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 original course as presented by CTBI 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:- Background (1 Kings 11:1-36) Introduction and Judgments against the nations (1:1–3:11)
- Oracles of judgment (4:1–5:17) and Oracles of woe (5:18–6:14) against Israel (and Judah)
- Visions of judgment (7:1–9:10) and The promise of restoration (9:11–15)
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
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
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?
Lament and the Psalms (Lent 2021)
Pre-reading and Background Material (Week 0)
DocumentsThe 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)
VideosOverview 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)
AudioAudio 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)
DocumentsSession 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“
VideoShort video of Walter Brueggemann speaking about the Need for Lament
AudioAudio 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)
Lament and the Suffering of Others (Week 3)
DocumentsSession 3 as four sides of A4 – Lament and Psalms – session 3
Session 3 as a four sided booklet – Booklet Lament and Psalms – session 3
VideoShort video of NT Wright speaking about Lament in Worship
Short video of Walter Brueggemann speaking about the Psalms of Vengeance
AudioAudio of NT Wright speaking about Lament in Worship (as above)
Audio of Walter Brueggemann speaking about the Psalms of Vengeance (as above)
Collective Grief (Week 4)
Documents
Session 4 as four sides of A4 – Lament and Psalms – session 4
Session 4 as a four sided booklet – Booklet Lament and Psalms – session 4
Text of Hannah Malcolm’s sermon – Climate Chaos and Collective Grief
Video
Short video of Hannah Malcolm speaking about Collective Grief
Longer Video of Hannah Malcolm’s sermon – Climate Chaos and Collective Grief
Audio
MP3 Audio of Hannah Malcolm speaking about Collective Grief (as above)
Lament as an Act of Love (Week 5)
Documents
Session 5 as four sides of A4 Lament and Psalms – session 5
Session 5 as a four sided booklet Booklet Lament and Psalms – session 5
Video
Short video of Hannah Malcolm speaking about Lament as an Act of Love
Audio
MP3 Audio of Hannah Malcolm speaking about Lament as an Act of Love (as above)
Afterwards
Elizabeth Lewis Hall’s paper entitled – Suffering in God’s Presence: The Role of Lament in Transformation
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.
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 booklet
Session 2 – The Suffering of Christ
Suffering – Session Two booklet
Session 3 – Our Own Suffering
Suffering – Session Three booklet
“The Suffering God” a poem by G.A. Studdert-Kennedy (Woodbine Willie)
The Suffering God – Unutterable Beauty
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.
Session 1 – The essence of prayer
Session 2 – The person who prays
Session 3 – Growth in prayer
Session 4 – Living in tune
Spiritual Consolation and Desolation
Booklet Spiritual Consolation and Desolation
Session 5 – Pray like this
Prayer – Silence, Review and Examen
Booklet Prayer – Silence, Review and Examen