Inspired
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
–2 Timothy 3:16–17
We all know the Scriptures are “inspired” but what exactly does that mean?
We know they are infused with beauty and we sense the divine in and through them in moments as we read. But at other times they all seem so... human. And maybe this paradox is at heart what it means to be inspired. The meeting of the Divine and the human, the nexus of Creator and creativity, the space where all of our self is brought before God and blessed and made new.
In this series we want to talk about scripture and creativity. About gifting and community. About the Spirit of God that helps us become more ourselves.
Part 1: How Do We Read the Bible Through Jesus
Today we are talking about what informs our reading of the scriptures.
Bonus material
I’m not sure where the phrase Jesus H. Christ came from but maybe it should stand for Hermeneutic. Because as Christians, Jesus is how we make sense of the Bible, Christ is how we understand what it all means.
Part 2: Reading Genesis
Today we’re talking about story-telling as meaning-making, the questions that the creation and flood narratives were meant to answer and how reading those stories through Jesus brings us closer to God.
Bonus Material
On Sunday we talked about mythology. For some of us that can sound like a scary conversation but the truth is the more open we become to the various ways the Bible speaks the more open we become to the God about whom the Bible speaks.
Part 3: Reading Violence
Today we’re look at how Jesus re-interprets violence and sacrifices, and fulfills the law.
Bonus Material
One of the most disorienting moments in our faith journey can be those periods where we are leaving one way of thinking beyond but we haven't quite landed on the other side. One thing that has always helped me is the idea "transcend and include." The trust that even as I am moving forward into something new, the lessons, the faith, the trust, and the experiences that I have treasured will still be part of me.
Part 4: Reading Poetry
Discussion Notes
Today we’re looking at how reading the poets of today can help us read the Psalms, how Jesus brings mercy and justice together, and how on the cross God chooses solidarity with us.
Bonus Material
Poetry is more than just literary devices, it's a way of communicating that's designed sneaks past our defences and force us to consider ideas we may not have otherwise.
Part 5: Reading Revelation
Today we’re looking at the imagery, scope and scale of Revelation how the Chirst of Revelation looks just like the Jesus of the gospels.
Bonus Material
Sometimes in order to see something new we need to have the rug pulled out from under us At least, that's what Revelation is counting on.