{"id":766704,"date":"2016-05-29T00:15:58","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T04:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/episcopalchurch:8888\/bible_study\/bible-study-proper-4-c-2016\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T19:55:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:55:34","slug":"bible-study-proper-4-c-2016","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-proper-4-c-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Proper 4 (C) &#8211; 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1 Kings 18:20-21, (22-29), 30-39<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, \u201cThe Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.\u201d&nbsp;1 Kings 18:39<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elijah\u2019s challenge to the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel is one of the most vivid and memorable stories in the Hebrew Scriptures. Two weeks after Pentecost, this story reminds us of the associations of fire with God throughout the Bible. Like the tongues of flame that descended on the disciples in Jerusalem, this miracle takes place in front of a gathering of all the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the prophets of Baal are unable to get a response, Elijah calls the people close to him and repairs the altar. He reminds the people who they are by using twelve stones to represent the tribes of Israel. Next, he prepares the bonfire and asks for it to be doused with water three times, an ostentatious act during a major draught. Then Elijah calls on the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Fire descends from the Lord and burns the offering, the people witness this mighty act, believe, and proclaim: \u201cthe Lord indeed is God\u201d!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When has God roused you from a spiritual stupor through a wild prophet or colorful character?<\/li><li>Have you ever been part of a large gathering where God\u2019s love burned in your collective hearts?<\/li><li>In this story, the Israelites are called back to their God, whom we believe is one God. How do you read this story, living today in an interconnected world where our neighbors belong to many faiths and religions?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Psalm 96<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This psalm of celebration calls us to \u201csing a new song\u201d and \u201ctell it out among the nations.\u201d All the peoples rejoice with \u201call the whole earth,\u201d including the sea, field, trees, and heavens. Verse eight is a familiar Offertory Sentence from the Book of Common Prayer, \u201cAscribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into his courts.\u201d We bless God in thanksgiving for being part of this beautiful, holy, and new creation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>How has your life been blessed by God so that you want to \u201cproclaim the good news of his salvation\u201d and declare his wonders?<\/li><li>How is coming into God\u2019s courts and worshiping in the beauty of holiness related to the joy of the natural, created world?<\/li><li>How do you understand God\u2019s providence that \u201csets in order all things both in heaven and earth,\u201d in the words of today\u2019s Collect?&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Galatians 1:1-12<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some letters attributed to Paul are contested, but the letter to Galatians is undisputedly written by the real Paul. In the opening of this letter, he is angry that others have come to this community and told them that Christians must still follow the Mosaic laws, calling anyone who perverts the gospel of Christ accursed (or&nbsp;anathema). Paul is ultimately concerned with spreading the Gospel of our \u201cLord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age.\u201d The revelation that Paul received and his beautiful and brilliant letter to the Galatians proclaim a radical vision of Christian freedom and a Gospel of grace and peace for all people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Is there a time you have spoken out with righteous indignation for a greater good?<\/li><li>Paul the apostle received the Gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ and we in turn have received it from him. How do you understand the Bible, written by human authors, as the inspired Word of God that still speaks to us today?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Luke 7:1-10<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is he worthy? The first part of this story goes back and forth on this question. The centurion who has heard about Jesus\u2019s ability to heal is a gentile, but the Jewish elders earnestly appeal on his behalf, praising his generosity. The centurion himself sends friends to tell Jesus that he is not worthy to have Jesus enter his home, but requests that Jesus \u201conly speak the word, and let my servant be healed.\u201d Jesus is not concerned with whether he is worthy but praises his faith in God\u2019s power over illness and death. Even without being physically present, the crowd witnesses Jesus\u2019 authority and power to heal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When have you experienced healing through prayer and Jesus\u2019 love?<\/li><li>This story is about the slave of a centurion, \u201cwhom he valued highly.\u201d Share your thoughts about the differences and similarities between slavery in the ancient world, in America, and the modern-day slavery.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Bible-Study-English-Proper-4C-2016.pdf\"><strong>Bible-Study-English-Proper-4C-2016<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Bible-Study-English-Proper-4C-2016.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download>Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1 Kings 18:20-21, (22-29), 30-39 \u201cWhen all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, \u201cThe Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.\u201d&nbsp;1 Kings 18:39 Elijah\u2019s challenge to the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel is one of the most vivid and memorable stories in the Hebrew Scriptures. Two weeks&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,52,33,3],"tags":[366],"class_list":["post-766704","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-sermons-that-work","category-the-season-after-pentecost","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-proper-4c"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":33,"label":"The Season After Pentecost"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":366,"label":"Proper 4C"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952315,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766704\/revisions\/952315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=766704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=766704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=766704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}