Sabbath School From Home: Recent Episodes
Cameron and Lachlan Rogers
Sabbath School is perhaps the most communal and participatory element of a regular Seventh-day Adventist church event (after foot-washing), but social distancing has us all isolated at home. This is a weekly Sabbath School styled conversation on Biblical themes and passages. Join in the conversation by writing comments/questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com .
Ephesians 5 is a call to "be careful how you live".
The chapter opens with a stark juxtaposition between "worthless deeds of evil and darkness" and choices "that please the Lord". It is valuable to ponder the inclusion of greed at least as prominently as sexual immorality - an emphasis that has perhaps been lopsided in Christian history. There's also some interesting comments on music which circle back to themes of unity and community.
The second half of Ephesians 4 looks at some practical ways to pursue the unity that has formed a substantial theme of the book so far.
There's an interesting comment on anger, but we end up spending most of our time exploring the admonition to "watch the way you talk". The bar of "saying only what helps" is a very lofty goal, and has direct relevance to the way we interact online in modern society.
The theme of unity is again in the foreground.
This chapter starts with an exploration of the reason for and mechanism of unity: love. This emphasis is expressed explicitly through some wonderful verses, and also poetically through a pattern of 7 that culminates with God our father of all, "who is over all, in all, and living through all." We are intrigued by the role that teaching and doctrine plays (and specifically does not play) in all of this.
Ephesians 3 continues Paul's effervescent enthusiasm for a gospel of inclusion.
Even while taking some diversions to obliquely reference his own calling and situation, Paul sticks with the tone and theme that he has developed in the previous chapters. A few key metaphors and images jump out at us, including "mystery", "prisoner", and inclusive unity.
The New Testament claims Jesus broke down walls of hostility that divide us as people - what walls might still exist today?
We continue our steady meander through Ephesians, which this week is up to the second part of chapter 2. There are a range of meaningful metaphors here describing the inclusion of Gentiles into God's plan, culminating in sanctuary imagery that speaks of the unity God seeks to have with us as his creation.
Ephesians 2 opens with a succinct but thorough outline of the gracious gift of salvation.
This is such a clear description of the idea that God saves us by his grace and because of his love (not as a reward for our actions or attitudes) that it is hard to work out how some Christians have seen things differently. We are particularly intrigued and puzzled by a few phrases Paul uses here, such as "children of wrath" and the past tense of God having "raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms".
Paul turns to prayer as he continues to introduce this epistle.
There are two prayer sections in Ephesians (1:15-23 and 3:14-21), and we notice they have a lot in common. Even though they're positive and uplifting, we are vaguely uncomfortable because of hearing numerous didactic and disciplinary prayers in the past. Thinking about various "cultures of praying" turns into somewhat of a mirror in which we examine ourselves and personalities, and we are challenged by the idea to pray constantly.
Ephesians opens with an encouraging summary of Christian hope.
Paul seems keen to introduce themes of unity, redemption, Spirit, and inheritance. Each of these are likely to be developed further in the epistle, but even in the first 14 verses there is a range of rich ideas worth pondering. In particular, the unity described as God's plan is astoundingly wide-ranging.
Acts 19 tells a 3rd-party perspective to prepare us for studying Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
There are a number of anecdotes recorded about Paul in the city of Ephesus, and most of them seem to highlight the prominence of his activity. It seems he regularly "went viral" in the society of the day, and stayed there for some years having significant impact.
We turn to the end of Revelation to wrap up this season.
Exploring (nominally) the "3 angels messages" of Revelation 14 has been hard work at times this season, and we approach this final episode with a slight sense of exhaustion. We certainly haven't resolved all the questions that arise from these chapters! However, there is a hope and peace that seems central to the book, and comes more prominently to the foreground in the final chapters of Revelation. This is worth some attention.
What if the mark of the beast is something that we might have in varying degrees?
Thinking about "marks" in general leads us to wonder what it might mean for somebody to be Graffitied by the Beast. It is remarkable to find that Peter is declared by Jesus as the rock of the church and also decried as "Satan" within only a few verses of Matthew 16. We suspect there is room for considerable humility when thinking about beastly marks.
Sparked by a midweek conversation, we explore the book of Job as apocalyptic literature.
There are a surprising number of connections and similarities between Job and the more recognisably apocalyptic writings of Daniel and Revelation. There are scenes in heaven, and even beasts from the land and the sea!
What to do with the Rich Man and Lazarus?
This season on death and resurrection would certainly be incomplete without a discussion of the parable Jesus tells about a rich man and a pauper named Lazarus. The story has seemingly preposterous geographical details about the afterlife. This takes us to a broader conversation about how we might work out what to interpret literally? What does a literal interpretation actually mean? Along the way we notice some satisfying similarities between this parable and the story of Job.
It seems "soon" is ambiguous in God's vocabulary.
We explore the fundamental conundrum of waiting 2000 years for the "soon" return of Christ. There are a variety of ways to make some sense of this dilemma, but it is not well served by simple or trite answers. As well as Bible passages in 2 Peter 3 and Psalm 90, we reach for "friends of the podcast" C S Lewis and George McDonald for some provoking insight.
How did Jesus' disciples respond to his resurrection?
The Bible contains a few fascinating anecdotes about how the disciples responded to the resurrection. We start with the road to Emmaus and then think about whether or not Thomas deserves his "doubting" title.
What does Christ's death on the cross mean for us?
It almost seems a silly question, but there's a surprising variety of aspects to unpack on this topic. We consider a question from the lesson about "adding to what Christ has already done for us", and briefly explore what kind of understanding of the death of Jesus is revealed in Gamaliel's wise counsel in Acts 5.
Resurrections before the cross often involve children.
We look at the story of Elijah saving a young boy's life twice - and the second time is after he's died. Like many of the Old Testament resurrections, this story is remarkably connected to people outside the explicit community of God.
What is hoped-for in the Old Testament?
Some OT passages seem to fit our picture of the resurrection, but there are others which seem to come from a different picture of hope for the future. We explore a few of these that represent the variety, and see what we find out about hope.
What if the pondering the state-of-the-living is more valuable than the state-of-the-dead?
This is a shorter episode because life seems particularly busy for us at the moment - and maybe it's the same for you! Ecclesiastes 12 has verses which sometimes contribute to discussions about what happens after death, but the passage seems much more focussed on how we live here before death.
Is theology more like an umbrella or a colander?
Travel plans over the long weekend made it difficult to schedule a recording. Instead, here is a tasty morsel of contemplation that emerged during our post-recording "cool-down" conversation. Luckily it was captured in our backup recording, and we hope you enjoy this episode even though it is rather brief. This will make the most sense if you listen to the previous episode first, or at least take a look at Ezekial 28.
We consider the origin of evil, and wonder how much can be learnt of this story from old testament metaphor.
To launch a new season on death, dying, and the future hope, we dive into a malediction given to Ezekial about the King of Tyre. There is a bunch of imagery here from the Creation story, so is it valid or useful to read Satan into this passage. After a robust conversation we stumble on a gem: maybe the point is not just that Lucifer fell, but that he is always falling - and perhaps we might continue to fall also.
Wilderness temptations are a crucible for Christ.
These are recorded in both Matthew and Luke (with an interesting difference of sequence), and immediately precede the beginning of Jesus's ministry. The story seems to link back to Edenic temptations and also prefigure aspects of the struggle in Gethsemane before the crucifixion. We ponder the ways in which these clearly labelled "temptations" match that term, and some subtle ways in which faithful Christians might be tempted.
We help Cameron write a sermon about responding to people in crucibles.
Luke 8 has featured previously (season 2), but Cameron wants to preach on it and so we do an experiment in this episode: can a podcast discussion and sermon preparation be combined into a single activity?
Waiting is never easy, but it is often unavoidable.
We start with the story of David being anointed king in 1 Samuel 16 David - well before he actually takes the throne. So many of our favourite stories actually come from this long period of waiting. Cameron refers back to Season 2 Episode 8 for some examples of Jesus not wanting to make people wait, and we end up pondering the parables in Matthew 25. It seems important that we should be at least ready for a long wait.
A rough time for Ezekial has us wondering about meekness in suffering.
The story of Ezekial being instructed by God not to mourn after his wife suddenly dies is not so well known, and takes us in a few directions. The Sabbath School lesson refers to this passage as it muses about meekness, which is an attitude not always associated with life's crucibles.
Not every army has an array of singers praising the Lord!
It is not always easy to see how God's actions all fit together, and sometimes praise doesn't feel quite honest. This story in 2 Chronicles has a very prominent military positioning of the "designated praisers", and the outcome is a good one. But sometimes the outcome is not so good - what do we do in these situations?
Elisha's servant got to see chariots of fire, but where does that leave faith?
The Sabbath School lesson talks about "Seeing the Invisible", especially when times are bad. This sounds a bit like a call to persevere in faith, but it seems that actually seeing the invisible realm might provide additional evidence that diminishes the role of faith. What does it mean to have a strong faith even when times are tough?
How does self-control come into our consideration of life's crucibles?
This part of the Sermon on the Mount is well known, and is often puzzling. Cutting off hands and gouging out eyes sounds extremely draconian at first - but is this passage even talking about hands and eyes? We explore the idea of self-control, and some things that are not self-control.
Job is challenging and perhaps comforting for those in the crucible.
The lesson places a bit of attention on Job chapter 1, but we feel it is necessary to explore the whole book to arrive at anything like a balanced perspective on challenges and crucibles.
The wonderful theme of "image" turns up Immediately following last week's verse in Romans 8.
What does it mean for us to be "conformed to the image of His Son", and how does this relate to crucibles and life experiences of refinement? We meander a bit through some hurdles in this part of Romans, but find a resonance with the way Peterson expresses this concept as the "intended shape of our lives" revealed in Jesus.
What do we say and do for people who have difficulties in life that challenge faith?
This episode comes to you from a shack on the north west coast of Tasmania, where Cameron and Lachlan ponder the variety of biblical advice for people experiencing crucibles in life. Christians reach a wide range of conclusions about these situations, and there seems to be an equally varied set of perspectives present in the Bible.
If crucibles can be like a roaring lion, what exactly is a lion like?
We push the metaphor here in 1 Peter slightly too far to explore what it might mean for us to have an adversary prowling around like a lion. The conclusion surprises us, but comes directly from the text itself!
The theme of "crucibles" takes us back to ponder the valley of the shadow of death.
For the first time ever, we turn back to a chapter that we've already discussed. That was way back in Season 1, and our world has changed enough in 2 years that we have new questions to ask of the text.
Tamar is yet another somewhat troubling parenthetical side story.
Awareness of some of the cultural expectations around marriage, descendants, and inheritance does help make sense of the story of Tamar, but it remains quite unusual to our culture-shifted ears. Tamar regains substantial agency in a fraught and powerless situation, and it seems she gives Judah a live-changing lesson. It is remarkable to observe how significantly Joseph and Judah both grow in character as they go on to feature in the closing (and climactic) stories of Genesis.
Joseph's story begins a few chapters before his famous childhood dreams.
Jacobs wives, Rachel and Leah, compete in some "competitive childbearing" that echoes all the conflict between Jacob and his brother Esau. This beginning of Joseph's story has many strange details and may help us understand this character that will dominate the remainder of Genesis.
We revisit Sarah to ponder the paucity of particularity in God's plan.
This episode is a step back into the story of Abraham in response to a bit of a theme that seems to be emerging in Genesis. God clearly has a plan, but often it seems rather opaque. Abraham and Sarah take a long time to grasp what God has in mind, but when we dig a bit more at the story it seems that God didn't go out of his way to make the particulars all that clear from the start. Fascinatingly, it seems the morality of an action doesn't seem to have much bearing on how much God can use it for his plan.
It seems nobody is particularly good in this troubling story.
Genesis 34 tells the difficult story of Dinah, which certainly contains adult themes and unpleasant behaviour. In fact, it is hard to see anyone who acts in the right. After some comparatively strong women of agency (Hagar and Rebecca), Dinah has her voice almost entirely suppressed by the narrator - and we are left very curious about her opinions and perspectives on the events that unfold.
The story of Rebecca is refreshingly pleasant after the foibles of Abraham.
A number of remarkable things happen when Abraham's servant travels to find a wife for Isaac, who is only a minor character in the story. Rebecca gets most of the agency, and has much of the dialogue. We are drawn to this story because it has wholesome characters and a cheerful ending - although there are some hints that Laban might yet have a few spanners to throw in the works.
Abraham lies about his wife, and fails to recognise that others respect God.
A remarkable detail in the story of Abraham is that he lies about Sarah being his wife twice! The text clearly implies this is out of self-preservation, and we discuss what this shows about Abraham as a person. There are some sharp critiques of his attitudes towards and treatment of the women in his life, but it is valuable to recognise the "impossible possibility of salvation" even for us.
We come back to Lot and ponder some alternative histories.
In the previous episode our exploration of Abram and Lot drifted off course, and so this week we come back to discuss how it is that Lot ends up off course. It is particularly fascinating that God reiterates his promise to Abram "after Lot had gone" down to settle near Sodom and Gomorrah. Are there other ways his story could have gone?
A curious phrase leads us to discuss worship.
We set out to discuss Abraham's nephew Lot, but the phrase "Called on the name of the Lord" leads to an exploration of worship. There are a number of fresh perspectives on some of the activities that dominate "worship" and a few more novel activities which might fit the category.
The Tower of Babel has many echos of the story of Cain.
We notice a number of interesting details linking this story to that of Cain (Gen 4) and of "the Fall" (Gen 3). It is remarkable how specifically the Babel story seems to be undone in the New Testament, and we ponder how the story might best be valued today.
Our favourite repentance recipes are remarkably absent from Genesis.
This conversation follows on from last week's episode about Cain, because many of the themes from that story overlap with the story of Noah and the flood. It is fascinating to explore what is missing from these stories, especially given that we've heard them told and retold so many times.
Cain causes quite a few interesting things go wrong with the story.
There are many ways to read the story of Cain and Abel: a test of true worship, an allegory of agricultural society displacing nomadic herdsmen, the progression of sin, or an example of family disfunction. Its inescapably a "dead end" story no matter how you read it, and there are many useful challenges to ponder.
The "fall" reminds us that falls are all too common.
Perhaps the story in Genesis 3 is most important not because "it happened", but because "it is always happening". We take a look at some other falls recorded in the Old Testament.
We explore the importance of stories as we start a quarter on Genesis.
Stories are essential to the way we communicate, and most human societies have found stories to be one of the best ways to transmit meaning and significance. We think of some examples and uncover helpful insights about the ways that Genesis can have impact on our lives.
Powerful ideas continue right up to this last chapter.
We notice a few passages here that seem almost to be ideas the author forgot to include when outlining arguments in previous chapters, and dwell particularly on the theme of "doing good and sharing with those in need".
A comparison with parental discipline is troubling at first, and we find what might be the pinnacle of Hebrews.
The idea of "the Lord disciplining those he loves" is a delicate one, and there are some ideas here perhaps to unlearn. We explore this concept from a few angles. The author seems again to be trying to encourage and uplift the audience, calling for perseverance in the face of persecution.
The "Heros of Faith" chapter at last!
Lachlan takes issue with some of the inclusions in the list of Faith Heros, and we explore what aspects of their faith led to them "earning a good reputation". We are intrigued that the resurrection hope is so clearly invoked for characters from parts of the Old Testament where this idea seemed less developed. It is also important to notice the list ends with mention of the many who suffered without becoming famous.
After many metaphors for Jesus, Hebrews returns to what it means for us here and now: perseverance.
Hebrews 10 starts with a nice recap of the previous chapter, and so we focus our attention on the second half of the chapter. In many modern translations it has been given a heading about perseverance, and we again dwell on the role of good works. It is also fascinating to ponder what to do with an exhortation to "not give up meeting together" - especially after experiencing the disruptions of COVID-19!
The sanctuary is invoked to further expand the revolutionary theme of Hebrews.
This topic has been important in various ways throughout the history of the Seventh-day Adventist church, and has also been associated with painful events (starting perhaps with a need to make sense of a failed prediction of Christ's return). We attempt to read the chapter with fresh eyes and are intrigued by the specific contrasts that are made between the Israelite Tabernacle and the Heavenly Sanctuary - particularly the lack of any need to repeat.
In the NLT: "Here is the main point..."
The theme of Jesus as priest in a tabernacle has been pre-empted and teased a bit already in Hebrews, but in Chapter 8 it is presented in full. We find the metaphor to be powerful, and are intrigued by the substantial quote from Jeremiah to bolster an articulation of the "New Covenant". It is necessary to acknowledge that some historical readings of Hebrews 8 may have pushed the metaphor too far, and we draw attention to what people can agree on rather than what they might argue about.
Here's the substantial engagement with Melchizedek that we've been waiting for!
The slightly enigmatic character of Melchizedek from the Genesis story of Abraham must have been a bit more embedded in Hebrew culture than his "screen time" would suggest. The logic (and rhetoric) of the developing idea at this point in Hebrews is fun to follow, and opens a few challenging questions. Who are the "Melchizedeks" that come prior to our from outside our own cherished faith traditions?
Maturity of understanding Jesus seems to be connected with implementing our faith as love.
This chapter seems to take a temporary diversion from the building "high priest" theme to explore the idea of Christian maturity. We grapple a bit with the agricultural analogy, but the idea of "doing" as well as "believing" is pretty consistent. This chapter seems to suggest aspects of the famous faith-vs-works dichotomy are vastly over-simplified.
The theme of Jesus as high priest is presented with some intriguing details.
We are particularly surprised by descriptions of Jesus "learning obedience" and the role of His suffering. Some of the wording invokes the Creation narrative, which was something we also noticed last week in chapter 4, and this leads us to some new ideas.
We rarely pause to recognise that we ourselves might be like those who "failed to enter God's rest".
Sabbath inescapably enters this chapter's discussion of God's rest, and the concept is applied with some elegance to the idea of salvation. There's a nicely intricate argument developed here, and the chapter seems to end with a nice recapitulation of the developing themes of the book.
The developing argument moves on to Moses, and we benefit from the previous season's focus on Deuteronomy.
One of the key ideas in this chapter is the connection between belief and action, and this poses some valuable challenges. It is obvious that the book of Hebrews is developing an argument, and we anticipate some of the questions posed here will be addressed in subsequent chapters.
We grapple with how the incarnation might have changed God.
Hebrews 2 seems to present almost an opposite argument to the first chapter: namely that Jesus was made slightly lower than the angels in his humanity. There's a clear statement that his death somehow made him better able to minister as our high priest, and we find various aspects of this passage to be slightly uncomfortable - in a good way that prompts conversation!
We begin a study of Hebrews by wondering how similar we are to the first audience.
The SDA Sabbath School lesson is starting a quarter on the book of Hebrews. We are so taken by the coincidence of this book having 13 chapters that we're going to follow along with the Sabbath School themes while going chapter by chapter for each episode of this season.
The death (and resurrection) of Moses brings us to the end of Deuteronomy.
Jude mentions a slightly curious conflict between the Archangel Michael and the devil over the body of Moses that connects with a greater tradition about Moses' resurrection. This concludes our study of Deuteronomy, and we discuss how our perceptions and appreciation of this book has changed after studying it for 13 weeks.
This is the first of some shorter episodes over the holiday season.
We turn to Stephen's defense in Acts 7 to explore the topic of Deuteronomy in the New Testament.
Deuteronomy tells history in order to establish identity, and a similar "big-picture history" approach occurs in a number of the sermons in Acts. Interestingly Stephen focuses on very much the same part of the story as Deuteronomy. How do we tell our collective story, and how much does this change with the passage of time?
The topic of "Deuteronomy in the later writings" realigns us with the SDA lesson for this week.
Deuteronomy features in a number of subsequent Old Testament stories, and we look particularly at Josiah (2 Kings 23) and Jeremiah (chapter 7). Blessings and curses feature prominently in these re-engagements with the book of Deuteronomy.
It's time to focus on the curses in Deuteronomy.
Some of them seem to make more sense than others, but it still feels a bit strange to read the sets of curses in this part of the Bible.
How permanent or immovable are some of the laws in Deuteronomy?
Inspired with a changed view of the world after Jesus, the New Testament apostles didn't always follow the letter of the law from Deuteronomy. Even within a few generations of the context of Deuteronomy there are biblical examples of some flexibility. We look at a few interesting examples, and explore what this means for a contemporary engagement with this book.
The cultural inaccessibility gets deep in parts of Deuteronomy 19-21, but we still find value in their contemplation.
We're still "wandering in the wilderness" while the SDA lesson remains stuck in the earlier chapters of Deuteronomy. We will be rejoining the lesson topics more closely soon! This week we read laws about warfare, justice, captives, and trouble children. Many of these passages challenge our cultural sensibilities - and often even our Christian charity. There are certainly difficult passages here in Deuteronomy!
In some specific advice for future kings of Israel we find some useful and relevant ideas.
We're still deviating somewhat from the SDA Lesson because it seems a bit stuck around chapter 9. We're exploring the gap of almost 20 chapters that the lesson guide skips, and in this episode we read instructions for "when Israel wants a king". A number of interesting ideas connect this passage to other well-known Old Testament stories.
This phrase is familiar, but it's true call is often overlooked.
We continue our slightly uncharted journey through Deuteronomy (mostly untethered from the SDA lesson this week), but there's so much good stuff to discover! Our conversation explores a call to help the poor, and the profound promise of an ear piercing!
An emphasis on "one place of worship" in Deuteronomy 12 becomes the cause of conflict within a generation.
The SDA lesson guide dwells on Deuteronomy chapter 10 for a number of weeks, and we've already shared our thoughts on that fantastic chapter. We launch out into some of the chapters that will be overlooked by the lesson guide, and Cameron takes us to a lesser-told story in Joshua that highlights some important issues arising from Deuteronomy 12.
There was a mistake with the audio file originally published for this episode (some long sections of silence). This has been fixed.
We each have a different discussion point from Deut 6-10.
There are some great parts of these chapters, interspersed with "light genocide" that we still find troubling.
It is remarkable that God describes his Law as having evangelistic effect.
This conversation starts with some exploration of current issues arising from COVID-19 vaccinations, and that turns out to be somewhat connected to the themes of Deuteronomy. The focus this week is Deut 4:4-7, where God's Law is anticipated to attract the attention (positively) of surrounding nations.
We start our journey through Deuteronomy by examining some interesting details in chapters 1 and 2.
The lesson this week covers the first 3 chapters of Deuteronomy, but we run out of time after considering a few curious details in this introductory section of the book. It dramatically condenses the story of wandering in the wilderness, and there seem to be some places where Moses exercises exercises "editorial license".
We explore hardened hearts in the Exodus story to set the context for a season in Deuteronomy.
The story of the Exodus is the direct context for the book of Deuteronomy, and so it's a great place to start a season looking at that 5th book of the Bible. Cameron shares some interesting insights about the Plagues on Egypt that featured in a recent sermon he preached.
Proverbs often speaks of large scale consequences, so how does death relate to rest?
The Sabbath School lesson this week is about "The Ultimate Rest", and it is interesting to note that the book of Proverbs typically invokes death as a stern warning of consequences for evil. On the flip side, it speaks of righteousness and wisdom "delivering from death".
We redress, and then reconsider, the claim that Proverbs doesn't mention Sabbath.
This episode begins with a somewhat spontaneous conversation about authenticity, and then we pick up a challenge issued by a listener: Can we write a Proverb about Sabbath?
We try our hand at creating a "modern proverb", but keep finding ones in the bible that are just as relevant!
This one is even more tangential to the lesson than normal, but was a whole heap of fun. After looking at proverbs for the last 10 weeks we have noticed some of the structures and word patterns - so we have a few attempts at writing a proverb for today. Have a go at this yourself with friends, and feel free to send your proverbs to us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com.
Sabbath rest has a very particular focus on the poor and disadvantaged.
Another lesson exploring the Sabbath presents an excellent opportunity to explore the social responsibilities contained within the 4th commandment. We launch from some verses in Proverbs 29 (v4, 7, 14), and pick out a consistent theme across numerous other parts of Proverbs (17:15, 20:23, 14:31, 17:5, 21:13). Adventists have long held the "7th day" emphasis, and Christians more broadly are rediscovering the "rest" emphasis - but in this episode we consider the "inclusivity and blessing distribution" emphasis of Sabbath.
Is rhythmic rest the same as metered rest?
The topic of "rhythms of rest" naturally takes us back to the Sabbath, which is something we've explored before (s5ep9, s4ep11, s3ep12, s3ep6). This time we explore a new question about the difference between "rhythmic" and "metered". The book of Proverbs doesn't mention Sabbath at all, but in chapter 8:22-36 there is a fascinating account of wisdom which somewhat subverts the creation narrative of Genesis 1 and describes wisdom predating and underpinning all of creation (including Sabbath). This is called "a delight".
Rest from sickness and suffering is a powerful idea.
This week we bounce around Proverbs a bit looking at verses that speak to the idea of healing. We can't escape the reality of human experience being inseparably in the mind and in the body. Some of the verses we discuss include: 14:13, 3:5-8, 18:14, 15:30, and 12:25.
Is vengeance the inverse of forgiveness?
This week's lesson "Rest, Relationships, and Healing" is focussed on forgiveness, and remarkably that keyword doesn't occur in the book of Proverbs. It has more to say about vengeance and judgement - but that turns out to offer insight about why we forgive. We look in particular at Proverbs 20:22, and then discover somewhat of a theme in this chapter.
Family can be a refuge of rest, or a tremendous burden.
Proverbs has quite a bit of comment on family interactions, and we explore how this relates to rest (or the lack of it).
"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
Proverbs 30 is an oracle of Agur, who seems to be coming from precisely the state of life and mind that Jesus was thinking of when he promised rest.
Stern warnings about the cost of rest?
Proverbs 6:6-11 has been used for centuries to admonish slackers, in-sleepers, bludgers, and lazybones of all varieties. But it specifically mentions resting, which seems to be a good thing in our helter-skelter society. We try to discuss the theme of "the Cost of Rest", but end up coming back to the Cost of Work! As well as pondering the lessons of the ant, we consider what can be learnt from the pygmy blue-tongue lizard.
The roots of restlessness can be entwined with a desire to do evil.
Proverbs 4 paints a picture of "the wicked" with particular reference to a kind of restlessness that comes from a need to "do an evil deed for the day". Not all restlessness is of this kind, but there's a lot of food for thought in this idea.
It's easy to get caught out when mocking the foolishness of others.
Proverbs 26 is amusing in its description of fools, but verse 12 catches us out. Mocking fools is easy, but it's harder to recognise our own foolishness. This connects to the lesson in its exploration of the Israelites wandering restlessly in the wilderness.
The wisdom of Proverbs leads to an unconventional discussion of rest.
We're starting a new season, and the Sabbath School theme is "Rest in Christ". It will cover a range of associated issues that regularly intersect with wisdom and common sense, and so we're launching into the book of Proverbs for a tangential perspective on rest. This week our focus is on Proverbs 1:20-33, which is one of a number of passages that vividly personifies Wisdom.
Join the conversation by emailing comments or questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com
What are our covenant-making obligations as part of living the new-covenant life?
The remarkable story of King David and Mephibosheth is a great way to ponder the "New Covenant Life". On reflection, it seems that this way of living in God's Kingdom is not unique to the New Testament epoch.
Many elements of the new and better covenant seem actually already present in the older covenants.
The author of Galatians (and there's similar sentiment in Romans) seems keen to contrast elements of the old covenant with the new life in Jesus. The more we discuss this in the context of 11 previous episodes, the more we see that most of the key features were included in various ways in those earlier covenants. There's still plenty here to teach and inspire.
Not only does Jesus establish a new covenant, but there seems to be something deficient about the old one which is now "obsolete".
Hebrews 8 quotes a chunk from Jeremiah 31 (which we looked at in the previous episode), and so is an excellent follow-on. The author in this chapter seems to be making the argument that there was some "fault", or something deficient, with the old covenant. We ponder what this issue seems to have been, and indeed which "old covenant" is the focus here.
A new covenant is declared in the Old Testament - one that is "not like the old covenant".
As we approach the obvious destination of this season it is interesting to encounter a "new covenant" in the Old Testament. Jeremiah 31 speaks of some clear differences compared to the old covenant, but also of some details that are less than clear.
What does it mean for Sabbath to be a Sign of the Covenant?
The lesson topic turns us back to a contentious comment from earlier this season - the Sabbath is the third of three things identified in the bible as "signs of a covenant". What is a sign for, how does it function, and how can Sabbath be such a sign? This episode poses more questions than answers, and your comments are welcome at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com (as always).
Finally we encounter "Covenant" intertwined with "Commandment", but what does it mean to perform?
The lesson topic "Covenant Law" covers some themes we've already explored in recent episodes (such as the election of Israel). We anchor our conversation in Deuteronomy 4, where it is anticipated that God's "statutes and rules" will cause Israel to become the envy of the world. It is particularly fascinating that the Covenant here is described as something we are commanded to "perform".
Yet again technical issues have altered the recording - this week Ken's audio went missing. Editing has restored most of the continuity, but you'll have to imagine your own contributions in places where we refer to wise thoughts from Ken!
After living in Egypt for generations, God remembers his covenant with Abraham's family.
The topic of this week's lesson is Covenant at Sinai, and we meander over from Genesis to Exodus chapter 19. Some remarkable elements of this story intrigue us, and it's an opportunity to reflect on how the quarter so far has expanded an understanding of "covenant".
How does the covenant inheritance work for "Abraham's seed"?
"Israel" is a name given to Abraham's grandson before it becomes the name of a nation, and the transmission of blessings across generations is a fascinating theme in Genesis. It is not always a straightforward inheritance! We are left pondering what this means for us who claim to be in some spiritual sense the "descendants of Abraham". In particular, there's a challenge in these stories to celebrate the way God bestows blessings on those different from ourselves.
Why was Abraham blessed in the first place?
After looking at the Abrahamic covenants in Genesis 15 and 17 last week, we backtrack slightly in the story to explore what God had in mind when He called Abraham. The "call of Abraham" is in Genesis 12, and we end up discussing some intriguing details of Genesis 23. This episode is a slightly disjointed because Cameron's recording somehow vapourised, so you'll need to exercise your imagination about his comments in places. As always, comments are welcome at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com - and bonus marks if you can deduce where Cameron would have quoted Adrian Plass or Lewis!
Abraham's story features covenants especially prominently.
This week's lesson is titled "An Everlasting Covenant", and although this wording is used in Genesis 17 we take a bit of convincing that it correctly describes the Abrahamic covenant. It seems that everlasting might not be the same thing as universal. The "Covenant" theme this season is really making our brains tick and we've ended up with yet another longer episode - sorry!
The flood story has one of the most universal covenants of the Old Testament.
It really should be known as "God and the Flood" rather than "Noah and the Flood" - poor old Noah doesn't even have a speaking role in the story until well after the rainbow. The story is in Genesis 6-9, and there are actually two covenants explicitly mentioned. In fact, there's a lot more to this story than most children's-book retellings would suggest!
We reluctantly wrap up our exploration of "the fall", and learn a bit about covenants.
The lesson this week is a "Covenant Primer" to get us ready to explore this theme through other parts of the Bible. We have some unfinished ideas about Genesis 3 and the story commonly known as "the Fall", but then Ken teaches us some key aspects of covenants. In particular, they are not the same as a contract or agreement - and this is going to be crucial for our ongoing examination of God's covenants.
This new quarter explores God's Everlasting Covenant, and we start by pondering what happened to require His promise.
Obviously "The Fall" doesn't happen until chapter 3 of Genesis, but we take too long to get there and run out of time in chapter 2. However, there's a bit more to this story than is often appreciated!
SabbathSchoolFromHome has been going for a full year, and the need to do everything "at home" is not as prominent as it was in 2020. We're shifting to a midweek (Wednesday) release schedule so that you have more opportunity to listen to episodes before Sabbath School - there's just a chance that some ideas we stumble across here might help seed actual conversations in your Sabbath School communities. As always, send us comments and feedback to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we can make this podcast more participatory.
Jesus invoke this passage as a defining description of his earthly ministry, and it is a superb summary of our study of Isaiah.
We've slipped slightly behind the SDA lesson pamphlet, but Isaiah 61 is worth it! Jesus reads from this chapter at the start of his public ministry in Luke 4, and it pulls together many of the important themes that have emerged over the last 12 episodes. As always, contact us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and share your thoughts or comments on this passage.
This chapter has a strong challenge - God can intervene to save the oppressed, but he's displeased to find his people not striving for justice!
The lesson "Desire of Nations" explores the subsequent chapters 60 and 61, but we hold off since Lachlan couldn't join this recording. The themes in Chapter 59 are plenty enough food for thought, and we discuss comparisons with the theme of Sin in Romans.
The theme of Sabbath comes to the fore as we consider the lesson on "Waging Love".
In Isaiah 58 (and the surrounding chapters in fact), the theme of Sabbath is directly connected with images of Salvation and Social Justice. This is a fruitful source of challenges for Sabbath-keeping followers of God in the way of Jesus.
We reach an unambiguously messianic portion of Isaiah, and discuss seeing and hearing from yet another angle.
This week's lesson "Doing the Unthinkable" focuses on Isaiah 52-53 and the remarkable foreshadowing of Jesus crucifixion.
Why is the "servant of God" so gentle, while God seems almost violent?
The lesson touches Chapters 41-49, but we focus mostly on Isaiah 42. As well as the recurring eyes/ears theme, we notice patterns of flame (flickering candles and consuming fires) and of lands across the sea and islands. God's servant is astonishingly gentle, and this almost contrasts with God Himself. There's a remarkable blending of birthing mother and strongman warrior imagery.
Some of the best known bible verses are here, alongside some trickier passages about idolatry and being like grass.
The lesson this week is called "Comfort My People", which is the opening of both Isaiah 40 and Handel's Messiah. After an interlude of historical narrative, the book is back to a more poetic kind of writing. We see similarities here to parts of Job and the Psalms.
The "Defeat of the Assyrians" has us grappling with how "God will come with vengeance; he will come to save you"
We cover a lot of ground in Isaiah this week. In skipping over chapters 15-35 we pick up many recurrences of the "eyes and ears" theme, but our discussion is focussed on the jolt back to historical narrative that occurs in chapters 36-39. This story of Hezekiah and the Assyrians is very similar (substantially word-for-word in many places) to 2 Kings 20. In particular, we ponder the challenging nature of God's micraculous interventions: killing 185,000 soldiers on the one hand, and restoring Hezekiah to 15 years more life on the other (along with a sign "as high as heaven").
Time for a Taunt!
We're keeping up with the Sabbath School lesson, which this week is on "Playing God". The passage in Isaiah 14 is explicitly a taunt of Babylon, and has some fantastic turns of phrase. We ponder the validity or role of taunts, touch on the state of the dead, and recall the importance of having mercy.
We ponder the theme of God's "government", and explore the tension between our individualistic culture and the collective punishments proclaimed in Isaiah.
The Sabbath School lesson this week is on the "Noble Prince of Peace", and the verses in Isaiah 9 are well known. In many ways this passage completes some of the more difficult texts we've covered in recent episodes.
This week's lesson "The Hard Way" looks at Isaiah 7 and 8, and Clansi joins the conversation.
We are slow to reach Isaiah 7 because further reflections force us to revisit the difficult verses of Isaiah 6.
The lesson this week explores the message of Isaiah to King Ahaz of Judah. We do get there, but spend most of our time revisiting the tough verses from last week:
‘Keep on hearing,[c] but do not understand;
keep on seeing,[d] but do not perceive.’
The Sabbath School lesson "Crisis of Leadership" focuses mostly on Isaiah 6, and we ponder God saying "harden the hearts of these people".
Our focus is particularly on verses 9, 10:
And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people,
‘Listen carefully, but do not understand.
Watch closely, but learn nothing.’
Harden the hearts of these people.
Plug their ears and shut their eyes.
That way, they will not see with their eyes,
nor hear with their ears,
nor understand with their hearts
and turn to me for healing.” [NLT]
Share your comments and ideas with us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com
We're starting a new season exploring the book of Isaiah, and we look for some key themes in the first chapter.
This season we'll be staying in sync with the SDA Sabbath School lessons progressing through Isaiah. There are way more than 13 chapters in this book, and so it will be necessary to pick and choose excerpts and themes as we go through each week - otherwise the podcast episodes would end up being many hours long!
The final lesson of this quarter is Eternal Learning, and we contemplate this topic through a couple of book reviews.
Our conversation focuses on "Leaf by Niggle" by J. R. R. Tolkien, and "Pilgrims Regress" by C. S. Lewis, and touches on some other works that help us explore the idea of learning in Eternity.
This week's lesson is on Sabbath and personal development, and so we explore the non-employability value of education.
This episode is a direct sequel to last week's discussion about work and employment, so you may want to catch up on that episode (s3e11) first. During today's conversation we dip into Jeremiah 28 and Romans 12.
As Christians who work, the topic "The Christian and Work" has us reflect on our own experiences.
Contribute by emailing us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com
The book of Daniel launches an interesting exploration of "Education in the Arts and Sciences" throughout the Bible.
We found more Bible references to this kind of education than we first thought, and this episode touches on
- Daniel 1
- Judges 6
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21
- Luke 2
- Genesis 2
Send your comments/questions/suggestions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com
We explore the difference between Education and Indoctrination for this week's lesson topic "The Church and Education".
The conversation turns to Proverbs 22 and Proverbs 2. Feel free to join the conversation by emailing comments/thoughts/questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com.
The topic "Redemption and Education" provides a great opportunity to talk about Restorative (or "Redemptive") Justice, which increasingly forms the basis for school discipline systems.
We're joined by friend and school teacher Clinton Jackson. His school has been using Restorative Practice for some years now, and he shares some of the profound ways that this way of thinking impacts our relationships and theology.
The lesson this week is on "Worship in Education", and so we asked Ken to educate us about a worshipful poem.
Worship often involves music, but in our church tradition it does not feature poetry anywhere near as much. Pondering this wonderful poem makes it seem as though we might be missing something valuable.
As Kingfishers Catch Fire
By Gerard Manley Hopkins
As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves — goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying Whát I dó is me: for that I came.
I say móre: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: thát keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is —
Chríst — for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.
One remarkable feature of Masters is that they break the "rules" due to their deeper insight - and Jesus the Master Teacher seems to be no exception!
Just like the Sabbath School lesson, this episode continues the theme from last week. We ponder what sort of expertise Jesus would be in the modern world, and discuss the rules he "breaks" as a master - especially the Sabbath!
The lesson on "Jesus as the Master Teacher" opens up a wider conversation about masters and mastery.
This week we didn't anchor as closely to a bible passage as we normally do, but exploring the qualities of a master led us to a few references. Philippians 2 speaks of the attitude of Christ, and especially the humility that led him to "not consider equality with God a thing to cling to".
This week's lesson is on "The Biblical Worldview", which turns out to be a bit more complicated than it often sounds.
The bible was written over enough history that it might be better to think of various worldviews represented in the bible. In the 21st century even followers of Christ see the world through very different eyes to anyone in the Bible. This episode features special guest Clansi Rogers, sharing some of the insights she has from studying ancient history.
To discuss "The Law as Teacher" we turn to our resident legal expert, Ken, for a fascinating exploration of law and its ability (or inability) to teach.
This episode explores a variety of aspects of the law, and has fairly natural focus on civil law as well as biblical or spiritual law. Romans is an obvious place to turn, and chapters 5, 6, 7 are all brought into the conversation. We enjoy hearing your comments at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com.
We turn to aviation and pilot training for an interesting perspective on this week's topic of "Education in The Family".
Ken shares a gripping story of having to make an emergency landing after his plane's engine stopped during aerobatics, and it is fascinating to reflect that pilot training is somewhat different to much of the education we experience in life - but perhaps not so different to some of the ways kids learn in families. We're always happy to hear your comments and feedback via email to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com
This new quarter has the theme "Education", and so we're going back-to-school with our podcast. For a fresh perspective on "Education in the Garden of Eden" Cameron takes us on a wild journey into randomness and meaning - with magic tricks!
At one point in this episode we talk about a fantastic pattern created "randomly" called the Sierpiński triangle fractal, which is difficult to explain in a purely audio format. Cameron has created a video animation of the random walk process to produce the Sierpiński triangle fractal pattern (watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ITafFpSvjQQ). If you have any comments or questions following on from this conversation please email us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com - and perhaps you might like to email a set of digits for Cameron to try and guess the missing one!
At the end of a quarter on Witnessing, the lesson "A step in faith" has us turning to James 1 for some wise perspectives.
Feel free to join the conversation by emailing sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we can use your insights and questions to guide future episodes.
This week's lesson on "A message worth sharing" is quite focussed on the book of Revelation, and we ponder this topic from the perspective of Jonah 3.
The Seventh-day Adventist emphasis on the messages in Revelation has certain similarities to the message Jonah preaches against Nineveh. We explore this story to ponder what it might mean for a message to be "worth sharing". Importantly, we discover that sometimes the benefits of the message are actually intended for the messenger!
You can send comments to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com - we enjoy hearing from you.
Apollos, who taught about Jesus with accuracy but still needed somethings explained more accurately, is an interesting starting point for a conversation about the lesson "Sharing the Story of Jesus" and the idea of witnessing from authentic personal experience.
Apollos is mentioned in Acts 18:24 - 19:7, and also in Pauls writings to the Corinthians. This story offers an interesting perspective on the lesson's claim that "We cannot share what we do not have ourselves", and the episode wanders onto other related topics of conversation. Join the conversation by emailing us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we can share your comments in a future episode.
This week's lesson "An Exciting Way to Get Involved" explores small groups, and so we turn to the story of Daniel and his three friends.
Small groups have been almost fads in recent church history, but the core idea goes back deep throughout human history. We start with a more general discussion of small groups before focussing on Daniel 2:1-19 as an interesting angle from which to approach this topic. You can share your comments by emailing sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com .
In "Developing a Winning Attitude", the lesson this week explores more deeply Jesus’ attitude toward people. It tackles the challenge of speaking the truth in love, which turns out to be quite a can of worms!
Our conversation is centered around the story of Jesus clearing the traders from the temple, which is in all four gospels. We discuss the version in John 2:13-22 and discover a few surprises. Join the conversation by emailing us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we can share your comments in a future episode.
Jesus healing the bleeding woman and Jairus' daughter is a perfect double story to look at in the context of this week's lesson "Ministering Like Jesus".
Luke shares some really interesting insights about this story that launch a conversation that reaches back to the Centurion's servant and forward to the present day. We look at the story in Luke 8. Share your comments and questions with us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com so that we can share them with the broader listening community.
Touching on this week's lesson "Sharing the Word", we start with the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch and end up dwelling on Jesus as The Word.
The story of Philip and the Ethiopian is in Acts 8:26-39, and John chapter 1 opens with a delightful meditation on The Word of God. Send comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com so that we can share them with the broader listening community.
The lesson this week is called "Unlimited Possibilities", but seems to be about spiritual gifts - and so we turn to the story of Balaam!
The story is in Numbers 22, and we focus on verses 21-35. Although the conversation focuses a bit around the gift of tongues, we explore a number of ideas that relate to spiritual gifts more broadly. This episode also highlights the occasionally useful gift of "tongue-in-cheek".
Send comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com so that we can share them with the broader listening community.
To explore this week's lesson on "Spirit-empowered witnessing", we turn to the story of Peter baptising the gentile Cornelius and his household.
This story is in Acts 10, and we focus on verses 34-48. If you'd like to answer any of our various questions at the end of this episode (or share any other comments), write to us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com
This week's lesson is "Prayer Power: Interceding for Others", and we explore Jesus' teachings on prayer in Luke 11.
The passage contains The Lord's Prayer, and then immediately follows it with a somewhat difficult parable about asking persistently. In fact, this is similar to the parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18:1-8.
If you'd like to answer any of our various questions at the end of this episode (or share any other comments), write to us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com
Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 is an excellent story to explore for this week's lesson "Seeing People Through Jesus’ Eyes". [Abrupt ending is intentional]
We're delighted to have Clansi join in again this week with some asynchronous comments. In the interests of time, we didn't read the bible passage in full this week. The core of the story that we discuss is John 4:5-26 culminating with Jesus telling the woman that he is the Messiah. Follow the link to review the story if you're not so familiar with it - it is one of the more extensive records of Jesus interacting with a specific person in the Gospels (rather than preaching to crowds).
Send comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com so that we can share them with the broader listening community.
We find a slightly different angle on this week's lesson "The Power of Personal Testimony" by discussing Jesus' parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
Since it's school holidays and kids are visiting grandparents, Lachlan's wife Clansi joins as a special guest. Luke 16 begins with the parable of the Shrewd Manager, and this turns out to help us explore interesting aspects of the Rich Man and Lazarus. As always, send comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com so that we can share them with the broader listening community.
It's the start of a new quarter and we explore this week's Sabbath School lesson "Making Friends for God". Isaiah 49:6 speaks of being a "light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth", and this is quoted by Paul in Antioch as a commandment - so what does it mean for us?
For Season 2 of Sabbath School from Home we're going to try pulling topics from the lesson study, and this episode centres around Isaiah 49:6 which says (ESV)
he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
This is quoted by Paul in Acts 13:47.
Send comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com .
Psalm 24 is full of joyful praise, and we find it to have a wonderful kind of timelessness. It seems nearly as applicable to our Christian experience as it was to the world of the psalmist.
We're wondering what to do with this podcast for the next 13 episodes, so write to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com with your comments and suggestions.
In this second half of our conversation comparing Psalms 22 and 23 we explore more of the messianic aspects and ponder how these famous passages can apply to our everyday lives.
Send comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we can include them in future episodes.
We're trying something different, and tackling two Psalms at once! Psalm 22 and 23 appear initially to be quite different in tone, but both have been seen as messianic prophecies.
With two Psalms as source material, this conversation will span across two episodes - so keep an eye out next week for the second installment. In this first half we align with the Sabbath School lesson on "The Bible and Prophecy" by exploring messianic themes in these chapters.
Psalm 114 uniquely describes the Exodus as leaving "a people of strange language", and we explore some implications for understanding the bible as history.
This episode deliberately aligns with this week's Sabbath School lesson. The focus on this Psalm was partly inspired by an interesting essay on Psalm 114.
We enjoy the beginning of this Psalm, but are all slightly troubled by the Old Testament taunts in the middle. After some fruitful discussion we agree that it's more important to be on God's side than to claim He is on ours.
In particular, the troubling verses are 7-9:
7 God has promised in his holiness:
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”We do come to terms with this passage a bit, but welcome any insights/comments/questions as usual (send them to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com ).
Psalm 104 is full of echoes of the creation story, and so our meander through the Psalms aligns this week with the Sabbath School lesson.
We tend to agree with the SDA Bible Commentary that this Psalm "is remarkable for the movement and vividness of the images", and "is probably unsurpassed in literature". You can share any answers/thoughts/comments (and any other questions) with us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com.
Psalm 131 is just one verse each for Cameron, Lachlan, and Ken - but there's plenty to discuss. Imagery of God as a mother is explored (a week late for Mother's Day, unfortunately), and we wonder how this Psalm fits with the desire to think about great and marvelous things.
Ken poses 2 questions for you to think about beyond this episode:
- When and how does false humility arise?
- What is involved in "calming and quieting my soul"?
You can share any answers/thoughts/comments (and any other questions) with us at sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com.
We take a look at Psalm 127, attributed to Solomon. It turns out to have fascinating relevance for our modern world, and our attempts to summarise end up being longer than the Psalm itself.
The opening verses of this song are the School Psalm at the school where Cameron works. The subsequent verses about having many children seem surprisingly unrelated, but we discovered some ways to seem the themes united. The essay on prayer that Cameron references can be listened to as an audiobook on youtube.
Cam, Lachlan, and Ken learn from some listener comments, and explore the almost unbearable positivity of Psalm 91.
A listener (Ben) shared a fantastic example of a contemporary song that might be similar in some ways to the more raw and dark of the Psalms. You can enjoy listening to Laura Story's song Blessings on YouTube.
Psalm 91 contains the verses "He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." quoted by Satan in the wilderness temptations of Jesus. What are we to do with these apparent promises of deliverance when even Jesus wouldn't put them to the test?
We discuss Psalm 138, next in sequence from last week but substantially more positive; Cam shares a particularly amusing (and relevant) anecdote about the Disappearing Fire.
Luke was otherwise occupied this week and so the conversation is between Cameron, Lachlan, and Ken. Psalm 138 was chosen for this week's topic on the basis that it was different from Psalm 137 (last week) and also simply the next in sequence.
For the first time, we conclude with a few questions you might like to respond to:
- What does this Psalm (especially v7) have to say about experiences of trouble we might live through today?
- How does one talk to God?
- Why do our church songs often have such a different tone to the Psalms? What was the purpose of the Psalms?
All questions, remarks, insights, and comments can be sent to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we can share them in the next episode. Also email us if you have a favourite (or most difficult) Psalm that you'd enjoy hearing discussed on Sabbath School from Home.
We chat about Psalm 137 and its challenging ending invites us to engage a little deeper, helped by some new ideas emailed by listeners.
As always, send in your comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we will use them to broaden the conversation.
Cameron, Lachlan, and Ken are joined by a good friend Luke for this discussion of Psalm 20, and Ken gets to unpack one of his favourite verses (v4).
Yet again we turn to C S Lewis for some helpful insights, and COVID-19 features in our chat about applying this Psalm to our lives. Send in your comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we will use them to reflect a wider conversation next time.
In this opening episode (audio quality gets better from next episode) Cameron and Lachlan and Ken chat about Psalm 46 and notice a lot of themes relevant to the current COVID-19 situation.
This is the very first episode of an attempt to do Sabbath School conversations while isolated due to COVID-19. Send in your comments and questions to sabbathschoolfromhome@gmail.com and we will use them to reflect a wider conversation next time.