HORIZONS BIBLE STUDY 2017-2018 “Cloud of Witnesses: The Community of Christ in Hebrews” Lesson 9: In Community with the Hope of the Future (Hebrews 6:9-12; 11:25-12:2) By the time we got to the Letter to the Hebrews, we had been together as a class for seven months. Our small group of 12 people had journeyed through much of the Bible using “Disciple: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study.” We had laughed, offered insights and shared concerns. We’d already encountered Paul writing to the “saints” in Corinth. Certainly, the Corinthian church was no paragon of virtue. They were mixed up, struggling people who often got it wrong. But they were saints because Christ has redeemed, loved and forgiven them into a new community of disciples. We got to the incredible litany in Hebrews 11 of those who have lived by faith, living with the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Having read of Abraham, Moses and Rahab, our study group shared those in our … [Read more...]

Horizons Bible Study 2017-2018 “Cloud of Witnesses: The Community of Christ in Hebrews” Lesson 8: In Community with the Household of Faith (Hebrews 3:1-6, James 2:1-4, Numbers 12:6-8) “Home is where the heart is.” — Billie Letts  “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” — Robert Frost “The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” — Maya Angelou ”Home” is such a loaded word.  We all have feelings, smells, music and people associated with the home in which we grew up.   The memories may be full of ordinary comforts: feelings of acceptance and love, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, cherished holiday traditions or the warmth of being snuggled up for a bedtime story.  Our recollections may bring us discomfort because of an alcoholic parent or the insidious message that we did not measure up.  Reminiscences may make us long to go home or desire to never return. When Scripture … [Read more...]

  Horizons Bible Study 2017-2018 “Cloud of Witnesses: The Community of Christ in Hebrews” Lesson 7: In Community with the Hope of the Future (Hebrews 4:1-11; 6:9-12 and 11:1-3) Rest, respite, a break, time-out, relaxation, refreshment, spiritual nourishment, recreation — all of these synonyms for “rest” are often absent in our daily lives. Yet to dwell on the words even for a moment makes us breathe a little deeper. Americans as a culture don’t get enough rest. The Centers for Disease Control reported that one in three adults get less than seven hours of sleep a night. A chronic lack of sleep contributes to obesity, high blood pressure, depression, slower brain function, slower reaction time, heart disease and diabetes. Lack of sleep impairs our judgment. Simply put, we need rest to function well. We tend to believe that we cannot rest because we have so much to do. Yet, our abilities to do the things that matter are shackled by lack of rest. We want to be good … [Read more...]

Horizons Bible Study 2017-2018 “Cloud of Witnesses: The Community of Christ in Hebrews” Lesson 5: In Community with the Traditions of the Past (Hebrews 3:1-6; 11) We were sitting in the college cafeteria drinking terrible coffee after dinner.  Generally, my college friends and I tried to best each other in coming up with bad puns, but that night we were talking about hope and faith. I kept saying that we hope for what we do not see. Who knew that somewhere along the way I had picked concepts from the letter to the Hebrews? Faith is initiated by God. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit moving in our hearts and minds, we are drawn to God as known in Jesus Christ. We experience the love of God and respond by trusting God with our lives.  Faith and hope are central to chapter 11 of Hebrews. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith is a multilayered word that can indicate trust, belief or loyalty. Here in chapter … [Read more...]