Fear is among the most common obstacles that prevent us from doing what we should. And its remedy is often courage, the fourth and final of the cardinal virtues. In this session, we discuss why courage is so important and how we grow in it.
In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul serves us a warning about lacking temperance: “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame.” In this session, we discuss the peril Paul is referencing and how the virtue of temperance helps us to avoid it.
What do we owe to God and what do we owe to one another? That is the basic question of justice, a question the God of the Bible takes very seriously. In this session, we consider what it means to be just and how to respond when we fail to do what is right.
How do we make wise decisions and carry them through? How do we judge rightly what is right and what is wrong? How do we set goals worthy of our lives and then achieve them? Questions like these reveal our need for the virtue of prudence, the first virtue in our exploration of Christian character.
“All things come to us, not by chance, but by God’s fatherly hand.” This doctrine, described as such in the Heidelberg Catechism, is a truth wonderfully reflected in the book of Ruth. As we conclude this study, we discover that behind the twists and turns of Ruth’s story lie the invisible hand of God.
On the threshing floor that night, Boaz asks Ruth, “Who are you?” Is she a woman who should be ashamed or a woman of honor? It is a weighty question with much at stake, and it is asked not only of Ruth, but of ourselves. Who is Ruth, and who are we?
The romance of Ruth and Boaz is among the most famous in the Bible. Yet when they first met, they were not romantic interests but two people from entirely different worlds: a wealthy, respected landowner meets a poor, immigrant widow. Through their unlikely relationship, we glimpse our own relationship with God.
Loss can sometimes lead to a crisis of faith, because such experiences tempt us to believe dreadful things about God. But even as we doubt, God remains faithful. For we see in Ruth 1 how Naomi is tempted to believe that God has abandoned her, yet He continues to show her love through the person of Ruth.
To put it simply, the book of Ruth is a great story: a tale of tragic losses, heartrending speeches, wonderful characters, and beautiful redemption. But Ruth is also Holy Scripture and speaks to us about God, about his ways, and about what it means to live by faith.
“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” For as much as 1 Corinthians addresses practical issues that Christians face, Paul concludes his letter with a stirring reminder that our hope is not about making things better in this life. Christianity focuses on the future life to come and the resurrection of the dead.
“Love is patient, love is kind…” The hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13 is perhaps the closest the Bible ever comes to a definition of love. We all know and treasure these words, but why is it so difficult to love in the way that Paul describes? In this session, we explore how Paul’s words can help us overcome the obstacles to love.
“Anyone who eats without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” Paul’s counsel to the Corinthian church sounds serious, but what does Paul mean by it? In this session, we explore how discerning the body relates to Paul’s exhortations about to live as a Christian community.
What story do we find ourselves in? A vital question, for the answer informs how we, as people, ought to act. So the apostle Paul devotes this next section of his letter to the Corinthians reflecting on the story of his own calling and the broader story that the Christians in Corinth are now a part.
How do we make good decisions? Every day, we answer questions over what we ought to do, yet only sometimes is right and wrong clear. What do we do when things aren’t clear? The apostle Paul helps the Corinthians to answer this question by teaching them how to reflect and deliberate on what is true and good.
Christians often argue over how they ought to live and what rules they ought to follow. This is nothing new. How do we know when something is up for debate and when it is not? In this session, we tackle questions of morality and attitude in the life of the church.
In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul uses three metaphors to describe the church: a field, a building, and a temple. Though different, each affirm that God and God alone gives life and growth to his people. In this session, we discuss Paul’s view of the church, which challenges our tendency to trust in our own strategies and techniques.
What impresses you? How do you want people to think of you? Answers to questions like these tell us what we value in life. In a letter to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul confronts the old wisdom that once dictated our lives with the new wisdom of the cross.
Song of Songs declares, “For love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave.” These striking words are beautiful to hear, but upon reflection, seem to be false. How can love possibly overcome death or the grave? In this final session, we examine how the bride can honestly say that love is as strong as death.
“What can I give him, poor as I am?” This lyric by Christina Rosetti echoes Song of Songs, for the bride might have asked the same in response to her beloved’s overwhelming love. We reflect, in this session, on the love of Christ and the invitation to give our hearts to our beloved God.
How do you respond to the absence of the one you love? The bride in Song of Songs faces this precise scenario. Her beloved is gone, and she is desperately sick with love. In this session, we discuss how the bride’s difficult night relates to our own spiritual lives.
Does God like you? Many Christians struggle to answer that question even though, according to the Bible, the answer is yes! God not only likes his people, he adores them. In Song of Songs we find that God not only loves us, but finds us altogether beautiful.
Be mine. This simple Valentine’s message carries profound meaning. Lovers use possessive language because they feel, in some way, that they belong to each other. In this session, we explore how this sentiment echoes unto our relationship with God.
The lovers in Song of Songs are unashamed of their passion. “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” The woman so adores the man; the man is so enchanted by the woman. But what do they teach us about love, about worthiness, and especially about the love of Jesus?
For most of Christian history, the Song of Songs was among the most beloved books of the Bible. Today, it is rarely heard in church. In this introductory session, we address some of the difficulties of the Song and try to answer the question: who are these two lovers?
Worship does not end when the Sunday service concludes. As Archbishop William Temple once said, how you conduct your life during the week is the true test of genuine worship. In this session, we look at what Scripture says about worship in life and why God cares so much about how we go forth into the world.
All of life, and all of new life in Christ, is a gift. And Christian worship is a response to that grace. For this reason, gratitude lies at the heart of worship and pervades our prayers and praises. In this session, we explore the role of thanksgiving in worship, both in church and at home.
The Lord’s Supper, though distinctive and central to Christian worship, is frequently a subject of Christian debate. Is it a memorial of Jesus’ past death, or a present reception of the risen Christ, or an anticipation of something yet to come? In this session, we discuss why all three of these meanings are essential to understanding the bread and wine of Holy Communion.
Rarely do we reflect on these two acts of Anglican worship. Is passing the peace merely an overly spiritualized way of saying “hi” on a Sunday morning? Is giving a tithe merely old-fashioned fundraising? In this session, we examine the deep meaning behind these means of worship.
Why do we always ask for forgiveness? Why are prayers of confession in every worship service? Some worry that regular reflection on sin is an unhealthy spiritual practice, but in this session, we explore why it is, in fact, vital to our relationship to God and one another.
Prayer is not just something Christians do, but something all religious people do. To be religious is to pray, yet what makes Christian prayer unique and how do we pray well? In this session, we discuss the foundational aspects of prayer and its role in Christian worship.
