Week Two (Bible Study) - Sunday

Bible

In the Wesleyan tradition, of which The United Methodist Church belongs, theological assertions are tested through four components of discernment: Reason, Experience, Tradition, and Scripture, known commonly as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. While these four elements work in harmony with each other scripture is considered to be primary. It is considered to be foundational because it is the most tangible and accepted form of God's revelation in the world today. Of three main religions which trace their roots through Judaic heritage - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - all look to scripture for God's revelation for them and their worldview.

The word Bible is derived from the Greek word, biblia, which means "books." Anyone who has perused through the pages of one has found that the Bible is not just one book, but is actually an anthology, a collection of books, with some of them being in the form of letters, also known as epistles. Most of those who read this accept the Bible as containing sixty-six books, thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. These sixty-six books are generally accepted as the Protestant Canon. The word canon is an English word that is derived from a Greek word, which means "standard" or "rule." But this is not one overarching rule for all Bibles. Different Christian traditions have their own canon. For example, our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters accept an addition seven books as part of their Bible, including Tobit, 1 & 2 Maccabees, and four others, which are not found in the Bibles that Protestant read. Most Protestant churches, such as United Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, and Presbyterians, generally accept sixty-six as the canon, the ones which are deemed to be authoritative.

Translations of the Bible

In the canon with which we are most familiar, there is a myriad of translations and paraphrased versions. Without question, the most widely recognized version is the King James Version, which was commissioned in the year 1604 and completed in 1611. While the King James Version is the oldest in the English language, it is not the oldest. Nor is it in the original language; it too is a translation. The Bible was not written by any one person or even in the same time period. It has many authors, all of whom were inspired by God and written over a millennia. Some of the writers wrote down sacred stories that had been passed down by oral tradition for generations, while others wrote personal accounts, and some person letters. Sine it was written by so many different people, the original languages which were used were Hebrew and Greek. This poses one problem in translating as not all words in these languages have a comparable word in the English language or it may be able to be translated in multiple ways in English. Another problem is that when the original text was written, the paper, vellum, or other material used on which to write, was scarce. Being so prized a possession, every available space on the paper or material was used for writing. Yet this was not enough. So, many of the authors opted to omit vowels in the words and even the spaces between the words. Imagine the difficulty in translating texts written like that! As an illustration, imagine you are trying to translate the following: GDSNWHR. Can you make sense of that? Now imagine after many grueling weeks, months, or even years, you have figured out that the missing vowels are O, I, and E. You carefully place them in the right spots and now you have this: GODISNOWHERE. You are quite happy with yourself until your assistant points out that after adding in spaces, the phrase can be read either as GOD IS NOW HERE or conversely, GOD IS NOWHERE. So even the spacing of the words can change the tone and nature of translating.

But as people of faith, we believe that just as God inspired the writing of the Bible, God is also in the process of translating. Some may think that this just cannot be so because some of the translations are so different - there are some big difference between the King James Version and The Message - thus one must be wrong! But this is not so when you begin to loo at the Bible as being God's revelation, or God speaking to us today, then you will realize that God can and does speak to each of us personally through the various translations.

Why Study the Bible

United Methodist bishop, Richard Wilke, writer of DSICIPLE: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study, has said that if biblical illiteracy were a disease, we would be in the midst of an epidemic. Far too many people regard the Bible as a book of good stories or wise sayings, much like a book of ancient Chinese proverbs or spiritual anecdotes. But the Bible is so much more than that. It is a record of history, our history, of who we are, from where we have come, what price was paid for  us, and where we are going. It is the divine conveyance of God's love for each and every creature upon the face of the earth and the lengths that God will go to demonstrate that love. It is the written evidence of how God has worked throughout human history, setting things into motion at just the right time so that you and I can be here today. It is the source of God speaking to and guiding our ancestors long ago and a vehicle through which God speaks to and guides us today. It is the only written source what can address our humanity. Every emotion, thought, dream, triumph, and failure that your have ever experienced is similarly expressed there. It is the one tool that we have readily available to us to seek answers to some of life's most troubling problems. The amazing thing that arises from deep Bible study is that the more that you feed on its words, the more you hunger for more - and it continues to feed and nourish your soul from its endless supply. The psalmist proclaims in Psalm 19:10, studying the ordinances, or decrees, of the Lord is "more to be desired...than gold, even much more than fine gold; sweeter than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb."

Ways to Study the Bible

To pick up and just hold a Bible and then to realize that in your hands are some of the very thoughts and words of the Creator of the universe can be very humbling experience, without ever reading a word. But friend, reading it and studying its message is exactly for what it is intended. An unopened and unread Bible is nothing more than a stack of paper. Sadly, there are too many Bibles that are used as nothing more than cultural icons, pretty to look at, but with little relevance to anyone's life.

The purpose of this session is to help familiarize you with ways to study the Bible. Basically, there are two ways to approach studying the Bible: by reading into the text and bringing out from the text.

The first method, reading into the text, known by scholars as eisegesis, is probably the most common way that people read the Bible. A simple demonstration of such is to randomly find a passage to read and then reflect on what was said. By this method, we try to discern what God may be saying to us now. This is a valid way o f studying the Bible, but it is not the only way. For those who are serious about scholarly study of the Bible, it is not considered the best way. This is because there is a danger in this manner of study because it is all too easy to slip into an egocentric frame of mind. In this state, we look at the Bible as being written specifically for us and for this moment in life. Thus, we begin to negate the fact that the Bible was originally written for a particular people at a particular time in history. If we are in this state of mind while searching for answers to some troublesome issue, then that is when we tend to flip through the countless pages until we find one passage that gives us the answer we may want, but not necessarily the one that we may need.

The second method to approach studying the Bible is through what is referred to as exegesis, which is to bring out from the text the meaning. Through this method, we derive a meaning and an understanding, not the meaning or the understanding. It emphasizes that the Bible is bigger than any one person can understand or of have total knowledge. This approach also employs reading the passage in its context, taking into account the historical significance of the time it was written and the cultural relevance therein. Through this method, we are able to see how God worked in that particular situation, the uniqueness of the actions taken, and how special each person is to God. By employing this method, each word takes on greater importance and appreciation for the passage and the situation is heightened as we see the complexity through which God is able to work.

While studying the Bible, it is imperative to remember that it is only a tool to be used to help gain vision of God, but it is not God. One term that that is commonly used for the Bible is "Word of God." In a sense, this is correct as the Bible is a collection words of [about] God and inspired words from God, but it is not the Word. That title solely belongs to Jesus. The Gospel of John attest to this assertion at it states in John 1:1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God" and in John 1:14, "Ad the Word became flesh and lived among us..." As a seminary professor proclaimed on multiple occasions, "The Word became flash, not printer's ink!" No, he was not engaging in sacrilege, he was just reiterating the fact that Jesus alone is the Word of God. To treat the bible as the Word is rob Jesus of his divine title. The Bible lacks the power that is only given to Jesus, to be the saviour of the world.


JOURNAL QUESTIONS

1. Reflect on your sermon notes and journal reading from today.



GROUP EXERCISE

10 minutes - Community Building (informal time of gathering)
10 minutes - Sharing of Concerns and Praises
  5 minutes - Prayer for One Another
30 minutes - Discussion of Topic
                     - What journal entry would you like to share?
                     - Which translation of the Bible do you read? Why?
                     - How do you normally read the Bible? (Meditatively, methodically, guided by a 
                       devotional...?)
  5 minutes - Wrap Up/Closing Prayer 

Week One (Sacraments) - Saturday

1 Corinthians 10:15-17

15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.





^{Reflect
How is this a participation in the body and blood of Jesus? Do you feel that participation during communion?}

Week One (Sacraments) - Friday

Acts 2:42-47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.


^{Reflect
How did the early church remember Jesus?}

Week One (Sacraments) - Thursday

^{Matthew 28:16-20}

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^a the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."



^{Reflect
If baptism is not necessary for salvation, why would Jesus command us to do it?}

Week One (Sacraments) - Wednesday

Romans 6:1-4

1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.





^{Reflect
What does your baptism mean to you?}

Week One (Sacraments) - Tuesday

Matthew 3:11-12

11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."





^{Reflect
In your own words, describe the difference how John baptized and Jesus baptized.}

Week One (Sacraments) - Monday

Mark 14:22-25

22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." 23 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. 25 "I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God."



^{Reflect
Why is communion related to a meal?} 

Week One (Sacraments) - Sunday

Sacraments

What is a sacrament? The term sacrament was originally used in the Roman world in at least two ways.  First it was used to describe money deposited by opposing parties in a lawsuit.  The party that lost the lawsuit forfeited their share of the money to be used for some sacred purpose.  The second way was as a type of oath pledged by those about to engage in warfare.  One early church father, Tertullian, capitalized on this definition as he referred to Christian conversion as a sacrament.  Tertullian made this conclusion as he saw each new convert as entering into a spiritual warfare.

It was another early church father, Jerome, who acted as the catalyst for our contemporary understanding of sacrament though.  Jerome was commissioned by the pope in 382 to translate the Hebrew and Greek scriptures into Latin, which was the common language of the people.  His translation became know as the Vulgate – Vulgate derived from the Latin word vulgata, which means “common.”  In the process of translating, Jerome translated the Greek word, mysterion as the Latin word sacramentum.  This implies that sacrament are mysteries, in which we still refer to sacraments as Holy mysteries.  We refer to them as mysteries because there is something supernatural about them, beyond our understanding.  What we do know though is that they are sign-acts, part symbols and part actions, that convey God’s grace, God’s unmerited love.  As Saint Augustine put it, they are “outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace.” Through these simple acts and symbols, God, calling you by name, tells you once again, “I love you.  I love you for who you are, my child.  I love you in spite of you turning from me.”

The Roman Catholic Church recognizes seven rituals as being sacraments: Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, Confession, and Unction (commonly referred to as Last Rites).  Most Protestant churches recognize only Baptism and Communion as sacraments though.  This is because Jesus participated in these two and then he specifically commanded his disciples to do likewise.  In Article XVI of our Articles of Religion, John Wesley upheld these two as being true sacraments while relegating them as having “partly out grown out of the corrupt following of the apostles, and partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet have not the like nature of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, because they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.”  So, in essence, while these other rituals may have religious significance and may help further one’s spiritual growth, they are not considered as sacraments in The United Methodist Church nor in most other Protestant churches.

The sacraments point to something that is far greater, the real presence of God’s grace.  They make God’s love visible.  In the receiving of the sacraments, we receive God’s gifts of forgiveness and reconciliation and the confidence that we are participating in a Holy mystery.  Again, we use the word mystery because we are clearer on the effects of the sacraments than we are on the definition.  But we believe that they comprise both the vertical plane, representing our relationship with God, and the horizontal, representing our relationship with each other.  Thus, the sacraments are public acts and not private.  They should always, as far as it is possible, include the whole community of faith.

In the sacraments, we encounter the Most High God.  In them we remember who we are and whose we are.  In the sacraments we are reminded that we are not alone in our faith journey, but we are in the eternal presence of God and the saints of past and the pilgrims of the present.

Baptism

It may surprise you to know that baptism is not strictly a Christian ritual.  It has its roots deeply implanted in and ancient Jewish ritual that uses water as a cleansing agent and a sign of renewal.  But in the Jewish ritual, it was a means of purifying and renewing oneself by ones own accord.  The person did it, not God.  In our contemporary understanding of baptism though, it is God that is doing the work of cleansing and bestowing grace, not us.

Our first introduction into the concept of baptism comes in all four of the gospels with John baptizing person in the Jordan River.  This act was a call for repentance and forgiveness.  But while John was giving this call, a strange thing happened; Jesus came to be baptized as well.  It is strange because we understand Jesus to be God in human form, thereby free from any sin and in no need for repentance and forgiveness.  So why would Jesus seek baptism?  For him, baptism took on a new meaning; it was God revealing God’s self in Jesus.  It was his way of sharing in bearing the burden of sin.  Jesus would become the paschal or sacrificial lamb on behalf of all people.   It was also to mark the beginning of his ministry on earth. 

We believe that baptism is a symbol of God’s prevenient grace, that love that has always enveloped us and nurtured us to a closer and more personal relationship with God.   It is not though, a symbol of our faith.  Nor is it is not related to our human response to that grace.  Rather, it is the out-pouring of love by God’s own initiative.

Water is used as the physical sign of God’s action of conveying grace.  In The United Methodist Church, we have the option of baptism by one of three modes: immersion, pouring, and sprinkling.  Each of these is powerfully symbolic.  Immersion symbolizes the dying to the old life and being raised from the dead with Christ into a new life.  Pouring represents the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.  Sprinkling is symbolic of the cleansing effect of water. 

To the dismay of many, baptism is not nor should not be equated with being “saved.”  Salvation is not hinged on one being baptized.  What baptism does is it celebrates the love of God and conveys new life.  But to be perfectly honest, this “new life” aspect is one that is highly debated at the present.  But in her book, By Water and the Spirit, Gayle Felton clarifies how baptism does convey new life:

Baptism is the sacramental sign of new life through and in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Variously identified as regeneration, new birth, and being born again, this work of grace makes us into new spiritual creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17).  We die to our old nature, which was dominated by sin, and enter into the very life of Christ who transforms us. Baptism is the means of entry into new life in Christ (John 3:5; Titus 3:5), but new birth may not always coincide with the moment of administration of water or the laying on of hands.  Our awareness and acceptance of our redemption by Christ and new life in him may vary throughout our lives.  But, in whatever way the reality of new birth is experienced, it carries the promises God made to us in our baptism.

Baptism is seen as the initiation into the family of God.  Newly elected Bishop, Scott Jones beautifully illustrates baptism as the marking of the person with a seal as “God’s own,” and “implants the first installment of his or her inheritance as a son or daughter of God.”  This concept of being brought into the family of God is also important in our understanding of one baptism and backsliding.

We, as United Methodists, hold firm to the belief in one baptism.  We base this belief on scripture.  Ephesians 4:4-6 states, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”  We also derive our understanding of one baptism by reason.  As we understand baptism as a sacrament, solely initiated by God, for us to re-baptize is say that the first time God marked one as God’s own, either did not happen or did not last.  Some will say that it is possible to fall from grace or lose one’s salvation.  We believe those who backslide become “lost” members of the family; but they are still members.  We eagerly pray for, encourage, and await their return.  Upon their recognition that they have fallen away from God and then change their lives to reorient themselves toward God, we do not re-baptize them, but reaffirm them in the family, reminding them who they are and whose they are.

Finally, baptism does not make one a Christian.  One of Wesley’s principles of ministry was to bring in and evangelize those who were already baptized.  As we saw explained earlier, it is the first installment of the inheritance as a child of God.  So, baptism can be seen as a starting point in the Christian journey. 

Since we understand baptism as the receiving the first installment, one may receive it at any point in life, even as an infant.  Infant baptism is based on scripture and tradition as well.  Acts 16:25-34 recounts how Paul and Silas baptized their jailer’s entire household, which would have included the children.  The early church had accepted the practice of infant baptism without question.  It is a starting point for the child.  As it is a communal event, we Christians, vow to teach that child what the event symbolizes.  It symbolizes God’s prevenient grace and the coming of the Holy Spirit as a convicting presence in the child’s life.  Infant baptism is also accepted through reason. Again since it is totally an initiative on God’s part and does not require any response on the one being baptized, it is a right and good thing to baptize infants.  As some will question how we can baptize one who does not understand what is happening at that moment, I ask, do any of us have a much better understanding of this Holy Mystery? 

Holy Communion

Holy communion is the second sacrament that we United Methodists observe.  Though most recognize what we are referring to when we say communion or Holy Communion, it is also known as The Lord’s Supper and the Eucharist, which means “Great Thanksgiving.”  Whereas we only believe in one baptism, though we renew our baptismal vows at every baptism, we are encouraged to celebrate in the Eucharist often.  John Wesley believed in partaking of communion daily! 

It would be best to understand what the Eucharist is before going any further.  Essentially, it is a family meal.  It recalls the last supper that Jesus ate with his disciples before he was crucified.  It also recalls the words that he spoke to them before given them the bread and the wine saying, “Eat this” and “Drink this” “In remembrance of me.”  How amazing is it that Jesus used something so common, so ordinary as the family meal to help people remember him?!  The bread and wine, known as the elements, aren’t magical in themselves, but they are symbols used in conjunction with eating and drinking to remind us of what God did for us!  There can be no question that this Holy mystery tells us of the grace of Jesus!  In this simple meal, there is the real presence of Jesus the Christ.

I purposefully, but carefully, used the terms, “magical,” “symbol,” and “real presence” above and for that reason I need to clarify how so.  Though communion is steeped in symbolism, it is not a memorial meal, for that means there is nothing supernatural or special about it.  It would just be a mnemonic device.  But, at the same time, the bread and wine (or juice) remain just that; they do not become the literal body and blood of Christ.  This is known as transubstantiation, which is adhered to by the Roman Catholics.  Instead, we United Methodist believe that through these ordinary things such as bread and wine, God does something extraordinary – Jesus is present and is telling us once again of God’s unwavering love.

There is as many preferred ways to take communion as there are people.   While most have forever ingrained in their minds the image of sitting along one side of a long table as depicted in DaVinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper, historical evidence of the customs from that time period suggest that Jesus and his disciple were probably reclined and propping themselves up on one elbow.  This further solidifies that this meal was a very intimate moment in this band of friends. 

Since we still consider communion as a family meal, we believe that there is no one correct way that it is performed.  Think about your own family meals that you have.  There are times that you come together in great celebration.  Other times you come together in great sorrow.  There are times that you eat off of formal dinnerware and times you eat off of paper plates.  The important thing is that you sit and eat together.  The same is true with the Lord’s Supper.  At the Lord’s table (not ours!) we all come together on equal ground.   No one is better than another; no one is worse than another.  We all have been invited by the same Lord.  Jesus extends his invitation to all and we have no right to exclude anyone, not a single soul.  It is here that God’s grace is conveyed through family.  What a beautiful expression of love – through the gathering of all your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Furthermore, when we partake of this sacrament, we gather together in anticipation of when the church will no longer be divided, but be the one, true, holy, universal, and apostolic church.


JOURNAL QUESTIONS

1. Reflect on your sermon notes and journal reading from today.



GROUP EXERCISE

10 minutes - Community Building (informal time of gathering)
10 minutes - Sharing of Concerns and Praises
  5 minutes - Prayer for One Another
30 minutes - Discussion of Topic
                     - What journal entry would you like to share?
                     - Share your baptism experience. If you were baptized as a baby, do you feel "cheated"?
                     - How do you feel about Communion and the way and frequency that it is celebrated?
  5 minutes - Wrap Up/Closing Prayer