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Complete Adult Formation Kit
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Since the 1990s, I have led an Adult Education, or Formation, class most Sundays at Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Years ago, I began using PowerPoint presentations for lectionary and Bible study materials because it was hard to know how many paper copies we would need. PowerPoint also made it easy to include art, sta
Since the 1990s, I have led an Adult Education, or Formation, class most Sundays at Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Years ago, I began using PowerPoint presentations for lectionary and Bible study materials because it was hard to know how many paper copies we would need. PowerPoint also made it easy to include art, stained glass images, maps, and other visual aids—the kind of resources once found on Sunday school flip charts.
Some churches already have everything required for this kind of setup. For those that do not, the “How to” section offers practical instructions to help any congregation create an engaging adult formation space on a budget.
$200.00 Budget
The class materials here are free - I enjoyed making them and presenting them. I want you to enjoy them as well. You can do every course here for one initial investment of less than $200.00. If you are lucky enough to have a class space already equipped for PowerPoint, then you would have no cost.
Take the Plunge
Take the Plunge
Explore the samples and instruction videos to see what is possible—and to be reminded that you can answer your call to formation. Technology can feel intimidating at first, but it can also open the door to richer study, deeper conversation, and a wider range of resources. My hope is to help adults in the Episcopal Church become more fam
Explore the samples and instruction videos to see what is possible—and to be reminded that you can answer your call to formation. Technology can feel intimidating at first, but it can also open the door to richer study, deeper conversation, and a wider range of resources. My hope is to help adults in the Episcopal Church become more familiar with the Bible: what it actually says, rather than only what others insist it must say.
With a little study, you may discover that the Gospel is truly good news—not merely somewhat good news. The Lord loves you, will never abandon you, and is there when you look.
Invitation to Sunday Lectionary Class
The link below is to a regular Sunday session of the Lectionary Class held each Sunday at 9:00 AM U S Central Standard Time. The class uses a Microsoft Teams format. No download is needed beyond clicking the Link and following the on screen directions.
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+1 501-295-7463 United States, Little Rock (Toll)
Conference ID: 969 280 966#
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Proper 12 RCL A
Sample of a Genesis Bible Study
Nicene Creed
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Proper 12 RCL A
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The Collect Proper 12 O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Collect Proper 12 The operational section of the collect is: “Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; …” This appears to be a cosmic call for believers to keep “their eye on the ball” so to speak and properly order the here and material now with the greater reality of the Kingdom of God. Collect Proper 12 The lessons for this Sunday take an interesting trip around this topic. From Solomon’s wise request for wisdom to better govern his people, to his father David’s spectacular failing with his eye for a bathing Bathsheba and away from his duty of governance and perverted use of God’s gift of David’s kingship. The New Testament readings deal with Paul’s assurance that nothing can separate us from God in RCL A, to his warning to the Colossians in RCL C not to be concerned with the forms of worship but the substance. In RCL B the reading from Ephesians is in a way a restatement of the collect’s plea. Collect Proper 12 The reading for RCL C Luke 11:1-13 , the comparison by Jesus of a parent’s aid to a child with God’s: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!“ In RCL B, the Gospel is the feeding of the multitude and is an illustration that God stands for life, by the provision of food needed in the Temporal world and salvation in the eternal world. The collect reminds and encourages us to be mindful of the right priorities. Genesis 29:15-28 Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?" Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me." So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Genesis 29:15-28 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed." So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?" Laban said, "This is not done in our country-- giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years." Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. Turn About Is Fair Play Jacob the trickster, is himself tricked. The footnotes suppose that this deception was possible as the bride was brought veiled to the bridegroom. The week refers to the complete bridal festivities that lasted one week. The reading omits an introduction and a postlude about the children born to Leah while Rachel was without children. Rachel Rachel’s name means "ewe," a young lamb. The story is a love story, succinctly told. Rachel, after a long wait will become the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. For a love story it is rather one sided. The actors are Jacob and Laban. We don’t know whether Rachel or Leah cared for Jacob, or most interesting, what was Rachel’s reaction when Leah was taken. The trick [first trick] If Jacob had not tricked his brother out of the birthright, he would not have needed to depart. Jacob otherwise might not have been so willing to stay the first and then second seven years - as movie mobsters on the lam have known for years, you need to lay low until the heat is off. We see an example of what looked bad at first, but that ends up working for good. The two statues on either side of Moses were created for the final version of the tomb of Julius II. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Rachel and Leah, 1545,
Marble, S. Pietro in Vincoli, Rome Rachel is the symbol of contemplative life, and Leah that of the active life. Nicolaes Berchem, Landscape with Jacob, Rachel, and Leah, 1643 Oil on canvas, 166 x 138 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris Claude Lorrain,
Jacob, Laban, and His Daughters, c. 1676
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London Joseph von Führich,
Jacob Encountering Rachel with her Father's Herds
1836
Oil on canvas, 66 x 92 cm
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna Hendrick Terbrugghen, Jacob Reproaching Laban, 1628
Oil on canvas, 123,5 x 157,5 cm
Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne Psalm 105:1-11, Confitemini Domino 1 Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples. 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works. 3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4 Search for the LORD and his strength; *
continually seek his face. 5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth, Psalm 105:1-11, Confitemini Domino 6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen. 7 He is the LORD our God; *
his judgments prevail in all the world. 8 He has always been mindful of his covenant, *
the promise he made for a thousand generations: 9 The covenant he made with Abraham, *
the oath that he swore to Isaac, 10 Which he established as a statute for Jacob, *
an everlasting covenant for Israel, 11 Saying, "To you will I give the land of Canaan *
to be your allotted inheritance." 45 Hallelujah! Psalm 105 The story of God's great deeds on behalf of his people This psalm is paired with Psalm 106, and was composed for use at one of the major festivals and consists of a recital of the basic events which created the nation of Israel. Both Psalm 105 and Psalm 106 at some point in their history were provided with the ritual shout "Hallelujah!" The introduction is a summons to the congregation to start praise and thanksgiving. In the omitted sections the theme is God's faithfulness to his covenant with Israel's ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the story of Joseph and the Exodus. Psalm 128 Page 783, BCP
Beati omnes 1 Happy are they all who fear the LORD, *
and who follow in his ways! 2 You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours. 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table. 4 The man who fears the LORD *
shall thus indeed be blessed. 5 The LORD bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you live to see your children's children; *
may peace be upon Israel. 1 Kings 3:5-12 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 1 Kings 3:5-12 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. Introduction to 1 Kings The two books of Kings were originally one and cover the story of monarchy from the death of David to the Exile. Both books of Kings resulted from a long process of collection and revision of diverse materials that are lost to us now. Often in the text the reader is referred to other documents such as The "Book of the Acts of Solomon," and there seems to have been such a book for most of the Kings who will be covered. The book’s theme is the moral and religious failure that eventually led to the exile. Each king is evaluated by how well he followed or in most cases failed to follow God’s lead, with King David as the measure. In particular, 1 Kings recounts the story of Solomon's glory and his downfall in apostasy –remember the Egyptian wife. The Wisdom of Solomon This is the start of the rule of Solomon and the explanation for his wisdom. The chapter opens with Solomon’s marriage to an Egyptian Wife. This story is immediately followed by the story of the two women and the child. Psalm 119:129-136 Ayin Feci judicium 129 Your decrees are wonderful; *
therefore I obey them with all my heart. 130 When your word goes forth it gives light; *
it gives understanding to the simple. 131 I open my mouth and pant; *
I long for your commandments. 132 Turn to me in mercy, *
as you always do to those who love your Name. Psalm 119:129-136 Ayin Feci judicium133 Steady my footsteps in your word; *
let no iniquity have dominion over me. 134 Rescue me from those who oppress me, *
and I will keep your commandments. 135 Let your countenance shine upon your servant *
and teach me your statutes. 136 My eyes shed streams of tears, *
because people do not keep your law. Psalm 119 This was one of the alternatives for Proper 10 although it was a different part [105-110]. It is a very long acrostic, a Meditation on the Law of God. The reading for today is a Praise of the law and prayer for deliverance from enemies. Romans 8:26-39 The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:26-39 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, Romans 8:26-39 "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Confidence in God Paul here affirms that the Spirit will help us even when we do not know what to do. To be a Christian in the first century was both difficult and dangerous Neither death, nor life will separate us from God The reference is to Angels. . . rulers ... powers, supernatural beings, whether evil or good, and of various ranks Height and depth may be an astrological reference i.e. the highest point to which the stars rise and the abyss out of which they were thought to ascend not even these powers can separate us from Christ or defeat God's purpose for us. Predestination The notion of predestination, God's foreknowledge and arrangement of events, has been an important doctrine in certain forms of Christianity. Protestantism, particularly in forms historically and theologically related to John Calvin. In particular this doctrine refers to God's predetermining who is elected and therefore, naturally, who is not. In the ancient world, however, the idea of predestination and foreknowledge had a wider connotation and was common in secular as well as religious writings. Predestination As used in the New Testament this was a rather common Greek notion of foreknowledge. These concepts were used by writers comfortable with the Greek philosophical milieu to reconcile the events that had taken place recently in Jesus with the historic events and promises of Israel's past. Over the centuries the concept has been modified and utilized for a host of theological and social conflicts that the Greek and Jewish writers of the first century CE could not have anticipated and probably would never have imagined. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Today’s reading is the principal support for the Predestination doctrine. The counter argument concerns God’s universal saving will. Augustine gave the doctrine its robust form on the basis of Paul; the universal-saving-will counter came largely from the Greek tradition, and it has been the subject of Synods and disagreement ever since. The number of the saved has been a subject of speculation from early times. The Episcopal View The Thirty-Nine Articles as found in the end section of the Book of Common Prayer [BCP] gives the ‘condensed’ version of this doctrine. The following concerns predestination. XVII. Of Predestination and Election. Predestination to Life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore, they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God, be called according to God’s purpose by his Spirit working in due season: they through Grace obey the calling: they be justified freely: they be made sons of God by adoption: they be made like the image of his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ: they walk religiously in good works, and at length, by God’s mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity. As the godly consideration of Predestination, and our Election in Christ, is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing up their mind to high and heavenly things, as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God: So, for curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the sentence of God’s Predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the Devil doth thrust them either into desperation, or into wretchlessness of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation. Furthermore, we must receive God’s promises in such wise, as they be generally set forth to us in Holy Scripture: and, in our doings, that Will of God is to be followed, which we have expressly declared unto us in the Word of God. What did they Say? Article XVII is not an example of clear writing, old or new. This reflects the controversy. It seems to say that good people will find confirmation in it, and bad people, knowing behavior does not matter, will do bad things. The Article casts the ‘curious and carnal’ as those lacking the Spirit of Christ, so it does not plainly place them among the elect. Still, I am inclined to read it as leaning away from Calvin’s strictly limited elect toward the hope that Jesus saved all of us - including the people we like and the people we don’t like. Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 Jesus put before the crowds another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." Context If you notice this reading skips forward, the gap is last week’s reading about weeds at the end of the age…. Jesus tells today’s parables; afterward they go into a house, and He explains the parable of the weeds (the tares), but not today’s parables. Parables This week’s reading deals with five short parables. The general subject matter is the nature of God’s Kingdom. The Kingdom of God This term is also stated as the Kingdom of Heaven. OT Some held that it was not visible due to heathen empires on the earth. OT some held the conception of a spiritual and invisible kingdom of God in this life to which the good man might belong. The Apostles and others saw a coming political Kingdom. Jesus stressed the ethical and religious qualities demanded of those who were to enjoy it. The parables were to correct then current popular misconceptions. The mustard seed This parable also appears in Luke 13.18-19 and in Mark 4.30, in almost identical form and is also in the Gospel of Thomas. The beginnings of God's kingdom are small, but it has an inherent nature that will grow to its intended end, startlingly different in size from its beginning. Yeast This appears again in Luke 13.20-21. God's rule, like yeast working in a hidden way, will pervade one's life, giving it a new quality. Hidden Treasure This is unique to Matthew and is also in the Gospel of Thomas Some people respond in wholehearted dedication to Jesus' message without any other thought than to have what it yields.
Caspar Luiken (1672-1708), “Treasure Found” from Historiae celebriores Veteris Testamenti Iconibus representatae The Pearl of Great Value This is unique to Matthew and is also in the Gospel of Thomas Some people dedicate themselves to God's kingdom because, being able to judge the value of other claims being made on them, they value it more. The drag net This is unique to Matthew and is also in the Gospel of Thomas. This is called variously the Drag Net or the Great Net. The Footnotes offer no clues on this one. Common Themes Three of these are about growth. Others about hidden value that is worth acquiring. Speculation We are being told about the Kingdom of Heaven or God and I think that this is something we may acquire in the here and now. The Kingdom as described in the Gospels is so vastly different from the kingdoms where we live whether now or the Roman world. We are told that finding the Kingdom will be hard to see perhaps only very small indications, but worth the effort to locate it like hidden treasure in a field – perhaps the same field where there was bad ground, rocky roads and hard places, but also good soil.
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