Bible study: Theology 37; John 8:1-11

Bible study: Theology 37; John 8:1-11

1. This chapter opens with Jesus going to the Mount of Olives before he begins his day's work. Why do you think he went there and what did he do?
   
2. It seems that Jesus was a popular teacher, 'all the people came to him…' why were they so drawn to him?
   
3. Perhaps Jesus' popularity was the reason the scribes and pharisees wanted to test him. How do you think they felt when they saw him in theTemple?
   
4. Jesus turns from them and begins to write in the sand. Why? What did he write?
   
5. Eventually, he responds to their questions and then resumes writing. What's he writing this time?
   
6. 'When they heard it, they went away one by one…' What might the scribes and pharisees be thinking as they leave?
   
7. Jesus tells the women that he does not condemn her – what does this mean for us and the way we think about others who make difficult choices that challenge us?

Our Bible Study Responses Theology 33

1. "In the beginning...." How can we know what really happened in the beginning?

Well, we had a bit of a go at this one. We talked about the many theories that people have concerning the beginning of the world. We talked about the famous, 'Big bang,' theory, but we all had to admit that in the end, no one really knows what happened in the beginning. It is a mystery. We spoke of the fact that every culture has its own creation story and that some of those stories
are even older than the Genesis account. We concluded that humanity has a deep and abiding interest in knowing where we came from, how we came to be and what that means for our life here and now and in the future.

2. Do you think that this is literal account? Why or why not?

None of the assembled group thought that this was a literal account because, as we had already decided, no one could ever really know what happened in the beginning. We felt that this was an intelligent way of explaining very complicated issues in a simple way. We felt that its main purpose was to underline God's work in creation, rather than to just tell a story of how we began. God's love for and delight in creation is evidenced all through this passage and that, we felt, is the main purpose of telling it like this.

3. Why does the story tell us that God speaks? Who was there to hear it?

This was very interesting! We felt that it was important to acknowledge the power of God's word. God speaks and creation manifests. We also thought about the way in which we communicate – why do we speak to each other? We speak so that what is inside us can be made manifest. We share ideas and what is inside us is communicated to others. This then, gives us a picture of God choosing to share with us, something of what is inside God. We are part of a world that God has imagined and brought into being. Creation is a word that, although first spoken long ago, still speaks to us today.

4. What pattern(s) (if any) do you see in this account?

This is a very organized and systematic approach. There is repetition and rhythm which seems to contain a blessing, 'it is good.'

5. Why do you think that God's actions are divided into 'days' here?

It is part of the order mentioned in previous question. It also points to there being a process involved and that it took time. It wasn't like magic, "hey presto" and suddenly everything exists! Plants bud and grow; animals grow and mature. God is involved in world of progression.

6. What does this account tell us about God? Make a list.

This passage tells us that God is a creator; God cares; God builds; God speaks; God takes time….. we went on and on with this. We actually came up with more than 23 adjectives about God and there are only 23 verses in this week's reading. I've left the majority out because I'd like to see how many you can up with. Please click on the comments button below this post and tell us what you think.

Bible Study for Theology 33 - Genesis 1:1-23

The photo was taken a couple of Sundays ago when we decided to take Sunday School out into God's creation to soak in the beauty and wonder of it. It seems a good opportunity to use it to illustrate this week's reading which tells of God speaking the world into being.

This evening some of us will be meeting to explore this week's reading from Genesis. We shall be considering the following questions:
1. "In the beginning...." How can we know what really happened in the beginning?

2. Do you think that this is literal account? Why or why not?

3. Why does the story tell us that God speaks? Who was there to hear it?

4. Wha pattern(s) (if any) do you see in this account?

5. Why do you think that God's actions are divided into 'days' here?

6. What does this account tell us about God? Make a list.


If you have any ideas/opinions/comments on any of the above, please feel free to join in by clicking the 'comment' button at the foot of this post.

Festival Time at the Urdd, Cardiff Bay

Eistedfford time has come around again and because the Urdd (Young people's organization in Wales - we think it may be the largest youth movement in Europe)is currently situated in Cardiff Bay we were able to go down and enjoy being surrounded by Welsh culture. The sun shone brightly down as we made our way around the various stalls and we stopped by various places to see what was on offer. We went into the Millenium Centre to see the young people perform and were very impressed by the high standard of the various perfomances we saw. It was so good to see so many young people taking a pride in their heritage and we came out thinking that the TV talent show, Britain's Got Talent is nothing compared to the talent of our young people.

Visit to Logos Hope, Cardiff Bay

This week is half term, so we are enjoying a bit of a rest. Some of us have been out and about a bit and yesterday we made our way down to Cardiff Bay. We were joined by our friend, Elyse, who was a volunteer here about 5 or 6 years ago. Elyse is currently working aboard 'Logos Hope,' the enormous vessel in the picture. Logos Hope is part of an initiative set up by Christians in Germany to spread Knowledge, Help and Hope.
Elyse took us aboard to show us around. We had lunch together and then toured the ship. The Galley (where Elyse works) is very like the kitchen you may find in any large hotel. Gleaming stainless steel everywhere and large, computerized ovens! The galley supplies around 450 meals 3 times a day, so a lot of hard work work goes on there. We finished our tour in the Book Fair. The ship carries around 6,000 titles all very reasonably priced - so reasonable that at least one of us gave in to temptation and bought some (no names mind). The ship is staffed by volunteers from all over the world, some of whom join for a few weeks, others for longer. Elyse has been on board for 2 years, we met someone else who's been there for 17 years and has raised his family on board too! Mampionona, in particular was very taken with the visit and is interested in joining the ship later on. If you're in Cardiff Bay sometime between now and the 7th June, do have a look for yourself - it's well worth a visit.

Bible Study on Theology 31

I apologize for not keeping up with the Bible Study postings but, finally I'm catching up. This week's passage is from St. John 14:15-27, The Promise of the Holy Spirit. Below are the questions we will be considering this evening. If you have any comments, then please feel free to join in - we would welcome your input!

1. Jesus' connection with his disciples is based on love. Thinking of the past two Bible Studies that have considered God as love, do you think that Jesus is offering unconditional or conditional love in this passage?

2. Why is the Advocate sent to be with us 'forever' when Jesus was with us for a comparatively short time? What might this really mean?

3. The world is spoken of as being very different from the disciples. What does that mean for us as disciples who have to live in the world?

4. What does this passage mean for those who do not'love Jesus?'

5. How do you think the Holy Spirit has worked in you to teach you and remind you of what Jesus taught?

6. How does the Holy Spirit work in us today, if indeed you agree that it does?

Rich/Poor Supper

Our annual Rich/Poor supper took place this evening and I'm pleased to be able to tell you that the event raised £87.30!! For those of you new to this blog, or for those who have never heard of it before the Rich/Poor supper is as follows. Everyone buys a ticket for the event and everyone pays the same price (in this case £3). The evening begins with a brief talk to consider the work of Christian Aid. This year we were lucky enough to have a special guest speaker, Aled from the CA office in Cardiff. Aled visited South Africa earlier this year and showed us pictures that he took when he visited CA's Partners there.
After the talk, the group is each given a raffle ticket and a draw takes place. Six lucky people are chosen to be the 'rich' people. They sit down to a four course meal of melon, roast beef with trimmings, gateaux and cheese and biscuits. The rest of us (the majority) get to be the 'poor' people and we sit down to single bowl of rice.
The object of the excercise is to show the injustice of the current world situation. The majority of people in the world have less resources than the richer parts of the world. As one Iona liturgy puts it, "half the world starves whilst the other half diets.."
However, we do cheat slightly because after everyone's finished eating we auction off the leftovers and all the yummy stuff goes to those who bid for it.
So, all in all it's an awareness raising event as well as a fund-raising one. We had the services of our wonderfully gifted friend Myra to cook for us and she was ably assisted by Deborah. Cilla and Jodie. Thanks to all who worked on this event and to everyone who supported it.
Special thanks are due to Sharon who is the unsung heroine of all our Christian Aid efforts!