This Sunday we’ll be finishing up our study in the book of Hebrews, reading all of chapter 13 and the writer’s closing thoughts.

There is a lot packed into the wrap-up – but in many ways the author is restating in practical terms what’s been unfolding in the previous 12 chapters. We are given a framework by which the greater life that comes through Christ can be lived out. We have described for us how Jesus is tangibly greater.

in v1-6 we’re encouraged about where, how and who we give our love to. The word that the writer uses for “love” in v1 is “philedelphia“. How can a familial sort of love be encouraged within the church community? In what ways can a church community show hospitality to stranger?

The Christian has always been called to a counter-cultural view of sex and sexuality and materialism. How does our culture view sex, and how does that differ from God’s intent according to this passage in Hebrews? How can a love for money interfere with our love for God? How does remembering God’s care for us influence us away from loving money?

In v7-17 we move from love to faith. What leaders do you suppose the writer has in mind, and what do you think it means to honor them? Given all the other instructions found in the New Testament about discerning what’s being taught to us, this can’t mean that we follow people without question. What are some ways we can we question or even disagree with a leader and still be respectful of the calling?

Considering that Hebrews is written to Jewish believers who are feeling the pressure of claiming Jesus as Messiah – what comfort would it bring to them to remember that Jesus accomplished God’s great purposes outside of Jerusalem and away from the temple?

What sacrifices does the writer challenge us to bring to God? How are they different from the sacrifices of the Old Testament?

This has been a challenging book, that’s for sure….but also very rewarding. I hope it’s been that way for you too. See you Sunday!

What sort of things do you consider to be part of a stable life? What kinds of events or circumstances seem to threaten a person’s stability in life? This Sunday we’re going to consider some of the things that go into a stable, unshakable life as the book of Hebrews describes it. We’ll be reading Hebrews 12:14-29.

If I were to be honest, I’m not that crazy about what v12 commands of us. What sort of person do you find it most difficult to have peace with? The Greek word for “strive” is dioko – which means to run after something, as though to hunt it. What connection do you see between peace, grace and holiness?

The story of Esau is found it Genesis 25-27. What do you believe the moral of his story is? How can prioritizing eternal goals keep us from falling into sin and painful consequences they sometimes carry?

In v18-24 the writer of Hebrews comes to his stunning climax of the letter by displaying the intense contrast between Mount Sinai where the law was given to Israel, and the result of a faith in Jesus, which brings us into God’s welcoming presence, pictured as Mount Zion. Everything about it is better…greater, hence the theme of this whole letter. What did the blood of Able speak? What does the blood of Christ speak on our behalf?

The writer finishes off by reminding us (something consistently proclaimed in Scripture) that this broken world is going to be shaken out of it’s place, and a new, resurrected world will emerge. The point he’s making is a warning about who we ally with. The shakeable world will go into destruction – but those allied with Christ will not be shaken. V28 tells us what a stable response to this grace would be – what is it?

What are your thoughts about v29? Does it make you nervous, or stoked? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

Really looking forward to this teaching! Hope to see you there!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and peace-filled Christmas! Now we look forward to the New Year…and that time of great resolutions! If there were one thing about yourself that you’d like to reform, what would it be (you may not want to answer that publicly – heh)? What about in the world at large? If there were one thing you had the power to reform, what would it be?

What about the church and religion?What, if anything, would you love to see re-formed?

This Sunday we’ll be talking about God’s intention to reform us, and all creation, as we continue our study in Hebrews, chapter 9.

This section is pretty dense – it will probably make a lot more sense to you if you read it in The Message version first. Don’t let its complexity scare you off.

I sort of think that the argument the writer is making was probably more effective in the ancient world – but the main point he’s making is still wonderful truth nonetheless. He’s moved from contrasting the ancient high priest of Levitical Judaism with Jesus to the ancient sacrificial system and how it was simply a picture of Jesus’ death on the cross for us.

V5 is interesting to me. At the end of it, he either means he doesn’t have time to talk about all the different things that were in the holy of holies in the temple…or that he can’t. Can you think of a  few reasons why, at that period in time, he didn’t know how to describe the things in there in detail? What would they be?

This passage talks a lot about blood, which can be really offputting to modern readers. It’s quite understandable. What does the writer indicate that those sacrifices were standing in the place of?

The writer sets the stage for the “coming reformation” – God’s intent to make all things new. It begins, as the writer insists, with Jesus’ death on the cross which paves the way for a new covenant (a way of relating to God) and will conclude with a new world (v28). In what ways does the author argue that a greater reform is possible under this new covenant in Christ?

Hebrews is a challenging book – but our faith grows more robust as we take the time to explore it! Hope to see you Sunday!

If you could see into the year 2050, what things that we consider necessities do you think will be obsolete by then? If you had the ability to make something obsolete…what would it be?

We’re going to be continuing our study in the book of Hebrews this Sunday, reading all of chapter 8.

As you read this chapter, you’ll find that the writer is trying to press home a point: Jesus is who the Old Testament levitical system was pointing towards. What Jesus provides to us is greater than anything that had been known previously. His readers were being tempted to return to the old patterns of obeying the Law of Moses in order to be a covenant people, but the writer is adamant that to do that is to go the wrong way.

When describing the superiority of our covenant through Christ, he draws some contrasts. Where does he say Jesus exercises his priestly duties in contrast to the priesthood of Israel. What about this makes Jesus superior in the writer’s mind?

He then quotes from Jeremiah 31 where God Himself forecasts that a new covenant is on the horizon for Israel…and all mankind. As he describes what this covenant would be like, what are the characteristics of it? How does it contrast with a covenant of compliance with a law? How do you think this contrast makes the new covenant superior?

V13 is an amazing verse to me. This should be everyone’s go-to verse if they are confronted by anyone who wants to require us to submit to the Law of Moses. What do verses 12 and 13 tell us about the nature of God’s intent for the human race?

This will be a very engaging passage of Scripture to explore – hope to see you Sunday!

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for – we have God’s love lavished on us, and that’s worth getting stoked about!

This Sunday we’ll be continuing our study in Hebrews, reading chapter 5:11-6:12. This is a passage that contains another of the “warning verses” of this letter. You will do yourself a great favor by reading this text in the Message version from the link I provided.

The writer of this letter is emphatic in saying that we are expected to mature in our walk with Christ. What do you think he means that we should be teachers by now? What do you think it means to be “skilled in the word of righteousness“? How do you think we can mature in those areas of our Christian journey?

In chapter 6, the writer begins describing what he considers baby-food – the elementary aspects of our faith. Do you consider them elementary? How would you paraphrase what these “foundational” truths are?

v4-8 have been scary warnings for people all throughout church history. Instead of being challenged, people get frightened of losing their salvation. As you read this in the Message version, you may get a clearer picture of what the writer is getting at. What do you think the writer is trying to say in this section? (we’ll unpack it more carefully on Sunday)

In what ways does the writer seem to indicate that we can avoid spiritual sluggishness (v12)? How do we balance the truth that we are saved by grace alone, yet we are called to good works?

This will be a challenging study, but one that’s well worth our time. Let’s submit our lives the the Living Word and see how we can enter into a greater sense of wholeness in God – cool? Hope to see you Sunday!

I can still remember what the broken clock looked like with all the glittering glass on the floor. My friend Joey and I were playing in his house. Minutes before his mom had come to warn us not to rough-house inside. Joey had complied but I had not. I still remember the pillow arching through the air, missing Joey and smashing into an antique style clock that rested on nearby table. We stood for a long time, gazing at it’s shattered delicacy.

“We gotta’ tell my mom what happened.”

I couldn’t breathe. This was all my fault. My ruination had come nigh.

“Will you tell her for me?” I pleaded.

Joey looked at me with narrowed eyes. “But you did this.”

“I know and I’m sorry, but you gotta’ tell her, I can’t do it!” After a lot of pleading and promising lifelong servitude, Joey relented and stood for me to confess the crime to his mom.

I needed a mediator. Someone to plead my case for mercy.

That’s the whole idea of priesthood in any religion that employs them. Humans who mediate between heaven and earth – advocates for humanity before God. That, the writer of Hebrews says, is what Jesus has come to do in perfection.

This Sunday we’ll be reading Hebrews 4:14-5:10 where the writer describes Jesus as our Great High Priest. The priesthood was central to the worship of ancient Israel. The writer, still asserting that Jesus is greater than all that came before him, expresses that the priesthood was merely a picture of who Jesus would be to us.

As you read through the section – and I advise doing it all in one fell swoop – look at the adjectives used to describe Jesus as our mediator. What are they, and what image of God do they convey? What qualifications for being High Priest does the writer mention? In what way did Jesus fulfill those qualifications?

Chapter 4 verse 16 is a powerful and revolutionary invitation. What do you feel when reading it? Reluctance, acceptance, relief…what?

How do you think having Jesus as a mediator between earth and heaven changes the dynamic and distinguishes Christianity from so many other religions? In what ways can we derive grace from having him as our advocate?

This is going to be such and encouraging study – hope to see you there!