Sunday School Lessons

Our teacher, Rev. Dr. Richard Boyce, will from time to time post lesson material here for the upcoming Sunday School lesson.  Class members are encouraged to read the material and post comments.

May 5, 2024

Romans 3

We’ll finish out our series on faith with four lessons from Paul’s letter to the Roman church.  We have some big words (righteousness, justification, and reconciliation) and some big ideas (salvation by grace through faith), but it’s also fairly simple at the core.  Let’s see if we could explain it to a child, like the child in all of us!

The Faith of Jesus.  As the author points out, a simple shift in prepositions (from in to of, page 57), can make a huge difference.  Are we saved by faith in Jesus or the faith of Jesus, or both?

The Righteousness of God.  Paul talks often about the righteousness of God, but seldom about the righteousness of ourselves.  Why is this the case, and what difference does it make?

Correction versus Fulfillment.  The author makes a distinction between Jesus correcting and Jesus fulfilling the law (page 58).  Again, why is this the case, and what difference does it make?

I love the way our lesson ends by calling us to listen out for “the language and rituals of grace” in our worship (page 59).  I’m hoping today’s lesson will send us into worship, and into this week full of expectation, and gratitude.  See you Sunday, hoping for the faith of a child.

April 21, 2024

Luke 7

We’ll remain in the same chapter of Luke as last week, but with a different story and a different group of people.  Unlike our story last week, this story appears in all four gospels, though in different versions.  Let’s use this story about faith to think about the possibilities for change.

Stories Can Change.  First let’s think about how stories can change, from one telling to the next.  Spend a little time looking at the different versions of this story (page 43) and think about how “each tells us something true about God and about us.”  How would you describe these differences/changes?

People Can Change.  Read the story from the perspective of three different people: Simon, the woman, the others at the table.  How do you think these people were changed by the events of this story, in Luke’s telling?

We Can Change.  The real miracle of the scriptures is that they can not only change and tell stories about how people can change, but they can also change us!  How do you think this version of the story calls us to change – in our understanding of God, and ourselves?

Julie ends our lesson by challenging us to tell our own stories about faith and forgiveness.  I’m wondering how such telling might change us into a people “more interested in faith and love that overflow out of open hands rather than clenched fists (page 45).”  See you Sunday – ready and eager to be changed.

April 14, 2024

Luke 7

We continue our stories of faith with a second passage from Luke.  This time the “friend” who helps another is a centurion, and the person for whom he seeks help is his slave.  There are lots of surprises in this story, which may lead to some surprising lessons for us.  Let’s go at it in this order.

Surprising Faith.  Jesus declares toward the end of our story that he has seldom encountered faith on the level of the centurion’s.  Specifically, he states: “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith (verse 9).”  What makes the centurion’s faith “surprising”?

Surprising Miracle.  This miracle story is unusual in that Jesus never encounters the recipient of the healing and performs the miracle “at a distance.”  What makes this particular miraclemost “surprising” to you?

Surprising Invitation.  Toward the end of the lesson, our author wonders about how we should follow the centurion’s example as we seek to help others today.  She begins with prayer, but also wonders about our actions, and the use of our “social capital and power” (page 41).  How does this invitation to prayer and action “surprise” you today?

All of the major and minor actors in this Sunday’s story are “surprising” in some way:  the healed, the helper, the elders, and, most of all, Jesus.  How are we called to participate in God’s “surprising” miracles as members of the RJB class this day?  See you Sunday – both in person and “at a distance” (via Zoom).

April 7, 2024

Luke 5

This week we begin a new series entitled, “The Measure of Faith.”  It seems appropriate for an Eastertide series.  Our Sunday lesson focuses on Luke’s version of the healing of a paralytic, with the help of his friends.  Let’s come at this passage using the following three steps.

Faith.  Jesus heals this person, according to Luke, “when he sees their faith (verse 20)” – the collective faith of the carriers.  We don’t often think of faith in collective, or corporate ways.  How does the world see our faith – as members of this class, this congregation, this denomination?

Friendship.  Our author leads off with some disturbing statistics regarding friendship (page 31).  Though she later points out that the relationship between the carriers and the carried is not spelled out here (and even relates it to the later parable of the Good Samaritan, who has no prior relationship with the man in the ditch, Luke 10), it does make clear that true “friendship,” at a minimum, requires action.  How are we doing with our friendships, and our faith?

Fear.  Given last week’s topic, it seems appropriate to ask what might prevent us from being more bold and risky in our friendships.  Are we afraid we don’t have the time, the energy, or the resources?  What is the role of faith in overcoming such fears?

Without question, one of the defining characteristics of the RJB class is the way we can see our faith in our friendships?  Just think about some of our recent stories of corporate support and encouragement.  How might we make this Easter season a time to renew our faith through the renewal of our friendships – in and outside the Church?  See you Sunday, friends.

March 31, 2024

Mark 16

We will gather this Easter Sunday (at 9 am!) to read this story from Mark about faith and fear.  As our author points out, the mood of Mark’s Easter story is quite different from our usual expectations on Easter Sunday morning.  Let’s try to hear Mark’s version of this story afresh, and ask what it might teach us about being Faith-FULL versus Faith-LESS.

The Endings.  We must first confront an undeniable fact: the early readers of Mark’s gospel were as uncomfortable with his abrupt ending as we.  Both a “shorter” and a “longer” ending are included in most translations of Mark’s gospel.  Which ending would you choose and why?

Fear.  Clearly the first reaction of the women at the tomb was fear.  Hence the “young man” says to them, “Do not be alarmed [afraid] (verse 6).”  Why do you think “terror and amazement (verse 8)” might be appropriate responses on Easter Sunday?

Faith.  Our author is quite clear regarding the possibility of fear, even amongst “Faith-FULL” people: “The presence of fear doesn’t mean the absence of faith (page 29).”  Please read the author’s accounts of other times God’s people have had to move forward despite well-grounded fears (pages 28-29, including her quotation of Hebrews 11).  Let’s try to answer the question with which our lesson ends: “What helps you keep your focus on Jesus when you are afraid (page 30)?”

I’ve been carrying around Julie’s closing question with me this Holy Week: “What is the next right step for you on this Easter day (page 30)?”  I’m curious what my answer might be this coming Sunday.  I’m just as curious regarding yours!  Hope to see you this Sunday.  He is risen.  He is risen indeed!

March 24, 2024

Acts 6

As Jesus begins his journey toward the cross this Palm Sunday, so we encounter the story of Stephen and the beginning of the plot that will lead to his death.  This is a sobering context in which to contemplate the difference between being “Faith-FULL versus Faith-LESS.”  Let’s go at this challenging theme through the following steps.

Faithfulness and Persecution.  Both Jesus and Stephen suffered because of their faith.  How do we experience such suffering in our lives and/or in the world?

Faithfulness and Perseverance.  Both Jesus and Stephen persevered in their faith.  They didn’t waver or step back.  How do their models of faith challenge and/or comfort us today?

The Faithfulness of God.  The lesson writer reminds us that we have the story of Stephen only because of “what God did in and through Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection (page 20).”  How does God’s faithfulness (especially in the midst of suffering) inspire faithfulness in us?

The suffering of the faithful can sometimes be used as an excuse for passivity and abuse (as our writer has pointed out in an earlier lesson, page 15).  But the suffering of the faithful can also provide us models for faithfulness in our midst: “The witness of those who suffer and hold on to the mercy and grace they know in Christ, through the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit, are reminders of God’s gift of faith (page 23).”  Sound familiar?  Looking forward to seeing you Sunday – as we challenge and comfort one another on our shared journey of faith. 

March 3, 2024

Jude

This Sunday, we begin a new series on “Examining Our Faith.”  The first unit builds on the contrast between being “Faith-FULL” versus “Faith-LESS” (their punctuation, not my own).  Our brief passage (from the brief book of Jude) challenges us to work on our faith amidst the divisions the “Faith-LESS” create in the body of Christ.

Divisions.  The first observation is the presence of divisions within the Church this early in the Church’s story!  It looks like there never was a truly “Golden Age” in the history of Christ’s Church.  What were the causes for divisions in Jude’s time?  How do they compare to the causes today?

Response.  The overall response to these divisions reminds me of the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30).  Jude admonishes these early Christians to respond to divisions in the Church primarily by working on strengthening their own faith (rather than challenging the faith of others – though you’ll have to help me with the “tunic” verse, 23).  What do you think of this approach concerning divisions in the Church today?

Benediction.  Probably the most familiar verses in Jude are the final ones (verses 24-25), the “benediction,” with which the letter closes.  How does this context help you hear this benediction differently – amidst the challenges to the faith today?

Maybe it’s good news that there was never a “perfect” time in the history of the Church.  It might prevent us from becoming too discouraged today.  Nevertheless, there are lessons we can learn from earlier challenges – to the faith, and to the unity of Christ’s Church.  Hope to see you Sunday – tunics or not!

February 25, 2024

Habakkuk 2

We finish our series on faith with a single lesson from Habakkuk, a somewhat obscure book that provides a quotation for Paul in the opening chapter of Romans (1:17).  It once again forces us to contemplate the difficult topic of “waiting (verse 3)” in relation to faith.  Let’s include Habakkuk chapter one in our conversation which we shall discuss as follows:

The Complaint.  The prophet leads off with a complaint familiar to us from the psalms: “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen (1:1)?”  How might faith be grounded in a deep sense that all is not right with the world?

The Answer.  God’s answer to this complaint is not what the prophet expected.  God is going to rouse up the Chaldeans (i.e. the Babylonians) in order to punish Israel for her sins.  How does God sometimes answer our prayers in unexpected ways?

The Waiting.  The Babylonian exile is only a provisional answer to the prophet’s prayer.  Clearly, the prophet hopes for an answer on the other side of exile.  What does it mean to “live by faith (verse 4),” as we await God’s ultimate answer to our prayers?

I love the line in our lesson regarding our God “who lives and works in human time but not according to human time (page 74).”  That’s the rub isn’t it?  God’s time is not always, or ever our time.  That’s why so much of the life of faith has to do with waiting.  Let’s see how we can support one another in the meantime.  See you Sunday.  Don’t make us wait!  (Smile.)

February 18, 2024

Daniel 6

This week we move to part two in our study of faith in the book of Daniel.  We step from the fiery furnace into the lions’ den.  What can Daniel’s story teach us about the nature of faith?

Faithful Practices.  Daniel’s faithful practices are both what get him in trouble and, perhaps, what see him through.  What faithful practices do we follow to build our trust, and our courage?

Bearing the Cost.  Daniel is not only willing to keep up his practices when they get him in trouble, but he’s willing to submit to the discipline his culture requires.  When have we been willing to bear the cost of our Christian practices?

The Faithfulness of God.  While this is a story of Daniel’s faithfulness, it is also a story of the faithfulness of Daniel’s God.  How do you understand verse 23: “no kind of harm was found on him because he had trusted his God”?  What is the connection between God’s faithfulness and our own?

Daniel’s faithfulness leads not only to his rescue, but to the “conversion” of King Darius.  How could our faithfulness lead not only to our own “salvation,” but the “salvation” of the world?  See you Sunday.  No lions allowed!

February 4, 2024

Isaiah 40

We continue our hop-scotch journey on faith as we move from Romans to 2^nd Isaiah.  We probably should sing our lesson rather than talk about it, given the power of the poetry it contains (a favorite at funerals!).  But let’s try to probe its wisdom regarding faith in the following three moves.

Awe.  The author lets loose a fairly long quote from Karl Barth in order to underscore the “unknowability” of God (pages 58-59).  Our poem, likewise, begins with a series of questions meant to remind us human beings about who’s really in charge of this world (reminiscent of the whirlwind speech in Job).  How does the awesomeness of God’s power bring hope to those in exile?

Comfort.  As Barth also makes clear, the “unknowable” God has become “knowable” in Jesus Christ (page 59).  Even more, this same God now “knows” us in a deeply personal and intimate way.  How does God’s knowledge of us bring comfort to those in exile?

Strength in Waiting.  The poem ends with a declaration that the awesome and powerful God “gives power to the faint (verse 29).”  But a couple of verses later, the poet makes clear that this gift of power (like the gift of faith) may require some waiting: “but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength (verse 31).”  How do exiles acquire the patience to wait?

For a class like ours, the declaration that we might “run and not be weary” and “walk and not faint (verse 31)” sounds like good news indeed.  How might a deeper knowledge of God’s awesomeness lead not only to comfort, but endurance and perseverance for the journey ahead?  See you Sunday.  Bring either your running or your walking shoes!