Bible Study Material for January 29th 2006

January 29th 2006
4th Sunday of after Epiphany

Deuteronomy 18:15-20:

Being a prophet sounds like an awfully scary assignment. Although clearly the text refers to the raising of a prophet “like Moses” from within the people of Israel, it’s not that great a stretch to imagine it as speaking of our own prophetic role within our own congregations. Which is where things get scary. Personally, I want my prophets to be a lot smarter, a lot more attuned to what’s happening in the world and the church, and certainly a lot holier and more spiritual then I feel most of the time.

What does it mean to be a prophet?
What does it mean to be prophetic in today’s world?
Can you think of any prophets in the modern world?
Who are they ? What did they do? Why are they prophetic?
Can you think of any prophets in our own community?
Is it true that we want our prophets to be smarter, more aware and more holy then us?
Do you think THAT is true of the prophets you thought of above?
Why or why not?
What are the risks of being prophetic?
How would a prophet like Moses be received today in Minnedosa?
If someone said we had to radically change our lifestyles, would we listen?
Do we listen to the environmentalists warning us about global warming?
Could they be prophets?
What’s the difference between prophets and lunatics?

Psalm 111:

How easy is it to share the words of this Psalmist when we consider creation?
In verse 10, if we substitute fear with awe, can we understand the psalmist’s message?
Is faith the beginning of wisdom?
Can you conceive of a sunrise, or sunset and NOT feel drawn to God?
Can you conceive of these things, and not experience God’s love?

Mark 1: 21-28:

If you were a disciple in this story, would you have second thoughts about staying?
Jesus taught and healed with authority, where did this authority come from?
How did Jesus claim and embody this authority?
Think of the teachers who inspired you, where did their authority come from?
How have they inspired you?
Have you encountered people who helped cast “demons” from you life?
How have they helped you?
By whose authority did they act?
How much credit have you given to God in those moments?
How much credit do we give God at all in our lives?

If this story happened this week in our church how would people react?
How would you react?
Do we like to keep our faith happenings “nice”, and avoid such things?
Does God want our faith kept “nice”?
By whose authority do we live our lives and faith?
Are we willing to do anything that may make us stand out?

I Corinthians 8:1-13:

Do we even worry about where our food comes from?
Would we make different choices if we knew where our food came from?
What’s more important, cheap food, or just working conditions?
If a local farmer asks the same question – is your answer different?