I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar… On the mountain height of Israel I will transplant it, and it will produce boughs and bear fruit and become a noble cedar. Ezekiel 17:22-24

Come to the Waters

We’ll be enjoying water in the summer of 2024. We love water at the beach and the lake when on vacation, but this summer we will also consider water in scripture. We will have in-person learning on the Wednesday nights that we meet at the church, and for the weeks that we will be meeting at restaurants, you can find study materials here. Join in the study together AND separately!

Week One: In the Beginnings

The waters of creation and the waters of baptism mark beginnings for us. This lesson outline helps you think about those stories and beginnings and offers a project that reminds us of the need to “be watered.” Click on the image at right to link to the lesson.

Week Two: Boundary Waters

What are the stories in scripture and our lives where water is a boundary between one phase or aspect of life and another. Explore the stories of scripture and think about the stories of your life. You should be able to click on the image at left and link to the video. At the end of the video is a link to a hymn accompaniment of “How Firm a Foundation.” That link is not live on the video, but it is here.

Week Three: Let Justice Roll Down

God’s word to the people through the prophet Amos was that justice should roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. But what do those words mean? And how do we think about that in terms of water? Click on the image for the handout and some images from our in-person lesson on Amos. 

Week Four: Walking on Water

What does faith mean when connected to a story of walking on water? Looking at Matthew 14:22-33, this session takes a look at what faith means and how it develops. Along the way we ask about the kind of faith that caused Peter to jump out of a perfectly good boat! Click on the image at left to connect to the video. The handout mentioned at the end of the video can be found here.

Week Seven: Hospitality, Part 2

When Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, he isn’t doing anything that hadn’t been seen before — footwashing was a sign of hospitality. However, the fact that HE was the one doing the washing was revolutionary (and a little shocking!) to the disciples. This week, we compare two visual images of John 13:1-20 to discover how Jesus transformed the meaning of this act.