Tag: Paul Dybdahl

The Sacred in the Common

• Lesson 7 for the week of February 7 to February 14

Relevant Passages John 6 The Sacred in the Common. John 6 links together three events in the life of Jesus: the feeding of he 5000, walking on water, and his “bread of life” sermon at...

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Putting the Past Behind You

• Lesson 6 for the week of January 31 to February 7

Relevant Passages John 5 Putting the Past Behind You. Today’s lesson takes us to the story of the man whom Jesus healed at the Pool of Bethesda, a man who had been sick for 38...

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The Struggle to Be Real

• Lesson 5 for the week of January 24 to January 31

Relevant Passages John 4:43-54 The Struggle to Be Real. The “living parable” which is the focus of today’s lesson involves Jesus’ return “home” to Galilee and an encounter with a royal official whose boy was...

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Grace Is All-Inclusive

• Lesson 4 for the week of January 17 to January 24

Relevant Passages John 2:23-4:42 Grace Is All-Inclusive. The two major incidents studied in last week’s lesson contrasted Jesus’ leisurely experience at a Jewish wedding with the intensity of his anger in cleansing the temple. This...

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Something Better

• Lesson 3 for the week of January 10 to January 17

Relevant Passages John 2:1-22 Something Better. After the highly abstract prologue, John continues his Gospel with two down-to-earth stories in chapter 2 Jesus’ week-long stay at a wedding and his cleansing of the temple. Both...

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Jesus Is the Best

• Lesson 2 for the week of January 3 to January 10

Relevant Passages John 1:1-18 Jesus Is the Best. The Gospel of John opens with a magnificent cluster of verses establishing both Jesus’ full divinity and his full humanity. In addition, Jesus is compared with two...

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The Unique Purpose of John’s Gospel

• Lesson 1 for the week of December 27 to January 3

Relevant Biblical Passages Luke 1:1-4; John 15:1-8; 17:20; 20:24-31; 21:20-25 The Unique Purpose of John’s Gospel. Our studies for this quarter take us to the fourth Gospel, often called the “beloved” Gospel because the author...

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Living the Life of Faith

• Lesson 13 for the week of June 21 to June 28

Background Considerations What are the components of a life lived well which would exhibit 1) faith in God and 2) faithfulness to others around us? Both areas of Christian responsibility rest at the heart of...

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Selfless Service

• Lesson 12 for the week of June 14 to June 21

Background Considerations The basic idea of service in the Bible: to God – expressed in a life of obedience and in worship, but always based on God’s initiative and empowerment within the context of a...

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Out of the Heart

• Lesson 11 for the week of June 7 to June 14

Background Considerations The biblical language of the heart and what it produces (a good Bible dictionary would be useful just now): “Heart” in the Old Testament “Heart” in the New Testament Biblical expressions about how...

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Why Forgive?

• Lesson 10 for the week of May 31 to June 7

Background Considerations What motivations might lead someone to forgive another person – Love to God? Love for the person? Fear of the consequences of not forgiving? Getting rid of guilt about it? Surviving relationships? Under...

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Reverence

• Lesson 9 for the week of May 24 to May 31

Background Considerations definitions: “numinous unease” – an anthropological term describing attitudes toward a god or God which, while happy with God’s best plans for the people, recognizes still that God is GOD and not a...

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Loyalties

• Lesson 8 for the week of May 17 to May 24

Background Considerations The idea of Covenant – Political treaties from the ancient Near East between unequal parties which typically consisted of: a note of the sovereign’s benefit to the vassal; stipulations for maintaining a good...

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For the Love of God

• Lesson 7 for the week of May 10 to May 17

Background Considerations Definitions (a good Bible dictionary would be useful here) love (divine) – what words, phrases, metaphors, stories in the Bible illustrate God’s love for people? love (human toward God) – in what ways...

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