{"id":892250,"date":"2023-09-14T13:26:44","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T17:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=bible_study&#038;p=292250"},"modified":"2026-06-23T19:50:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:50:13","slug":"bible-study-pentecost-22-a-october-29-2023","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-pentecost-22-a-october-29-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Proper 25 (A) \u2013 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/proper-25a\/\">RCL: Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Pr25-2023-Bible-Study-Graphic-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-292272\" style=\"width:512px;height:268px\" width=\"512\" height=\"268\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Deuteronomy 34:1-12<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moses\u2019 story ends with God showing him the Promised Lan,d even though Moses would \u201cnot cross over there.\u201d The statement is traditionally considered a reminder of the punishment at the Waters of Meribah (cf. Numbers 20:1-13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even with this reminder of punishment, there is no indication that Moses is dying unfulfilled or with any regrets. Quite the opposite. Despite being 120 years old, God has preserved Moses\u2019 body and mind \u2013 so much so that he can climb a mountain. Moses is only permitted to die at God\u2019s express command, and it is God who seemingly buries Moses personally (since no one else knows where Moses is buried). There is great mourning over Moses, a prophet unlike any other. This passage gives us a completed story of a fulfilled Moses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, there is profound grief over Moses\u2019 death, but even as there is much more to come in the story of the People of Israel, Moses\u2019 story is complete and fulfilled. This is a powerful culminating moment. Moses is far from the man who knew nothing of his people or their God, the man whom this as-of-yet-unknown-to-him God sent to confront the most powerful empire in the world. Moses is far from the still fledgling leader facing the seemingly impossible task of leading God\u2019s people out of oppression, through desert and desolation, and into promise. There have been many stumbles on the way, but Moses is a very different, more spiritually mature, and whole man than he was. Moses\u2019 death narrative marks for us the unbelievable spiritual growth that comes from walking with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How has your walk with God changed you? How has your spiritual journey moved you from oppression through desolation and into promise?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week presents us with two seemingly dissonant portions of Psalm 90. The first six verses speak of God\u2019s eternal nature in contrast to our mortality with the assurance that our mortality rests within the refuge of God\u2019s eternity. The concluding five verses, though, plead for God to return to being the refuge God has been in the past. As we turn to verse 13, we might wonder where the assurance in verse 1 went.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These two sets of verses speak profoundly to human experience. Even when we feel most secure about God\u2019s love for us and faithfulness and goodwill toward us, there are times when God\u2019s grace seems so far away, when we can\u2019t muster rejoicing, when we face adversity. We feel the need to remind God \u2013 or more accurately to remind ourselves \u2013 of God\u2019s past graciousness, begging for its return. In those times, strength comes both from crying out to God <em>and<\/em> remembering that God\u2019s nature is always love and goodness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How do you find solace when God\u2019s graciousness seems far off?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1 Thessalonians 2:1-8<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In our society, we know preachers in many forms. We have televangelists, megachurch pastors, small parish pastors, preachers in large cardinal parishes, street preachers, prophets, and more. There are still many others who, though they may not consider themselves preachers, proclaim what they believe to be the core principles of the Gospel. Perhaps worse yet, these people do not all speak with one voice. They offer sometimes radically opposing views of the Gospel. How do we know which people and messages are genuine?<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is part of what Paul is addressing in this passage. He wants the Thessalonians to know that he is the real deal. Perhaps the Thessalonians are suspicious and looking out for \u201cdeceit,\u201d \u201cimpure motives,\u201d and \u201ctrickery\u201d because of past evangelists. Perhaps they have heard that the Philippians did not take too kindly to Paul, a concern Paul addresses head-on.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paul counsels first that the Thessalonians (and we) listen to what these messengers say. If it is too good to be true, too much of what we <em>want<\/em> to hear, perhaps our suspicion is warranted. Surely, this is not the only test, but flattery may denote a pretext for greed. Paul contrasts himself and his companions against itinerate philosophers and Christian preachers who were paid to impart their wisdom. Paul does his work out of love and mission, not for money.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paul also counsels that the Thessalonians (and we) listen to how these messengers deliver their message. Paul and his companions are invested in those to whom they preach, and so they deliver their message with gentleness and care as a parent for a child. So much so that they share <em>themselves<\/em>, not just the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How would you preach the Gospel to someone who is very dear to you?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Matthew 22:34-46<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Jesus having finally silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees take up the quest to try to trip Jesus up on some doctrinal matter. They enlist a lawyer, someone who knows well the Jewish tradition that there are 613 commandments, and he asks Jesus to choose. If nothing else, which of these 613 commandments should we keep no matter what? Jesus, of course, can\u2019t just give one. He gives two \u2013 love God and love your neighbor as yourself \u2013 or maybe Jesus gives three \u2013 love God, love yourself, and love your neighbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But perhaps Jesus <em>does<\/em> respond with just one commandment. Jesus responds to these leaders learned in the Torah in words taken from the central Jewish prayer, the <em>Shema<\/em>. Perhaps he is trying to explain to them the meaning of these words and, in so doing, that the premise of their question is flawed. There are <em>not<\/em> 613 commandments. There are not two or three. There is only one: Love. That is the foundation of all the other commandments and every word that the prophets have uttered. We are to love God and cannot do so without loving ourselves and our neighbors. Nor can we do so without following the other commandments and heeding the prophets\u2019 call for justice for the oppressed and marginalized. We have but one commandment: Love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How does your own sense of what God commands us to do measure up against the commandment to love?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-b57acc22-8c87-4ff1-afb3-6dfe6ba4ad3c\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Proper-25-Bible-Study.docx\">Word \u2013 Proper 25 (A) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Proper-25-Bible-Study.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-b57acc22-8c87-4ff1-afb3-6dfe6ba4ad3c\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-2c5dd974-efea-42d2-a61f-4289a2c16bd9\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Proper-25-Bible-Study.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Proper 25 (A) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Proper-25-Bible-Study.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-2c5dd974-efea-42d2-a61f-4289a2c16bd9\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RCL: Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46 Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Moses\u2019 story ends with God showing him the Promised Lan,d even though Moses would \u201cnot cross over there.\u201d The statement is traditionally considered a reminder of the punishment at the Waters of Meribah (cf. Numbers 20:1-13). Even with this reminder of punishment,&#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":[111],"class_list":["post-892250","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-25a"],"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":111,"label":"Proper 25A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/892250","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\/892250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952262,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/892250\/revisions\/952262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}