A global pandemic, political upheaval, a changing climate… these days, the future is more uncertain than it has ever been. Or is it? For the people of the Bible, life was often shaped by deep uncertainty. Encounters with God sparked awe, confusion or courage, but rarely certainty. Instead, God’s people have always been called to follow God into the unknown, trusting in God’s certain grace and love. This three-session summer Bible study explores God’s invitation to the people of the Bible and to us, to take the holy journey beyond certainty to curiosity, community and compassion, where we find abundant life in Christ.
May/June 2024 issue
After certainty: Curiosity
Jesus’ ministry, during the uncertainty of the first century Roman occupation, often challenged the “certainties” of the status quo when it came to faith, power and relationships—both the relationships between people and God, and between people in community. Just as curiosity drew people to Jesus and his message, holy curiosity can still lead us to the places where God transforms “what is” to “what could be.”
July 2024
After certainty: Community
When certainty in faith becomes the responsibility of the individual, this can isolate us from God and from community. The reformer Martin Luther’s own failures of certainty led him to return to passages in the gospels and epistles that proclaimed salvation, not as a reward for our certainty, but as a gift granted in and through community. In this second session, we consider how some of the pivotal texts of the Lutheran Reformation changed the church and the world.
August 2024
After certainty: Compassion
When certainty becomes judgmentalism, it contributes to divisions between people and within communities. The teachings of Jesus and the pastoral writings of the apostle Paul sometimes urge people to choose compassion over correctness—a model that can offer Christians guidance in a polarized time.
We inadvertently left off the Bible study closing prayer ritual for session three of the “After certainty” Bible study session. The activity should have appeared under the “Optional wrap-up activities” section on page 38 of the July/August 2024 issue.
Optional Bible study closing ritual:
For a closing ritual, set up a prayer table with a cross and candle in the center. Remind members that each was given a stone to hold during this session, and this stone can represent them: their concerns and joys, their stories and perspectives. Invite each member to place their stone on the prayer table as you pray the closing prayer and sing the closing hymn. Then, invite each member to take a different stone from the table home with them. This can remind the group of your calling and commitment to curiosity, community, and compassion.
For the August study you might want to share the free resource from Women of the ELCA “Called to be political” as a follow up
Thank you, Myrna. Women of the ELCA offers the free resource, “Called to be Political,” here: https://www.womenoftheelca.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Calledtobepolitical.pdf
I’m introducing the Gather studies over the summer to a group of women at our church. I’ve done a study in the past ,using Gather, and it was very good. When will the next session in the series be available and will it also be a free download? I hope to encourage the group to subscribe to Gather so that we continue in the Fall with another study. Thank you for providing such a wonderful resource.
Hi, Mary. Thanks for your message. Gather offers a free Bible study series each summer. We posted the first session of the “After certainty” Bible study series here: https://www.gathermagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/June-2024-Bible-study.pdf We will post the remaining two sessions in the coming weeks. You can find out details about group subscriptions here: https://www.cambeywest.com/subscribe2/default.aspx?p=GAT&f=gift
Anxiously awaiting more teaching from Pastor Meghan. . . and looking forward to her summer visit