Opening the Scriptures (Lent 2023)

This study is drawn from the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland 2020 Lent Course: “Opening the scriptures: setting our hearts on fire”.  The course as presented has a great deal of material in it (45 A4 pages) and we have prepared a shortened version (20 A4 pages) to fit the five weeks of our traditional Lent Studies.

Opening the Scriptures – five week study material

The Book of Amos (Advent 2022)

This study consists of three sessions:

1. Background (1 Kings 11:1-36) Introduction and Judgments against the nations (1:1–3:11)
2. Oracles of judgment (4:1–5:17) and Oracles of woe (5:18–6:14) against Israel (and Judah)
3. Visions of judgment (7:1–9:10) and The promise of restoration (9:11–15)

The written material for all three of the sessions is contained in one document:

Amos Study Group Material

A document with background and an outline of what Amos’s mission is:

Amos Background and Outline

A document containing the opening prayers for each of the three sessions:

Amos opening prayers

Creation (September 2022)

This study consists of five sessions which are based on material produced in South Africa in 2008 by members of Green Anglicans:

• • The Earth is the Lord’s
  • Water: the Source of Life
  • Climate Change
  • Need not Greed
  • Stewardship: Caring for God’s Creation

The written material for all five of the sessions is contained in one document:

Season of Creation Study Group

The Mystery of God (Lent 2022)

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that God has put a sense of mystery into each of our hearts. It is a longing to discover something much deeper than we can perceive with our eyes and ears, and a sense of destiny that can’t be satisfied by our achievements or accumulations. This mysterium tremendum et fascinans is meant to awaken a curiosity in each of us and send us off on a journey of discovery. There are five sessions, each drawing on the previous Sunday’s readings:

1. The Mystery of Good and Evil

2. The Mystery of God’s Glory

3. The Mystery of Sin Suffering and Hope

4. The Mystery of Relationship and Reconciliation

5. The Mystery of Love and Sacrifice

All the Sessions gathered into One Document. This course is based on material produced by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, and the Mission Theology Advisory Group for Lent 2019.

Creation (September 2021)

This study consisted of four sessions:

• What is Creation?
• How has the Church viewed Creation Theologically?
• Climate Injustice
• What is an appropriate Christian response to the Climate Crisis?

The written material for all four of the sessions is contained in one document:

Creation Study Group

Slides for three of the sessions are below (there were none for session 3):

Creation 1 slides

Creation 2 slides

Creation 4 slides

Lament and the Psalms (Lent 2021)

Pre-reading and Background Material (Week 0)

Documents

The Practice of Lament – The Practice of Lament (a brief introduction to what Lament is (and is not))

The Structure of the Psalms of Lament – The Structure of the Psalms of Lament (a short overview of how Psalms of Lament are structured)

Structure of the Book of Psalms – Structure of the Book of Psalms (a table outlining the internal structure of the Book of Psalms)

Videos

Overview of the Psalms – Overview of the Psalms (a well designed graphical and narrative overview of the whole ‘book’ of Psalms)

An Introduction to Psalms of Lament – An Introduction to the Psalms of Lament ( Ashleigh Urquidi’s accessible introduction to the structure of the Psalms of Lament)

George Coppen’s Notes on the above video – Notes on Ashleigh Urquidi’s video

Bono & Eugene Peterson – THE PSALMS – Bono & Eugene Peterson – THE PSALMS (a short film documenting the friendship between Bono (of the band U2) and Eugene Peterson (author of contemporary-language Bible translation The Message) revolving around their common interest in the Psalms.)

A Psalm of Lament and Praise in a time of Coronavirus – A Psalm of Lament and Praise in a time of Coronavirus (a Psalm for our times written and read by the Revd Kenneth Howcroft)

Audio

Audio of Overview of the Psalms

Audio of An Introduction to Psalms of Lament

Audio of Bono & Eugene Peterson – THE PSALMS

Audio of A Psalm of Lament and Praise in a time of Coronavirus

The Need for Lament (Week 1)

Documents

Session 1 as four sides of A4 –  Lament and Psalms – session 1

Session 1 as a four sided booklet –  Booklet Lament and Psalms – session 1

Chapter Five of Dermot Cox’s book entitled – “Psalms of Human Need and Distress“

Video

Short video of Walter Brueggemann speaking about the Need for Lament

Audio

Audio of Walter Brueggemann speaking about the Need for Lament (as above)

​The Power of Lament (Week 2)

Documents

Session 2 as four sides of A4 = Lament and Psalms – session 2

Session 2 as a four sided booklet – Booklet Lament and Psalms – session 2

Video

Short video of Walter Brueggemann speaking about the Power of Lament

Audio

Audio of Walter Brueggemann speaking about the Power of Lament (as above)

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Suffering (Advent 2020)

This is a wide-ranging topic, with many strands.  In this study, we will start with a Bible Study on The Suffering of Job, move on to New Testament Theology in The Suffering of Christ and finish with some Practical Theology in Our Own Suffering. We start each session with Prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

The materials below are in two forms:

• A PDF file with sequential A4 pages
• A PDF file with pages arranged so that if your printer can print double-sided with a short-edge binding (and you know what that all means:-) you can print it and fold it to resemble the ‘booklets’ that I have been handing out in previous studies.

If in doubt, the first format will produce something readable. If you have problems, either ask a friend or get in touch with me. Each week there is the session booklet and in some weeks a further booklet of additional material/resources. If there are things in the materials that you wish to talk with me about, you know how to contact me.

Session 1 – The Suffering of Job

Before you start, you will find it very helpful to understand the structure of the Book of Job, so I suggest that you read that material first, so that you will be able to see the progression as you move through the session.

Suffering -Session One

Suffering – Session One booklet

The Structure of Job

Session 2 – The Suffering of Christ

Suffering -Session Two

Suffering – Session Two booklet

Session 3 – Our Own Suffering

Suffering – Session Three

Suffering – Session Three booklet

“The Suffering God” a poem by G.A. Studdert-Kennedy (Woodbine Willie)

The Suffering God – Unutterable Beauty

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Prayer (Lent 2020)

To start with, an episode of Radio 4’s “Something Understood” in which Rowan Williams talks about Prayer. The materials below are in two forms:

• A PDF file with sequential A4 pages
• A PDF file with pages arranged so that if your printer can print double-sided with a short-edge binding (and you know what that all means:-) you can print it and fold it to resemble the ‘booklets’ that I have been handing out for earlier sessions.

If in doubt, the first format will produce something readable. If you have problems, either ask a friend or get in touch with me. Each week there is the session booklet and in some weeks a further booklet of additional material/resources. If there are things in the materials that you wish to talk with me about, you know how to contact me.

Session 1 – The essence of prayer

Prayer – session 1

Booklet Prayer – session 1

Prayer – the great traditions

Session 2 – The person who prays

Prayer – session 2

Booklet Prayer – session 2

Session 3 – Growth in prayer

Prayer – session 3

Booklet Prayer – session 3

Prayer – aids

Booklet Prayer – aids

Session 4 – Living in tune

Prayer – session 4

Booklet Prayer – session 4

Spiritual Consolation and Desolation

Booklet Spiritual Consolation and Desolation

Session 5 – Pray like this

Prayer – session 5

Booklet Prayer – session 5

Prayer – Silence, Review and Examen

Booklet Prayer – Silence, Review and Examen

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The Beloved (Advent 2018)

The written material for all three of the sessions is contained in one document: The life of the beloved study The videos of Henri Nouwen’s sermons on Youtube which were at the heart of each session:

Session 1

Being the Beloved –

Session 2

Becoming the Beloved –

Session 3

Disciples of the Beloved –

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