Matthew 1 is a birth story. But unlike most birth stories, this one focuses on the father of the baby. As a Jewish man, Matthew wants to connect Jesus to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and God's promises of a Messiah to come through those founding fathers. Mary simply isn't as important. But Mary's insignificance in this story will help us consider our calling: "God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong."

Teacher is Joy LaPrade.

Her name was Bathsheba, but in the genealogy of Jesus she is referred to as "The Wife of Uriah." She was Uriah's wife when King David saw her, took her, and used her, then tried to cover up his sin by murdering her husband, one of his most faithful soldiers. Despite the ways Bathsheba was sinned against, God saw her, knew her, and called her to play a significant role in his redemptive story. 

Teacher is Cheryl Lowe. 

The book of Ruth starts out with loss, emptiness, and grief, and concludes with restoration, fullness, and joy. This little story of a woman’s simple little life of striving to be faithful to God and kind to others becomes part of a much larger, eternal history of hope. 

Teacher is Amy Summers. 

Rahab the prostitute is the unexpected hero of Joshua 2. When two Israelite spies come to Jericho, she risks her life to save theirs. Rahab's decision to trust the Lord is commended in the New Testament: the author of Hebrews lists her as an example of faith, and James says she was "justified by works." As we use these passages to study Rahab's story, we'll see how God calls us in a similar way — to risk things that give us security and place our trust in a kingdom we've not yet seen. 

Teacher is Joy LaPrade.

Tamar's story is not well-known, and for good reason. It's confusing and disturbing. But as we study Genesis 38, we will see a story about a woman who took a risk to trust God's justice, and get a glimpse of His mercy to those who are helpless and unseen. 

Teacher is Cheryl Lowe. 

Welcome to our fall 2021 study, "Seen, Known, Chosen: The Unlikely Women God Calls to Bring Jesus into the World."

In this first week of study, we look at the connections between the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and our theme passage from 1 Corinthians. 

If you have one of our study guides, you can follow along and take notes. Together, we'll work through the Week 1 questions, found on page 17. Plan to pause for a couple minutes for question 1 (at 29:10 of the recording) and questions 2-5 (at 34:30). 

Teachers for this week are Joy LaPrade, Amy Summers, and Cheryl Lowe. 

We wrap up our study with the psalm that David wrote when he fled from Absalom his son. As we finish David's story, we look forward to the end of the one great Story: "Salvation belongs to the Lord."

Teacher is Amy Summers. 

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love." This week we look at David's famous prayer of repentance after his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah, as recorded in 2 Samuel 11 & 12. 

Teacher is Cheryl Lowe. 

Now that he's finally become king of Israel, David goes to war against his nation's enemies. The official history of this time, as recorded in 2 Samuel 7-8, shows success after success. But Psalm 60 shows that things weren't quite so simple. David suffered, struggled, and lost some battles. He had reasons to doubt God's promises, yet kept seeking after God's heart.

Teacher is Joy LaPrade.

In 1 Samuel 24, David is hiding in a cave with his men. Then Saul shows up, and things get interesting. Psalm 57 and Psalm 142 are both related to this story. 

Teacher is Amy Summers.