worth noting, always, is the patriarchal nature of the culture of the time, and how even the church back then took this for granted -- something most of us in our congregation would challenge, on Christian principle.

I think Paul's perception of the context matters a lot, as it seems to me contradictory to Jesus' own practices of welcoming "sinners" and yes eating with them. He is concerned about the health of the Corinthian church, and their slackness in paying mind to who they are. I believe forming and maintaining a healthy congregation is hard work, and the Corinthians are being, as a friend of mine puts it, "lazy thinkers".

So I conclude that Paul is not being judgmental in a self-righteous way, but rather realistic and evaluative in a way that reminds us that there must be healthy boundaries in community. And I do think that modern churches get lazy, too, and can do better at both: offering grace-based acceptance to everyone, but also keeping high expectations regarding behaviors that affect and influence everyone.

We continue our study of I Corinthians this Sunday, January 30 -- hope to see you all there!

Pastor Dan

I Corinthians Wisdom and Intelligence

New Testament Made Easy class is now beginning an overview of Paul's letters to the Corinthian church.

Last Sunday we shared conversation, experiences and insight relative to this passage:

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."
(I Cor. 1:18-25)

As I listened to our class discuss "wisdom" and "intelligence" I am gleaning a few insights for myself that I think are worth having and sharing.

-- A person can have high "intelligence" as a human being, achieve a high level of education and success because of this, and still be a person of humility and faith.
-- Human intellect, though, can be a stumbling block to faith, if that intellect is so insistently logical that mystery (accepting that an experience or idea is "true" though it cannot be explained in human terms) cannot be embraced.
-- Our human interpretation of facts will vary from individual to individual; but one fact we can accept in one another is that we each have a unique relationship with God. Related to this is the important observation that "fact" and "truth" are really not the same thing.

Now for a factual story, that may be true, as well . . . a man with a very logical bent set out one chilly day to determine what the temperature was. Using a high-tech thermometer he took many readings, most of them different even though the data came from the air temperature in the same immediate vicinity. Confused by the facts, he sat down in tense frustration because he could not know the "right" temperature reading. A member of his family tried to explain that the truth of the matter was simply that IT WAS COLD. I thought this anecdote has some bearing on our discussion of matters of faith. Even the details in the Bible vary; the facts as presented need to be interpreted; but the Truth remains: "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God".

We meet again this Sunday, January 9, 10:00 a.m., everyone is welcome.

-- Pastor Dan

Concluding Romans Study: Exercising Faith

For the last few weeks we have read and discussed chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15 in Romans, a section we summarized by the subtitle "Exercising Faith". This seems an appropriate summary in light of the the Apostle Paul's very physical, athletic sense of himself and the imagery he employs in his Epistles.

If the first part of the book dealt mainly with human relationships with God, these chapters are most practical in their application to human relationships in light of our standing with God. A principal theme is that judgment of others in any form is God's territory and out of bounds for us. Yet we have new boundaries to explore. In Christ we need to go beyond our comfort zone of mere non-condemnation to an expansive, active acceptance and sacrificial love toward others.

Paul's gracious tone is wonderful to discover in this book. Many of us have felt beaten about the brain and heart by quotations from Romans employed mainly to sort out, judge, control, and condemn others. My view of this book is changed and renewed by our study together. I will always be deeply grateful for this growth and change in my perception of Paul.

Though much of Romans remains quotable in terms of basic Christian beliefs and practices, I have a new favorite passage which I commend to you:

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
-- Romans 15:5-7

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Next up: Introduction to I and II Corinthians, Sunday December 12.

-- Pastor Dan

Romans chapter 8

We continue our progress through Paul's magnificent letter to the church in Rome.

Sunday we focused on this passage, chapter 8:18-25:

"I consider that the present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

We shared, then, some of our experiences of suffering in life. Some thought first of physical suffering; others, emotional and spiritual pain; still others, social miseries. We could add to the categories intellectual and economic suffering. No doubt it's there. A question to consider is how these sufferings relate us to Jesus; as Paul says earlier, we are "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (7:17)

Who likes to suffer? Since it is pain none of us do. Yet we realize that following Christ, taking up our cross as it were, is a choice to work hard and to bear burdens that are meaningful. We observed that churches have often failed to make this point -- in the effort to make church palatable, it has been presented as entertainment, easy, happy, and effortless. How can we get a better view across to seekers -- that church is real community, challenging, joyful in a deep way, and work worth investing in?

An aside -- have you noticed, now, a couple of times Paul has used feminine images to describe Christian ideas and experience -- to the MEN he is no doubt writing to ?(women were generally illiterate in his time). In this passage he expects men to understand having birth pangs (we groan inwardly), and to give birth (we have the firstfruits of the Spirit). Perhaps this is another way to see that Paul is grasping what he says in another place: that in Christ there is now neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female -- but all are one in Christ Jesus.

Blessings to you all & see you this Sunday for a quick scan of chapters 9-11 and to focus on chapter 12.

Romans chapters 6-8

Hi Class!

This week we'll continue plowing through Romans; I'd like to spend another week in section III, touching down in chapters 7 and 8.

Thanks for the wonderful and very personal sharing about your faith journeys last week; especially the baptism stories. I think you are living in the meaning of the ritual; your various perspectives are a blessing to us all. I'm amazed by how much more I can always learn.

This week I especially appreciated Paul's metaphor associating baptism with Christ's death and resurrection -- the promise to all of us that the old sinful self can be seen as dead and buried, and our new self, responsive to the Holy Spirit, alive and well . . . and this, in spite of our continuing wrestling with our sinful nature, the way we can think of ourselves. Oops I'm "Pauling" again.

I also enjoy connecting the dots of ideas -- when we wondered why some churches have abandoned full immersion, I thought of an article I read recently about how dangerous contact with water was during the middle ages and early part of the industrial revolution in Europe. Folks had to be absolutely desperate to chance washing with water . . . which makes sense now, as horrible diseases were water-borne in that time of non-existent sanitation as we know it. No wonder the church may have used as little water as possible for baptism, especially in the blessing and baptism of infants. To me this also implies that we may in time see a return to full immersion as the preferred liturgical practice in main line churches, since dirty water is no longer a significant obstacle. I'd be glad for this to happen. Personally I'm blessed by being dunked, and needed this more than dripping. But it's all good.

FYI United Methodists accept any baptism which was administered in the name of Jesus Christ, regardless of how much or how little water was used. And we're flexible in how we administer it, as well. I have applied sprinkling, pouring, and full immersion as a pastor. Best one ever was on a freezing day in a hot tub. Also a story of the most amazing transformation of a life, ever.

I'm also remembering how an American Baptist pastor friend of mine once said, "There's nothing wrong with a United Methodist that 40 inches of water won't cure." : )

See you Sunday!

Pastor Dan and Laura

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By the way we're still looking forward to having co-teacher Laura back with us. Still battling post-surgery infections and such, but she's a fighter & with your prayers and new meds we're hopeful she'll be back up and operational soon.

Romans 1:18-5:21

Hi Class!

I've enjoyed our sharing and conversations immensely the last few weeks. Thanks for being so faithful to come and so energetic in your participation. I find it a joyful thing to be in a group of diverse minds whose hearts are warmed and unified by Christ's love.

Here's a nutshell review of the last two weeks:

October 10

We focused on section I in our Romans outline, "The Sinfulness of All People", 1:18-3:20. Paul makes the case that the fundamental sin all people are liable to commit is idolatry, which leads human beings to distorted lives. Idolatry is more than worship of a statue of something -- it is the worshipping of something created, instead of the creator. Paul speaks at some length of sexuality as an example -- in it's appropriate place a wonderful gift from God, but set above everything becomes a force of destruction in human life. His point is that no one is immune to breaking even the first and most obvious commandment; his conclusion is that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Further, there is no distinction -- Jews who supposedly know better because they have the specific laws of God are no different in this respect from Gentiles (everyone else!) who supposedly know nothing. Indeed, no one has any excuse if we would simply observe the beauty of creation, which testifies to God's nature and glory and beckons us to worship correctly.

October 17

Section II presents Paul's thinking about God's solution for human sin: salvation in Jesus Christ. Since no one can achieve righteousness (justification) because of our sinfulness, God provided, at the perfect time, the free gift of salvation in Christ. The law, which is a handbook for righteous behavior, is not nullified; but now, in Christ, righteousness is imputed through faith. Rather than living a life of guilt in which we are always failing to live up to God's standards, we are free to grow, with hope and joy, through trial and suffering, toward godliness, while we are accepted unconditionally. I think I'm starting to ramble on like Paul.

This week, October 24, we move to section III, "Salvation Brings Freedom and a New Way of Life", Romans 6-8.

Have a wonderful week. Laura and I appreciate you very much and look forward to our upcoming class.

God bless!

Pastor Dan

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P.S. Please keep Nicole Beebe's family in your prayers, as her grandfather passed away this weekend after a long illness. Laura too will appreciate your prayers for continuing recovery from her surgery.

Outline of Book of Romans

AN OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS

Key verse: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” (5:1-2a)

Introduction (1:1–15)
Theme: Salvation through faith (1:16–17)

I. The Sinfulness of All People (1:18—3:20)
• Gentiles (1:18–32)
• Jews (2:1—3:8)
• Summary: All People (3:9–20)

II. Salvation as a gift for All People (3:21—5:21)
• Through Christ (3:21–26)
• Received by Faith (3:27—4:25)
• Experienced in our suffering (5:1–11)
• Given through the gift of grace in Christ (5:12–21)

III. Salvation brings freedom and a new way of life (chs. 6–8)
• Freedom from Sin’s Tyranny (ch. 6)
• Freedom from the Law’s Condemnation (ch. 7)
• Freedom in the Control of the Holy Spirit (ch. 8)

IV. An Account of God’s Mercy to Israel (chs. 9–11)
• The Justice of God’s Rejection of Israel (9:1–29)
• The Cause of That Rejection (9:30—10:21)
• God’s Provision for Israel and All People (ch. 11)

V. Exercising Faith (12:1—15:13)
• In the Body—the Church (ch. 12)
• In the World (ch. 13)
• Among Weak and Strong Christians (14:1—15:13)

Conclusion (15:14–33)
Commendation, Greetings and Doxology (ch. 16)

New Testament Study, Romans Week III

Hello class!

Thanks for the good attendance and participation last Sunday. We are finishing up our introductions to one another and the Book of Romans. This coming Sunday we will hope to complete our individual sharing from various passages, take a look at an outline of the B of R, and chart a course forward.

By way of reminder and review: We are in a survey class of the whole Bible, and have made our way now to the section of the New Testament which contains the epistles (letters) written to churches and individuals. We hope this study will help all of us understand the Bible as a whole and provide a foundation for personal study. Romans is a unique and particularly challenging book, as it is more in the nature of a theological discourse than correspondence aimed at particular issues in local congregations.

Thus we have begun our study by highlighting how Romans touches on what we would now call "orthodox" Christian doctrines and beliefs.

An equal priority of our class is to enjoy one another and develop a supportive Christian community. To that end we will regularly provide simple activities that help us get to know and to care for one another.

Laura and I appreciate each one of you! Thanks for being in this class & hope to see you this Sunday!

Pastor Dan

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Bonus section: Basics of Wesleyan Methodism

In the course of conversation Sunday I offered a summary of the basic beliefs of Methodists who follow in John Wesley's traditions.
Here is a shot at that summary:

Unlike many modern churches, the United Methodist Church is not a creedal denomination. That is we do not require members to adhere strictly to specific interpretations of Christian dogma or doctrine. However we do emphasize certain core beliefs, practices, and values, including:

-- The centrality of grace in three movements: Prevenient, or "preventing" grace -- God's love which woos us and calls us before we know of it; Justifying grace -- that righteousness before God is a gift given to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; and Sanctifying grace -- God's work in the Holy Spirit which promises that we are becoming truly holy people,"perfect in love", experiencing and expressing the fullness of Christ's character.

-- A balance between personal piety and social responsibility; we hope to have a strong personal experience of Jesus Christ as our Savior, and a rich interior spiritual life; and that life then expressed in working for social justice, caring for those whom Jesus calls "the least of these, my brethren" with whom he identifies.

-- In matters of the mind, Wesley insisted that faith without reason is no faith at all.

-- In matters of the heart, Wesley insisted that the mind not get in the way of fellowship -- "If your heart is as my heart, take my hand." That is, love of Christ and subsequent love of neighbor bind the body together amidst reasonable disagreement about particular dogmas and doctrines. This describes well the basis of St. Paul's energy, vitality, and warmth, as we are a congregation of people with diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds bound together by a common commitment to Jesus Christ.

reintroduction to Book of Romans

Hi Class!

Thanks for meeting Sunday and getting off to a good start together.

We introduced one another, shared answers to ice-breaker questions, had a prayer and did a quick review/intro to the Book of Romans. Paul wrote this as a letter of introduction to the Christian church in Rome. It had been his heart's desire and sense of call from God to go to Rome for many years. He may have dictated/penned this letter as he waited under a kind of house arrest, in the process of answering charges brought against him by Jews and Jewish Christians. As a Roman Citizen he had appealed his case to Caesar, leading to a sequence of events that we believe, eventually, resulted in his arrival in Rome.

Romans is unique among Paul's letters in that he is writing to a church he himself did not begin. All of his other letters are written to congregations and individuals he knew well. So instead of addressing particular circumstances in congregations, he is writing a general letter which lays out his views on beliefs and practices that were fast becoming normative in the early church.

In broad strokes, we touched on several areas of belief that most modern Christians would assume to be orthodox, but which were still in process of being formed and articulated in the early years of the Church. We read these Scriptures with light discussion, then offered class participants the assignment of reflecting on these during the week with a view toward answering four questions:

1. What does the Scripture tell me about God?
2. What does the Scripture tell me about myself?
3. What does the Scripture tell me about my relationship with God?
4. What is the Scripture prompting me to do?

Here are the themes, texts, and contemplators:

Human sinfulness -- 3:9-12, Llew
Justification by faith in Jesus Christ -- 3:21-26, Laura
Triune experience of God -- 1:7b; 15:13, Emma
Work of the Holy Spirit -- 8:1-4, 26-27, Arlene
Nature of the church as Body of Christ -- 12:3-8, Sarah
Resurrection and eternal life -- 8:18-21, Ken
-- 14:9-12, Dan
Meaning of persecution/suffering in Christ -- 8:28-39, Shirley

We'll focus on sharing our thoughts on these passages this coming Sunday, 10:00 a.m. in the downstairs Stephen Ministry Classroom.

You are all in our prayers this week, and we look forward to seeing you, learning and growing together.

Pastor Dan and Laura

Welcome to New Testament Made Easy!

Hello Seekers!

This fall's class begins Sunday, September 12, 10:00 a.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 1730 St. Clair Rd. in beautiful Idaho Falls. We will convene downstairs in the Stephen Ministry classroom. No previous Bible Study experience is necessary; Bibles provided, or bring your own.

Starting Sunday we will resume our study of the Book of Romans. See the entry immediately below for a description of our approach to this book.

Other entries in this blog chronicle our previous 3 years of adventure through the Scriptures, beginning with the Old Testament and progressing to the New Testament. Check out some entries to get a flavor of the content of the class.

Our second major focus in NTME is to share and build relationships in the body of Christ.

So . . . interested in finding Christian community, support, and friendships? Do you have a yearning to know the Bible and God's will in your live more fully? Perhaps this class is for you!

God bless

Pastor Dan and Laura

Book of Romans

Hi Class!

We completed our reading of the Book of Acts last week. We thoroughly enjoyed and were blessed by our sharing as we read about the history of the early church and the adventures of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Acts concluded with Paul setting up shop in Rome, preaching the gospel first to the Jews and then to everyone from a residence there.

During the month of May, we will study the Book of Romans, which is a letter Paul wrote from prison to the churches in Rome. This book is much different than the history/narrative Acts. Paul's thoughts and teaching in Romans provide many of the foundational articulations of Christian belief that we still hold to today. Our study will be by way of a survey of the distinctively Christian ideas and practices Paul taught.

Dr. Leander Keck, a prominant New Testament scholar and teacher, has described the Book of Romans as . . .

...neither a systematic theology nor a summary of Paul's lifework, but it is by common consent his masterpiece. It dwarfs most of his other writings, an Alpine peak towering over hills and villages. Not all onlookers have viewed it in the same light or from the same angle, and their snapshots and paintings of it are sometimes remarkably unalike. Not all climbers have taken the same route up its sheer sides, and there is frequent disagreement on the best approach. What nobody doubts is that we are here dealing with a work of massive substance, presenting a formidable intellectual challenge while offering a breathtaking theological and spiritual vision.

We hope to see you Sundays in May for a great study, conversation, sharing, and growth together.

God bless!

Dan and Laura

Paul's Missionary Journeys

Hi Class!

After a couple of weeks of chasing, finally a little caught up, so here is a summary of what we've been discussing the last few weeks.

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We are on an accelerated read-through of the Book of Acts, follow the missionary journeys of Paul, Silas and Timothy. In a few chapters, a number of years have passed, and congregations and groups of Christians are now established in such cities as Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and the region of Macedonia. Paul, either alone or with companions, has preached in Synagogues throughout Asia, most recently Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. In each place the Gospel has touched the hearts of Jews and Gentiles, men and women and their households -- both to inspire faith and belief and to provoke anger and violence. Paul is about to move on Ephesus and beyond, then back to Jerusalem, and will set his soon toward Rome.

In this mix of receptivity and hostility, following trade routes and taking advantage of the political stability of the Roman Empire and his own Roman citizenship, Paul tirelessly preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ, receiving timely support and surviving many malicious and murderous attacks.

We will continue our read through this Sunday, with Acts chapter 19, Luke's record of Paul's arrival and ministry in Ephesus.

Hope you are having a blessed Lent, and also hope very much to see you in class this Sunday.

Dan and Laura

Conversion of Peter

Hi Class!

We hope the New Year is off to a great start for you all.

We are picking up our study in Acts, and hope you all can join us as often as possible. We are in the midst of conversations about conversion experiences, focusing on the ministries of Saul/Paul and now Peter in Acts, chapter 10.

Peter stays at the home of Simon, a tanner. Imagine a home workshop of a tanner, who makes leather. To say the least it might have a very unique smell and appearance, perhaps with tools of his trade and skins of various creatures hanging and laying about and reeking in all stages of the tanning process. Whether this was the environment or not, it could account for the reason Peter went up on the roof, in the open air, to pray. This also is not as strange as one might think, as homes in that part of the world often have living space on the flat roof, since the lower floor would often be shared with family livestock or serve as home work space.

Did the setting prime Peter's imagination and prepare him for a vision involving many different kinds of animals? Regardless God gave him a dramatic and convincing picture of a new inclusiveness, as the large sheet contained all manner of creatures considered, in Jewish faith, unclean to consume. Yet Peter is commanded, against his instincts and religious training, to rise, kill, and eat heartily.

Meantime, visitors who have received their own vision in a dream are on there way to Peter to invite him to speak to them. Peter welcomes them, goes to a Gentile home, enters it against Jewish custom, and stays with these devout people, sharing the story and invitation to follow Jesus. In this process the Holy Spirit comes upon these Gentile converts, convincing Peter that God indeed calls no one, anymore, unclean.

In a very nice coincidence, or an act of the Spirit, this lesson came to us on the Sunday we celebrated the civil rights work of Martin Luther King, Jr.

We will move, this Sunday, to a discussion of the meaning of this text for our lives, church, and world.

Dan and Laura

Conversion of Saul

Hello Class!

This Sunday we will continue reading in Acts, picking up the story Peter's "conversion". We had a very interesting conversation about conversions last week, in reference to Paul's huge change of heart and behavior. One of our observations is that conversion experiences are valued in our culture, but often are more of a process of a change than an immediate transformation. Converted people also have to deal with the patterns of their past and need the support and acceptance of others, as did Paul, in order for that "conversion" to have full and lasting effect. Not surprising, then, that we see once again how important the community of faith is in helping each of us become all that God calls us to be.

Please read the second half of chapter 9 and through chapter 10 for this week's conversation.

Hope to see you there! Shirley and Llew, we'll miss you and hope you have a splendid and blessed Sunday.

Dan and Laura

Acts Chapter 8: Philip the Evangelist

Hello Class!

Here are some notes from the last two weeks, November 22 and 29.

We have spent the last couple of sessions in Acts, Chapter 8. On the 22nd Llew and Shirley led the class in discussion of the main characters in the story, and also shared stories of baptisms. Thank you for taking charge of the class in our absence! On the 29th we continued this conversation, including some further insights about baptism as a ritual practice and some observations about the practice of laying on of hands. Finally we made note of the significance of the gospel message breaking out of Jerusalem into Samaria and, through the Ethiopian eunuch converted on the desert road, to nations south.

As a connection, the Sunday sermon text and message referred to the northern and southern kingdoms of ancient times. Samaria in the time of the early church had become the land of a people whose cultures mixed when the northern kingdom (Israel) was overcome by the Assyrians in the early 700's B.C. This is the place, in Jesus' time, Jews avoided because the people there practiced a Jewish faith that was viewed as impure; and in fact the people themselves held in prejudice because their line was mixed with Gentile conquerors from generations past. Tradition/legend holds that the Eunuch took the message of Christ to Ethiopia, from which seed grew a thriving and unique Coptic Christian community.

For the coming week's class, we will focus on our four application questions: What does the Scripture tell me about God; myself; my relationship with God; and, what will I do?

Have a wonderful week & we hope to see you this Sunday.

Dan and Laura

Acts: Deacons

Hi Class!

Thanks for another very interesting discussion last Sunday. Whether we call it serendipity or the Holy Spirit we enjoyed a fascinating intersection last week, as United Methodist Deacon Rev. Rhoda Pittman Markus visited our class. This was in conjunction with our study of the selection, ordination, and service of the first New Testament "Deacons" in Acts, chapters 6-7.

Rhoda shared personal insights and experiences of a modern Deacon, whose call is to link the ritual life of the church with our call to service in the world. For a fulsome description of the ministry of United Methodist Deacons you may enter the following web address in your browser: http://www.gbhem.org/site/c.lsKSL3POLvF/b.3474319/k.BF2A/Deacons.htm.

I believe, after I left for choir, that you heard a story regarding the blessedness and compliment of serving communion in her role as deacon, and mine as elder, when we served a congregation together.

For this week, please read ahead into chapter 8, accounts of the adventures of Philip, one of the early evangelists of the church who first went outside the "bubble" of what was then orthodox Judaism to share the Gospel of Christ in Samaria, and with an Egyptian on his way home from the great festival in Jerusalem.

Llew and Shirley have answered the call to be your facilitators this week. I know this will be an especially interesting session, combining the content and their leadership. Laura and I will miss you, as we will be in Boise following our talented son to his state piano competition.

Blessings to you all & see you soon!

Dan and Laura