The most important book for the church in the 21st century?  That is my claim!  

As we continue to work through the Bible, one book per week, we move into the book of Acts.  This book records what happened after Jesus was risen from the dead and how the church began to spread throughout the Roman Empire.  

I offer this book is supremely important for us in the 21st century, when the church again finds itself dislocated from the center of power.  Suggested readings

Acts 1:  Ascension and the first followers of Jesus regrouping in grief and joy

Acts 2: Pentecost and birth of the church

Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the Eunuch

Acts 9: Conversion of Paul

Acts 10: "Conversion" of Peter

Acts 16:  Paul in Philippi

Acts 17:  Paul in Athens

Questions

1)  Are there any stories in the book of Acts that you know?  Have you ever sensed the connection to our lives today?

2)  Have you ever talked about your faith with someone who did not believe in the Gospel?  In what ways is this hard?  In what ways is this easy?

3)  Have you experienced the Christian community as more, less or the same level of loving as the broader culture?

4)  Who has been a witness to the Christian Gospel in your life?

5)  Would you say the decline of Christian cultural influence:  Doesn't seem real in your community and family?  Is something that you grieve?  Is something that you feel needs to be stopped by law?

6)  Has your faith ever caused you to "suffer"?

7)  Early on in the podcast, Pastor Rob mentions that the book of Acts has a number of miracles.  What seems a bigger miracle:  That the early church grew or that it grew without power?

In the Beginning was the Word.  The Gospel of John presents Jesus as an intimate friend who is caring, strong and compassionate.  Yet, the Gospel of John also has layers of symbolism and theology that make it a source of unending reflection.

As we continue reading through the Bible in a year, we enjoy the Gospel of John this week.  I have included a few more suggested readings because there will be no podcast dropped over Thanksgiving.

To read:   John 1 (creation and call of disciples; this passage is long enough you can break it up into two sections)  

John 2 (Wedding at Cana and cleansing of Temple) 

John 3 (Nicodemus)  

John 4 (Woman at well) 

John 6 (New Passover) 

John 11 (Lazarus)

John 13 (Last Supper and friendship)

John 14 (Many rooms) or John 15 (Vine and Branches)

John 17 (Last prayer before his passion; it is a prayer for unity)

John 18 and John 19 (Passion)

John 20 and John 21 (Resurrection)

Questions for discussion

1)  Why do you think John doesn't begin with the birth of Jesus?

2)  How else does John feel different to you as a reader?

3)  Do you think of Jesus as a friend?  Why or why not?

4) What is easier, to think of Jesus as teacher, savior or friend?

5) Can you think of any Old Testament references in the Gospel of John, in parts you have read?  Do some research on "lamb of God" from John 1.  What did John mean by this?

6) Do you find yourself drawn into the Christian intellectual tradition or scared of it?

7)  Do you find it easier to think of washing someone else's feet or having Jesus wash your feet?

Perhaps the greatest storyteller the world has ever known -- Luke, the Gospel writer!  Pastor Rob reflects on what makes Luke so unique (his emphasis on women!) and also compelling.

We continue reading the bible, one book, each week.  This week we work through the Gospel of Luke.  Seven chapters to read:

Chapter 1 (Jesus birth); Chapter 4 (Temptation and first sermon); Chapter 5 (Call of Simon); Chapter 6 (start at vs 17, sermon on the plain); Chapter 10 (Good Samaritan and other good stuff!); Chapter 15 (the 'lost' parables); Chapter 24 (Resurrection)

Questions for discussion

1)  What is your favorite story in Luke's Gospel?

2)  Do you know a person named Mary, Lydia, Anna, Joanna or Elizabeth who are faithful?  

3)  Do you think that our church emphasizes women in Scripture enough?

4)  What stories (likely from childhood) informed your moral and spiritual imagination?

5)  Pastor Rob argues that for Luke, the Gospel of Jesus changes lives.  Have you seen people changed by Jesus?  Have you seen people NOT changed by Jesus?  How has the Gospel changed you?

6)  Pastor Rob argues that Luke is actually okay with the rich, he just wants them to be generous.  Is he letting them off the hook too easily?

There is a reason the medieval times depicted the Gospel writer Mark with a lion!!  The Jesus we meet is on the prowl, ready for battle.

As we work through the "Reading the Bible in a Year" I would encourage you, actually, not so much as to read Mark's Gospel, but listen to it.  It is meant to be read, perhaps even around a camp fire.  You will hear the intensity much more than you will read it.  If you only have a limited time, I would read (listen!)

Mark 1-6; Mark 15 and 16.

Questions:

1)  Did you grow up in a church or community that spoke about demon possession?  How do you think about such passages in Scripture?

2)  What are things in this world you would say - that is evil!

3)  Do you find Jesus comforting or a bit scary in the Gospel of Mark?

4)  Pastor Rob offers that in our postmodern age, the Gospel of Mark might get another hearing, in that the Western culture is being driven more by power-fear than guilt-forgiveness dynamics.  Does this make sense?

5)  Are you comforted or frustrated that the disciples in Mark's Gospel are often forgetful, doubting and prone to stupid conflict?

6)  Why do you think Mark so emphasizes the death of Jesus on the cross, given the emphasis on the power of Jesus?

7)  Why is the resurrection account in Mark so unresolved?

The greatest story ever begins with ... a geneaology?

As we continue moving through the Bible, we finally get to turn to the New Testament, starting with the Gospel of Matthew.  Since we spent the last year reading through the Old Testament, Pastor Rob shows how the Gospel writer Matthew brilliantly weaves together the Old and New Testaments throughout his Gospel, starting with this genealogy of Jesus.

If you don't have the chance to read the whole book:

Matthew 1 - prologue and birth of Jesus; Matthew 2 - Magi; Matthew 5-7 - sermon on the mount; Matthew 18 - humility, sin and forgiveness in the church; Matthew 25 - parables unique to Matthew; Matthew 28 - resurrection and great commission.

Questions for consideration

1)  Are there people in your personal, communal or national family tree who you would not want shared with the world?  

2)  Why do you think Matthew includes them?  Does he succeed in his intention?

3)  Does it unsettle you or comfort you that Jesus' family tree had warts?

4)  How might you respond to someone who said "The God of the Old Testament is angry and mean, whereas Jesus is nice"?  How might Matthew respond?

5)  Is it important to you that Jesus was Jewish?

6)  Matthew's Gospel reminds us that Jesus was clearly invested in the lives of the poor.  Why does our society look down on poor people?

7)  Do you need to be on the margins, at some point in your life, to receive the Gospel?

Is Jonah a story about a great big fish?

Hardly -- it is a story about a great big God and the great big love of that God.

Which sounds great, except that God's love is sometimes experienced like ... well... vomit of a fish that puts us back on the right path.

We've been working through one book of the Bible each week this year, but we are doing a bit of cherry picking here with the minor prophets.  You can definitely read the whole book of Jonah!

Some discussion questions

1)  What did you think of the book of Jonah when you were a child?  What about when you shared the story with the next generation?

2)  Pastor Rob offers that the book of Jonah itself knows it is exaggerating.  Does that seem fair to you?

3)  If the book does contain obvious exaggerations and intends to communicate truth on a more "mythical"/"deep" level does that undermine the story for you?  Must this have happened as it said it happened for the story to have power for you?

4)  In your life, have you ever run away from the call of God in your life?  When?  Why?

5)  In your life, has God ever provided sanctuary or protection in a way that gave you the space and time to reflect and even repent?

6) In your life, has God have used fish vomit -- something rather gross -- to help you survive or come to your senses?

7)  In your life, when has God loved others (especially another group) more than you did?  Did you begrudge this?  Did you feel your heart open to the other(s)?

We finally come to the 12 Minor Prophets:  Hosea, Joel, Amos, etc.

Does this mean 12 podcasts?  Pastor Rob finds a cosmic loop hole to avoid this... we think!

This podcast will focus on the anger that often appears in the prophets, including the 12 "Minor" prophets, which we will treat as one book.

Suggested readings

Amos 5:1-24  Joel 2  Micah 4:1-5  Micah 5  Micah 6:1-8  Malachi 3  Malachi 4 Hosea 4 (although Hosea 1 and 3 are truly terrifying)

Questions for discussion

1)  Are you someone who tends to be comfortable with anger?  In yourself?  In others?

2)  Do you think that God is justified in his anger in the Old Testament?  Can you think of times that Jesus is angry in the New Testament?

3)  Do you think that God is justified in anger against humanity today?

4)  Do you think that we need to have more anger about our present situation, less anger or redirected anger?

5)  Do you tend to feel a bit more like Hosea, outraged over the lack of faithfulness to God, or more like Amos, outraged over the lack of concern for the poor?

6)  When you think of anger in the Bible, does this help you see a God who loves the world?  When you think of anger in others, does this help you see them as people who love the world?

"Read the writing on the wall!"  From Paul Simon to even Bob Marley, the stories and images from the book of Daniel make their way into pop culture.  

Yet, this book is rarely studied, especially in mainline or Catholic churches.  Why is that?  Because it fell victim to the modernist-fundamentalist debates.  After some commentary on how we might transcend that (nasty) fight, we look at what the book of Daniel might say to us today, as we seek to live out our faith in a world that doesn't always share that faith.

Thanks again for reading through the Bible with us, one book at a time, in the Ponder Anew Podcast this year!

Ezekiel saw 'da wheel, way up in the middle of the sky!

As we move ahead in reading the Bible, one book at a time, we come to the great prophet Ezekiel.  

The book has many harsh words and terrifying images; yet it also has powerful visions of hope and new life, such as the story of dry bones coming to life.  How do we move beyond being bewildered though?  I offer that knowing the story of Ezekiel opens up some neat and potentially deep connections with this prophet.  For he was someone who had to discover God's call precisely when he thought his life's plan was ruined.

Seven daily readings to work through this book:

1:1-28 (Call)  

5:1-17 (Judgment)  

10:1-22 (Glory departing Jerusalem temple)  

34:1-17 (Promise of shepherd)  

37:1-14 (Dry bones)  

40 (Vision of temple; any part of it)  

47:1-12 (restoration of creation)

Questions for discussion

1.  What are hopes you had for your life when you were a child that have not played themselves out in a disappointing way?  I.e., what are the "digging ditches in the mud 500 miles from my home" parts of your life?

2.  What are hopes you had for your life when you were a child that have played themselves out, but in ways you couldn't expect.  I.e., what are the "serving as priest without a temple" parts of your life?

3.  What are times in life where you have discovered a purpose even when it wasn't part of your plan?

4.  What are times in your life where you haven't understood what was happening at the time, only later to see how God was working?

5.  Do you feel you have more of a call in life to be the doom-sayer when people don't see how big the problem is...or to speak a word of hope when people are catastrophizing?

6.  What did you make of the fact that the book ends with the restoration of creation?  What did you make of the fact that before creation is restored, worship has to be restored?

7.  Do you ever feel that God gives you visions of what the future will look like?

An entire book of...lament!!  

As we work through the Bible, one book at a time, we come to Lamentations.  It feels a bit out of place here, in the midst of the prophets, but we will get into that in the podcast.  More importantly, we will learn what this book can teach us today about lament.

I have not highlighted parts of the book to read, because you can easily read one chapter a day!

Questions for discussion

1.  What is your first response to hearing that the Bible has a whole book of lament? 

2.  What are situations in life where you've felt like you didn't know what to say, because there didn't seem like anything could be said?  Have you been in situations where people said something to you, but silence would have been far kinder? 

3.  How might you try to translate the poetry of Lamentations? 

4.  What are ways in which rituals or written words have provided you with great comfort in times of loss? 

5.  What has given you permission and access to depth of feelings, especially in times of sorrow, when it comes to a) Novels or stories  b)  Works of art  c)  Songs or pieces of music 

6.  Has writing, making art or making music ever helped you process grief? 

7.  How do you handle people who believe a situation is their fault, but it really isn't? 

8.  What is more likely for you to believe -- that God has forgotten you or that there is no God? 

9.  Have you ever demanded from God either justice or mercy? 

10.  What has helped open your eyes to the new mercies of God?