Adult Bible Study

Adults of all ages who enjoy reading scripture and applying what they learn to the unique problems of today's world are welcome to attend our Sunday morning adult bible study. We use the Seasons of the Spirit adult course materials. These materials use the same lectionary scripture that is read and preached during worship later the same Sunday morning. Class members are well prepared for worship because they are already familiar with the scriptures for the day.

Come join our lively and varied discussions as we learn to apply the scripture to our modern lives. As our understanding grows, our faith deepens. As our faith increases, our trust is strengthened. This is a very welcoming and nurturing group. If you're curious, just check out our class on any Sunday morning at 9:00AM and enjoy some coffee and rolls with the friendly folks of our bible study.

Details

When:	9:00AM, Sunday mornings
Where:	Church lounge, next to the church office, on the sanctuary level.

Curriculum Materials

Weekly materials for our bible study are made available to online for those who wish to participate, follow along, or read ahead. To download these materials, click on the download link beneath the scripture reading for that week.

Studies for 2011

June 12, 2011 Acts 2:1-21 download	Pentecost Despite what appears to be chaos in the amazing account of this day of Pentecost, order rests in God's hands. God's Spirit pours abundantly on the community of disciples, renewing them with a diversity of gifts for the common good. Jesus' followers then and now pray to remain open to where the Spirit may blow.
June 5, 2011 Acts 1:6-14 download	Spirit of Witness At the time o Jesus' ascension, Jesus promises that the Spirit will continue to shape the disciples as the Body of Christ. This community is commissioned to do the work of Christ "to the ends of the earth." A time of prayer prepares disciples for their lives as witnesses to the saving love of God.
May 29, 2011 John 14:15-21 download	Witness of Love As Jesus promised, God's presence abides in us through the Spirit - our advocate, comforter, and encourager - and the practice of love. God's nearness in Spirit blesses us in our witness. The hallmark of this relationship is love expressed in word and deed.
May 22, 2011 Acts 7:55-60 download	Enduring Witness As we engage the stories of the first followers of Jesus the Christ, we encounter the enduring witness of their words and actions. Stephen was empowered by the Spirit in such faithful living. his life witnesses to teh challenges that may come when the gospel bumps up against established religion or society. God is our sure refuge as we are built into the Body of Christ.
May 15, 2011 Acts 2:42-47 download	Powerful Witness Readings from Acts int eh Season of Easter relate accounts of the earliest Christian community. This body is formed by Christ and nourished by the Spirit through teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Such daily actions continue to bring the Body of Christ to life and shape its powerful witness to its neighbors.
May 8, 2011 Luke 24:13-35 download	Breaking Bread Two meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and Jesus makes himself known to them in the scriptures and in the breaking of the bread. Jesus invites us to know him, and we too encounter the risen Christ in these ways. We join all disciples in responding to Jesus' call to love deeply from the heart.
May 1, 2011 John 20:19-31 download	Body Language Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of the day of resurrection, when Jesys breathed God's Spirit on them. We, like Thomas, are given that same Spirit the disciples received that first Easter Day. THe risen Christ is with us always, showing us the path of life in God's ways and empowering us to witness to God's saving love.
April 24, 2011 Matthew 28:1-10 download	Easter Sunday Easter is the story that defines and distinguishes Christians. It also is the point where Christians offend against common sense and science. While some speak confidently about the Resurrection, others hold back in confusion. In our raising wit Christ, we celebrate life's promise. We can witness to fear's limits and love's power. Thanks be to God!
April 17, 2011 Matthew 26:14 - 27:66 download	Palm/Passion Sunday The account of Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion stirs strong emotions and challenging questions in individuals and communities. Because God attends to us when our praise shouts "hosanna," when our pain cries "why," and when we are at a loss for words, we can move forward in trust and faith. God holds all our times.
April 10, 2011 Ezekiel 37:1-14 download	Breath of Hope When we find ourselves in the depths of trouble, it can be difficult to imagine how we might ever feel alive again. Today's readings remind us that God's Spirit gives life and hope - to the dry bones int he valley, to a family whose brother has died, to anyone whois in despair. We trust in God's power to forgive and restore, to breathe new hope into our dry bones.
April 3, 2011 Psalm 23 download	Restored How can we describe God, who is so far beyond human understanding? THe psalmist uses the metaphor of shepherd, one who guards and cares for the flock. Even when we are uncertain and afraid, we trust that God is with us to nurture and restore. God's restorative love is shown in Jesus, who brings sight to one born blind and calls all to new ways of living and seeing.
March 27, 2011 Exodus 17:1-7 download	Thirsty Voices "Is God among us or not?" is a question running through this Season of Lent. When trouble comes on their journey, the thirsty people quarrel with moses and question God's presence. With our faith ancestors, we are invited to voice our needs and to help each other. Our hope is the living water of Fod's love, poured into our hearts.
March 20, 2011 Genesis 12:1-4a download	Bold Blessing During Lent, the lectionary readings fromt he Hebrew Scriptures trace the story of God's love over centuries of history. As we examine the bold journeys of faith that our ancestors undertook, we can grow in trust and confidence that God is with us, too, as we move into a future that is undefined, but secure in God's keeping.
March 13, 2011 Psalm 32 download	Abundant Grace God loves us, no matter what, and continually finds ways to be close to us. As we begin the Season of Lent, we reflect on the ways we seek to hide from God's steadfast ways - the words and deeds that threaten to separate us from God and neighbor. The psalmist prays for orgiveness and celebrates that the Merciful One continues to draw us into the secure place of abundant grace.
March 6, 2011 Matthew 17:1-9 download	Dazzling Reign Today's readings seem am exclaimation point to Jesus' teaching about God's realm int he Sermon on the Mount. In a place of sacred mystery, the shining and shadow of Jesus' transfiguration convey holy presence in the community of God's people across time. In this place of silence and witness, Jesys' followers catch a glimpse of God's dazzling reign.
February 27, 2011 Matthew 6:24-34 download	Putting Love First God cares for us and provides for our needs. At this very moment, we are dwelling in the realm of God; we are formed by God's ongoing relationship with us. When we are distracted by everyday pressures, it can be a challenge to put God's love first in our lives. Jesus invites us to entrust our very being to God's Spirit as we participate in God's ways.
February 20, 2011 Matthew 5:38-48 download	Expanding Boundaries What does it mean to love our neighbor? Jesus teaches us what it means to live in a right relationship with others. We are called to lvoe the way God loves - choosing to act with compassion and to love without discrimination. As we expand the boundaries of our concern, we grow into maturity and wholeness.
February 13, 2011 Matthew 5:21-37 download	From the Heart Jesus helps us take another look at some commandments to discover what is at the heart of the law - love of God and love of neighbor. God's people are urged to choose to act in ways that are life-giving. As we work together to live into the vision of God's reign, we can be assured that it is God who gives the growth.
February 6, 2011 Matthew 5:13-20 download	Restoring Beauty Jesus tells us that we are salt and light as we seek to live as God's people in the world. With the Spirit's help, we offer our gifts and talents to extend the reach of God's realm. With Isaiah and the psalmist, we learn what it means to "practice righteousness," to restore beauty in community as we live out the hear of our faith.
January 30, 2011 Matthew 5:1-12 download	Vision Beautiful Today we begin a five-week exploration of a caollection of Jesus' sayings known as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus' radical vision of what God's reign on earth might look like is a vision of wholeness for all people. Paul reminds us that God's wisdom is different from worldly wisdom. Micah and the psalmist describe ways to live this vision beautiful.
January 23, 2011 Matthew 4:12-23 download	Called Together During the Season after the Epiphany, the scriptures invite us to journey together into the choices and changes that mark the lives of those who follow in God's ways. Just as the group of fishers who choose to follow Jesus, we too are called to follow in God's ways, Choosing to embrace the changes that accompany such choice.
January 16, 2011 Isaiah 49:1-7 download	All That We Are What do we give our strength to? In this season after the Epiphany, we explore God's call to us. Isaiah is called by God to proclaim the restoration of Israel. Paul encourages those "called to be sains." Jesys calls disciples. Through these accounts, we are invited to consider the ways that God's call comes to us and discover the ways that God equips and strengthens us to live into this call - to be all that we are.
January 9, 2011 Matthew 3:13-17 download	Possibilities Unfolding As we enter the Season after the Epiphany, the scriptures invite us to wonder about the unfolding possibilities that are opened to us through the revealing of God's ays in Jesus the Christ. On this Baptism of Jesus Sunday, we hear God's Spirit-filled voice speaking new things into action, reminding us that we are God's beloved children and planting God's purpose in our midst.
January 2, 2011 Matthew 2:1-12 download	Epiphany On this day the church celebrates Epiphany, a name that comes from the Greek word meaning "to make manifest" or "to display." On this day and during this season after Epiphany, Christians rejoice int he gift of saving love and the unfolding vision of wholeness that God has made manifest for all people in Jesus the Christ. Our call is to participate in proclaiming this good news.

Studies for 2010

More Information

For more information please contact Pastor Tam by phone (733-1325) or by email (christained@saintjamespres.org)

December 26, 2010 Psalm 148 download	Cosmic Praise All creation praises God who, by speaking, brings all things into being. We, along with earth and sky, sing priases to God and rest in God's care. God creates us, brings us out of situations of separation, and saves us in our times of distress. We celebrate that Jesus, "God with us," shares our humanity and reaches out to us with God's saving love.
December 19, 2010 Matthew 1:18-25 download	God with Us The gospel of Matthew helps us see the story of Jesus's birth through the eyes of Juseph - a descendant of David, a righteous man obedient to God's surprising call. Jesus's birth continues the story of God's care for God's people. As Christians we believe that, in Jesus, God enteres into human history to bring God's saving love and to restore us to right relationship with God and each other. God is with us.
December 12, 2010 Luke 1:47-55 download	Heartbeat of Justice God's saving ways are full of surprises. God chooses young Mary to be the mother of Jesus the Christ. Mary's prophetic voice invites us to rejoice in God's work of justice, which seems shocking and upside-down in the world's eyes. Her hearbeat becomes ours as we bear this vision of wholeness to the world. Rejoice!
December 5, 2010 Isaiah 11:1-10 download	Vision of Peace Shalom is the Hebrew word for the healthy wholeness of life that God desires for all creation. The vision of how this peace, justice, and wellness will come into the world can be shocking. Dead stumps send out live shoots. Spirit-led leaders rule for the poor. Hatred and animosity are released. We are invited to turn again to God and live into this vision.
November 28, 2010 Matthew 24:36-44 download	Ready and Waiting We begin this Season of Advent not with news of a baby born, but with unsettling images of the end of time as we know it. God's promise of hope comes to birth in our midst in surprising ways, bringing a peace to which all nations will be drawn. Be ready and waiting for signs of God's reign breaking into the world - that day is near.
November 21, 2010 Colossians 1:11-20 download	Together in Christ The readings for Reing of Christ/Christ the King Sunday offer a variety of images of Jesus - firstborn of creation, righteous king, one who suffers and yet reigns over the world, one who comes to show us what God is like. As we journey together into the full reign of Christ, we rejoice in God's steadfast promise of salvation, forgiveness, and peace.
November 14, 2010 Isaiah 65:17-25 download	Infinite Possibilities God is creating new heaven and new earth, a reign of harmony and wholeness for all creation. As disciples, we are called to explore what it means to live into this vision of infinite possibilities and to help bring about a world of justice and peace.
November 7, 2010 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 download	Hold On to Faith The community of faith, as well as individuals, can experience moments of doubt and crises of faith. Even the most faithful may suffer from what the mystics call, "the dark night of the soul." In such moments, we can turn to God, recall the divine purpose, hold onto faith, stand firm, and care for one another in God's love.
October 31, 2010 Luke 19:1-10 download	Transforming Welcome When we feel lost we may experience a loneliness of spirit that leads us to cry, "Where are you, O God?" Even as our hearts long to seek after God, God sarches for us. God welcomes us through the friendship of Jesus the Christ, finding those who are lost, welcoming those who are considered outcasts, and lifting up those who are weary.
October 24, 2010 Luke 18:9-14 download	Just Worship From time to time, the gospel writers challenge our attitudes towards other people, as well as our deepest values. They jolt us to consider life from the viewpoint of God's compassionate openness. God's welcome is for all. We are encouraged to open our hearts in humility, and trust that we are accepted and loved for who we are.
October 17, 2010 Luke 18:1-8 download	Ask Boldly, Live Justly Jesus' disciples of every time and place are called to persistence in prayer, persistence in proclaiming God's word, and persistence in seeking justice. When our longing for the realization of God's vision of justice is most intense, Jesus encourages us to ask boldly and live justly, with confidence that God's ways ultimately will prevail.
October 10, 2010 Jeremiah 29:1,4-7 download	Planting Life Remembering who they were and whose they were, the Hebrew exiles lived with faith that God was still with them. Living, being, and growing as God's people, they found the strength they needed to survive the exile, to walk and not faint, to struggle and find meaning. Ultimately, faith plants new life.
October 3, 2010 Psalm 137 download	Free to Grieve Sometimes pain is so deep and strong that it is very difficult to express it or even acknowledge it. Yet, we are welcomed to open our hearts, to grieve, and even to express our anger before God. Such honesty is invited in prayer as God accpets our pain in all its fullness and rawness. In such freedom to grieve, healing can begin.
September 26, 2010 Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 download	Surprising Investment In the midst of seeming hopelessness, God provides surprising and radical gestures of hope. Though it may be difficult to understand, God's trustworthiness is sure, God's plans are hopeful, and God's faithfulness is comforting. In our faith rituals, we celebrate our relationship with God, even in times of chaos and stress.
September 19, 2010 1 Timothy 2:1-7 download	Prayerful Living With the community addressed in 1 Timothy, we are reminded that God's people pray in all circumstances. We are urged to pray for everyone, including political leaders, so that all people may live in God's reign of peace and wholeness - shalom. God's wise ways lead and encourage us as we seek to live prayerfully as members of the Body of Christ and also citizens of our own countries.
September 12, 2010 1 Timothy 1:12-17 download	Growing in God's Love Being in a relationship with God can, at times, be like a lover's quarrel. HOwever, God never gives up, always seeking to repair the relationship and restore the love. God takes he initiative so that we may live securely in God's liberating and nurturing ways. As we are growing in God's love, we can learn to mirror God's relationship with us in our relationships with one another.
September 5, 2010 Philemon 1-21 download	A New Identity Being in a relationship with Christ is life-changing. it shapes who we are, changes our outlook, and inspires us to live in God's ways. From the heart of live, justice flows out into all our relationships, even when doing so is difficult or comes at a cost. We wrestle with the implications of our new identity as individuals and as the church, discerning with one another how to live into God's grace and peace.
August 29, 2010 Luke 14:1,7-14 download	Open Table An invitation in the mailbox brings anticipation of an event to come. Some invitations require formal replies; some expect only that we will show up. Each one requires us to decide whether we will accept the invitation and under what conditions. Today's readings prompt similar reflection on the invitation that is extended to the open table of God's realm.
August 22, 2010 Luke 13:10-17 download	Healing Reign God breaks into our world and shakes things up. When Jesus reaches out to the woman who is bent over and proclaims she is "set free," we rejoice in our liberation as well. We are set free to respond to God's call and participate fully in the new life of God's healing reign.
August 15, 2010 Psalm 80:1-2,8-19 download	Restore Us In today's readings there is a sense of sadness and disappointment - shattered dreams. Yet there is also a theme of hope. When life goes terribly wrong, we can trust that God forgives us and helps us to pick up the pieces, rebuild, and begin again. In confidence and hope, we affirm that God will resotre us and strengthen us to the end.
August 8, 2010 Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16 download	Living into the Promise So much in modern society challenges the biblical images of God's reign of justice and mercy. The readings for today encourage us to look to the example of faithful witnesses for the assurance we need to keep hoping and believing int he ultimate promise of this reign. In their lives we glimpse the dynamic nature of faith and are challenged to reflect on our personal call to build on the past for the sake of the future, by living faithfully.
August 1, 2010 Luke 12:13-21 download	Soul Investment Jesus continues to help disciples explore the meaning of life in God's reign. In declaring that accumulating material things cannot control our paths in life or our happiness, the witness of scripture challenges us to invest our souls in living in ways that are "rich toward God."
July 25, 2010 Luke 11:1-13 download	Shaped By Prayer Today's readings lift up God's nature of love and compassion, and assure us of God's readiness to hear and attend to our prayers. Prayer shapes the heart of a disciple's relationship with God. As Jesus taught and modeled, prayer keeps us nourished to live and share the good news of God's love in Christ.
July 18, 2010 Luke 10:38-42 download	Word and Work The call to take up the work of discipleship encompasses a call to ground our daily living in the word of God. We are called to listen to God's word of grace, and then let it shape our lives eash day. In spite of the ways we fall short as disciples as we live in God's reign, it is Christ - and not our own actions - that holds all together.
July 11, 2010 Luke 10:25-37 download	Caring Neighbors Ordinary actions of everyday life hav great potential for good. Our readings today invite us to consider how love and compassion are the essence of living faithfully in God's reign. They call us to shape our lives according to God's justice and mercy, striving for relationships that enable caring community.
July 4, 2010 2 Kings 5:1-14 download	Surprising Prophets God offers healing, acceptance, and forgiveness; at times these come in surprising ways. Such wholeness of live comes through God's grace, not through power, wealth, or adherance to human rules. God challenges us to become the Spirit's new creation - to commit wholeheartedly to lovingly and joyfully expanding the work of God's reign.
June 27, 2010 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 download	Pick Up the Mantle There are many kinds of leadership and may opportunities to serve as followers. We receive stories, traditions, and visions of our faith and weave them into the fabric of our own lives. In turn we pass this matle - these stories, traditions, and visions - along to others. When we pick up the mantle God gives us, we journey under the Spirit's guidance.
June 20, 2010 1 Kings 19:1-4,(5-7_,8-15a download	In God's Presence Today's readings invite us to turn our whole selves - body, mind and spirit - towards God, who envelops us in grace. God nourishes and sustains us, and reaches out to us in the depths of despair or aloneness. There are challenges in being faithful; God delights in each one of us and supports us as we journey in God's presence.
June 13, 2010 1 Kings 21:1-10, (11-14), 15-21a download	Choose Justice God's sons and daughters are called to live lives that are holy and just. The choices we make each day have consequences. God does not delight in wickedness, and holds those who perpetuate injustice responsible. This judgement stands in tension with God's welcome for those who turn to God for forgiveness. God's people can take courage in choosing justice.
June 6, 2010 1 Kings 17:8-16,(17-24) download	Courageous Compassion God's presence and care are often given form through the actions of God's people. Both Elijah and Jesus show compassion as they minister to those considered by many to be on the fringes of society. As we encounter such faithful witnesses, we continue to learn what it means to listen for God's voice and to seek to follow faithfully in God's ways.
May 30, 2010 Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31 download	Wisdom Calls As we enter the Season after Pentecost, we encounter again the God who creates and delights in us, loves us, frees us, calls us, and equips us for discipleship. On this Trinity Sunday, the texts invite exploration of three aspects of the Divine Presence: Creator, Wisdom, and Spirit. They create an image of a delightful relationship among the persons of the Trinity, who call us to live and move and have our being in God.