Living a Life of Faith A Four Week Bible Study on Select Parables of Jesus Rev. Michelle Bodle
Introduction to the Parables: Jesus often spoke through parables, narrative stories that held a message beneath the service. However, even after thousand of years of studying these stories, Christians today still often are just as confused as the first disciples as to their meaning. What exactly is Jesus trying to communicate to us - simply something that we should believe or a way to live that may change our lives as well as the lives of others? These stories of Jesus are often memorable because they call us to examine ourselves. They are also memorable, at times, because they are so foreign to the way we live our lives today. Over the next four weeks, I would like to invite you into a study of scripture that asks you to examine, both individually and as a faith community, how you live out the faith Jesus is calling us to through the parables. Parables are meant to be studied over and over, because their message is so central to who we are as Christians. Further, the message is multi-layered, asking us to peel it back piece by piece, discovering something new. Parables are composed to transform us, slowly, for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Brief Word about Format: As United Methodists we believe that we can examine our lives through four lenses: Scripture (being the primary source), tradition, reason, and experience. While most Bible studies start and end with Scripture, and rarely address the other parts of the quadulaterial, this Bible study starts with our reason and experience and then examines it through the context of scripture and tradition of interpretation. While this may seem a bit odd at first, I would encourage you to experiment with this format in your small group, learning from the wisdom that God has graced each of us with. Further, this Bible Study does not provide you with the “right” answer to questions. Instead, questions are posed for your discussion in order to interact with the scripture and each other. Time Frame for Each Session (apx 1 hours) Gathering Together -Light a candle and have an opening prayer lead by various group members Entering into Community - Begin with framed question about participants and their experience Folding in the Text - Read the scripture provided Discussion question on scripture Another angle - Interweaving of biblical scholars - some passages may be provided, but the leader each week is encouraged to find more materials, in order to have a variety of voices concerning the text Creative Engagement - Creative activity Ritual ending - Closing prayer followed by extinguish candle Note: You will find further explanation for each particular section of the time frame in week one’s study.