If you are taking a class, I am interested in what it is, if you are teaching, we want to hear that also.
I am teaching a six week class on C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters–KSH.
If you are taking a class, I am interested in what it is, if you are teaching, we want to hear that also.
I am teaching a six week class on C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters–KSH.
We are showing five minute clips from different films of the Life of Jesus, followed by a meditation, discussion if people want that, and then Compline. The Films are The Bible – Jesus with Jeremy Sisto playing the role of Jesus; Jesus of Nazareth and The Passion (the BBC production, not Mel Gibson).
We are doing a five week study of five different Flannery O’Connor stories.
My wife and I are teaching Part I (Theology – What Catholics Believe) of Peter Kreeft’s book “Catholic Christianity”
24 Hours That Changed the World – 40 Days of Reflection
Adam Hamilton guides us, step by step, through the last day of Jesus’ life. In addition to the daily devotions, theres a once a week one hour class that starts with a video…then onto teaching and discussion. (United Methodist Church which I recently joined after 7 yrs in the Episcopal Church)
We are studying in our Community Groups and Preaching through on Sundays Tim Keller’s “The Prodigal God.” It is great book and I am hopeful for the study times.
“24 Hours That Change the World”, is being shown/studied here in Virginia. Although by Abingdon Press it is non-sectarian and entirely suitable for any Christian group. Reason: It teaches the Bible rather than culture. It teaches the faith rather than dronings of authors. It shows Holy Land sites rather than close-ups of self-bemused commentators.
I serve a regional cluster. Two of our churches will be considering Luke’s beatitudes (one “blessing” and “woe” each week). The other two will be looking at the nature of forgiveness, guided by the Rev. Dennis Maynard’s Forgive and Get your Life Back.
At Saint Andrew’s, the Rev. Mark Royster (Anglican Church of Kenya) is teaching a class on the East African Revival. It ties in with our Lenten focus on revival. On the next two Wednesday nights we are joining with Woodford Community Christian Church (WCCC) in purposful prayer for revival within our congregations, community, nation and the world. On the remaining Wednesday nights in Lent, WCCC will join us for worship and prayer led by our rector, again with the theme of revival.
I’m doing a series on what I call “Words of Worship.” I am focusing on the various parts of the Liturgy and talking a bit about what they are and where they come from and why we say them. For instance, I am going to talk a bit about the Trisagion this Wednesday. After that, we do Stations of the Cross.
We are doing two things. In our Sunday morning between services study group we are looking at the Parables of Jesus. As a parish we are working through ‘Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations’ by United Methodist Church Bishop Robert Schnase using the DVD’s and culminating on March 27th with a summary/visioning day.
Hymns and the Hymnal! A little odd, but as I’ve gotten into it, there are a lot of possibilities. We’re starting out with lectures by two academics who are members of the church — the first is on the introduction of congregational hymn singing in the 1600s and 1700s; the second on icons. The first one is tonight — and I believe will be a lot more interesting than it sounds, since it immerses us in the power struggles and church teaching of the time; and he’ll end with a discussion of Newton and Amazing Grace.
Also, Lenten quiet day based on the four stages of lectio divina.
# 2: I have to ask: What does Flannery O’Connor illuminate about the Bible, Jesus or Lent? Do you tie in Scripture? I can see where a secular story focus can lead to ties to Christ & the Bible, but I’ve also seen them done so poorly as to be nothing more than psychotherapy sessions for participants.
We are still working through The Essential 500…finally reached the promised land and destroyed Jericho. Always, always the focus is on God’s work in establishing the Jewish nation so that, as carrier of the promise of the Messiah, it would be a meaningful context into which He came and against which His life, death, resurrection, and return can be understood by us.
Frances Scott
My bible study group (I’ not leading it) are studying the Little Rock Scripture Sessions on the Parables of Mathew and Luke. This is supposed to be 5 weeks, but we are doing it over 10 doing half a lesson each time.
Other groups in the parish are studying “Why Catholic” which is a review of the Catechism (of the Catholic Church).
Truro has a Lenten program based on the book Irresistible Invitation: Responding to the Extravagant Heart of God by Maxie Dunnam.
http://www.trurochurch.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=96237
It looks excellent – I’m wishing I could be there. But hopefully I can get the book when I’m next back in the US after Easter.
Examining the corporate expression of confession and repentance. Looking at Biblical and church history examples of churches/groups confessing shared sin and seeking to turn in God’s desired direction.
Basic questions will be:
What is God’s vision for our church?
How do we fall short of that vision?
How can we unite to go toward the vision?
Our evening program is looking at the book “The Gospel according to U2.” Sing this with me, this is 40! Hey, I just figured out the Lent connection.
Our DOK Chapter is studying the book “Sitting at the feet of the Rabbi Jesus”- a book about the jewishness of Jesus and how that can help us better understand his teachings esp. the parables.
Also, our parish is having parish wide retreat “Bringing Hymns to Life” led by Rev. Nancy Roth exploring the background of the words of the hymns on a saturday in March. This will be followed by Evensong.
I had wanted some study groups on Bishop Allison’s book “Trust in an Age of Arrogance” but we did not have time to get things together. Still think it would be valuable parish wide study.
Our Church is doing “Every Member Evangelism” – as repentance from a church culture (north American mainline) that has no tradition of evangelism. Our first step: PRAY – without ceasing to be used by God to share the good news during Lent.
I am teaching an adult class on Sunday mornings using the 39 Articles as a basis of didcussion. On Wednesday nights there will be a presentation on the seven letters to seven churchs of Revelation conducted by members of Sunday night Bible study group.
Six week class on C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters? Sounds great. Wish I could be there. Some find that book difficult but once you realize the viewpoint, it is an amazing insight into our souls.
We are reading through and discussing Dallas Willard’s, “Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God.”
Our Women’s Ministry Leader helped us to put together a Lenten devotional book based on passages in 1,2,3 John and Ephesians. Each member of the congregation who contributed selected a short passage of Scripture, wrote a short personal reflection on the passage, and then produced a prayer for that particular reflection and passage. The results are quite beautiful and have been incorporated into our Wednesday evening Lenten Services by our pastor. Because it came from the congregation and is so personal, the book is being very well received with much discussion at the fellowship hour yesterday. The booklet is referred to as our Lenten Love Letters. I am VERY impressed with it.
We are doing a 5-part Friday evening series on Discipleship. The topics are: (1) The Call to Discipleship: Self-Examination and Repentance; (2) Reading and Meditating on Holy Scripture [which I am scheduled to lead]; (3) Prayer and Other Spiritual Disciplines; (4) The Great Commandment(s): Loving God and Others; and (5) The Great Commission: Discipling All Nations.
I am teaching two classes: A Lenten Lectionary Bible Study on Wednesdays and a Class on Atonement Theories (with special emphasis on Old Testament typologies) on Sunday. Fr Dan is teaching two Bible Studies (Gospel of Mark and Revelation) Fr. Patrick is teaching a course on Lenten Virtues/Disciplines to both high school youth as well as his students at the Medical University of South Carolina.
I’m teaching a three week adult forum series on eschatology, capitalizing on the popular interest in 2012 and using Wright’s [i] Surprised by Hope[/i] as my key text. I admit that the Lenten timing is incidental (it would have been more appropriate for Advent, but I wasn’t prepared to do it then).
Six week course on Walking Daily with God: Spiritual Disciplines. The topics are scripture study, fixed daily prayer (daily office), silence, rule of life…can’t remember the last one.
four monday nights on doing justice and loving mercy, using the Micah text as beginning point.
We are doing five nights on the seven penitential psalms as a way of opening up the study of the psalms to our parishioners.
Our priest published a daily Lenten devotional on the final hours of Jesus’ life based on Luke’s gospel This is devotional is being used in life groups as well as by individuals. Our priest is also conducting a 4 week series on Wednesdaysa devoted to the spiritual discipline of fasting. I’m looking forward to participating in that one in particular.
Selected readings from Bishop Frank E. Wilson’s [i]Faith and Practice[/i].
Week 1: The Bible, Trinity and Creeds
Week 2: Daily Prayer and Worship
Week 3: Baptism
Week 4: Holy Communion
Week 5: Marriage and the Church
Week 6: Death and Life
The purpose of the above is to help us realize that what we pray is indeed what we believe.
Our area churches are holding a “School of Religion.” There has been little or no publicity. I would expect labyrinths, Anglicanism, Celtic Christianity and icons.
Wow Kendall, you’ve done it again! Shown us that the Church is alive and kicking and that we may be the source of encouragement to each other. Thank you indeed for that!
FYI. We are having a six part series on Philippians, highlighting the joyous redemption of suffering in the light of the Gospel of Jesus, whose own faithful obedience justifies us before the God of Peace: therefore we may “stand firmâ€! (Any other takers on trying to summarise this absolute gem of a Letter?!)
Five weeks starting this Wednesday evening on the 3 mission trips of St. Paul Acts 13 – 21:17. Good Shepherd Cathedral, LIMA, Peru.
Y’All come.
I chose this subject since we are now working in circumstances much closer to the apostolic age and this takes us back to first mission principles, questions and challenges.
Ian+
Our church is doing the “Wide Angle” DVD and discussion series put together by Chuck Colson and Rick Warren, which lays out the case for having a Biblical world view. All adult Sunday school sessions are doing this during Lent and the youth and children are also getting an age appropriate version at their Sunday School’s. In addition, the sermon’s during Lent are also tracking with the “Wide Angle” theme for that Sunday. Initial session I attended last Sunday was standing room only.
ECS
Thanks art in #33 it is very important. This is a lovely thread.
Sunday morning: An in depth study of the Letter to the Hebrews.
Friday following stations of the cross: addresses by five ACNA bishops– +Sutton, +Iker, +Ackerman, +Fick, & +Fick
Oops. I meant +Wantland in place of the second +Fick!
At All Saints Church in Pasadena we have eight different Adult Study options this Lent.
Book study groups include The Future of Faith (Harvey Cox), The Case for God (Karen Armstong), The Law of Forgiveness (Connie Domino), The Sacred Meal (Nora Gallagher) and The Last Week (Borg/Crossan); there are two Lenten Lectionary Bible Studies groups and a 20s/30s group focused on “Meeting God Anew.”
And in March (21 & 22) Dr. Serene Jones is going to join us for a two day “Lent Event” entitle “Grace Trumps: Claiming the power of God’s grace to triumph over crisis.”
We’re doing 5 weeks of a series based on Dan Kimball’s “They Like Jesus But Not the Church” about how folks in their 20s, 30s, and 40s view Christianity and why it matters. Should be fun.
#2 – I’m curious, what O’Connor stories are you using and why?
[url=http://www.ststephenschurch.net/easter/lent.html] St. Stephen’s (Sewickley) [/url] has an interesting twist on the popular NBC show with a 5 part series on “The Bible’s Biggest Losers”. Speakers include Dean Terry and Bishop Rodgers.
At St Luke’s in Baton Rouge, we’ll be doing five Wednesday nights on “Forming Conscience”. Beginning with Revelation, and moving on to Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and barriers to use of these traditional tools. Our premise is that there is truth, we can know it, and we can use it to make the right choices. Sunday mornings, we’ve a Bible study for adults looking at Hebrews; and organized Bible or book studies Tuesday-Friday.
[i] Ad hominem comment removed by elf. [/i]
If I may be allowed an Ad Hominem comment … Thanks indeed to Susan Russell (#39) for chiming in; it is always good to see what others are being fed. And in this light, one comment upon one of the “options†– which is chosen since it gets to the heart of the matter.
Re The Last Week (Borg/Crossan): being the sort of reader I am, pursuing all those footnotes and bibliographical stuff and all, it struck me as really rather staggering to encounter Marcus Borg’s note on the Last Supper in his delightful exchange with NT Wright in The Meaning of Jesus (1999). In dismissing the Last Supper’s Institution as deriving from Jesus and so avoiding the sacrificial nature of his death (and all that follows), he says this:
Dismissing the first problem of the double attestation and concentrating upon the last sentence: as words of Jesus, NTW has ably shown their setting as Jesus’ own application of Isa 53 … and all that follows … QED. For such is the reason for Lent: our contemplating the meaning of the Paschal Mystery of the Incarnate Logos of God – wonder of wonders indeed!