Book of Faith in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA

Reflections on Learning Ministries Day

2009-02-24T07:04:00.001-08:00

What a beautiful and enriching day we had at Learning Ministry Day 2009. I am using this space to share some of my notes for folks who may have missed this Day. I encourage others to add their notes, highlights, and comments about the day.

We opened the Bible several times to Deuteronomy, "Moses' farewell speech." During devotions we found a way to remember Deuteronomy 6:4-5. We then read the next section together with the instructions of what to do with these words of faith. The Rev Dr Rolf Jacobson highlighted the covenant in DT 5:1-3 and reminded us that this Book of Faith is for all of us today, it is about us, the family of God, today. Here are a few quotes I jotted down from his keynote address.

His title for our time was "Open the Bible and Find Yourself."

"We are in the stories."

"God gives the law because of our neighbor, not to make us a better us."

We opened our Bibles to Exodus 21:28 regarding the goring ox. In Exodus 23:4-5 the ox and the donkey are the "engines" of the day. We were asked to recontextualize the text and think of our automobile as our ox. Each of these two laws has an obligation to do the right thing with our neighbor in mind. Jesus summed up, about loving our enemy, laws that already existed.

"Every law has a positive and negative obligation. When do the obligations end?Never"
"We teach the Ten Commandments to children but they are laws for adults. When do we teach them to adults?"
"The Psalms are prayers for us to pray. The stories tell us who we are."

In John 4:46ff The man had to walk back home for two days to find out if what Jesus said was true. Faith tells us, we are this man.

During the workshop "Let's Talk" we looked at Amos 5:15a as an illustration of what the new Lutheran Study Bible will do. "...establish justice in the gate" -- the "world of the Bible" note will tell us that it was at the gate, the entrance to the community, that legal issues were settled.

A question was asked how to respond to the reaction of people--the words "Bible study" receive the same negative reaction as "stewardship campaign" What images do we possess about a "brand"? What images do we possess about "Bible study"? The image may be an 80 year old widow. How do we change the brand? Format and hospitality are key. Having a meal and childcare eliminate two excuses. Having Bible study in homes changes the "brand". An atmosphere of openness to express opinions is key rather than being told you have the wrong answer. The "brand" of the Book of Faith Intiative is Open Scripture. Join the Conversation. The Initiative is not curriculum driven but Scripture and conversation driven. Augsburg Fortress is providing resources to allow the conversation to happen.

More conversations about resources began in this workshop.

So what happened in your workshop? What notes do you want to share with others about the Keynote Address? Come and join the conversation.

Marlane Druckenmiller, Book of Faith Advocate

NEPS Book of Faith Advocate

2008-11-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

As the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod's Book of Faith Advocate, my responsibilities are to:

serve as a point person for the ELCA Initiative on synod territory;
encourage congregations to participate;
support the goals of the intiative;
encourage use of the web site (this one and http://www.bookoffaith.org);
speak to leadership groups work with existing program structures;
plan Bible teacher training enrichment events; and,
serve as a link between ELCA and NEP Synod.

If you have any questions or ideas, respond to this blog!

~ Marlane Druckenmiller, NEPa Synod Book of Faith Advocate

Using the ELCA Book of Faith Initiative in Shared Ministry Settings

2008-11-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

How can a shared ministry church use Lutheran specific resources? Share your ideas here.

~ Marlane Druckenmiller, NEPa Synod Book of Faith Advocate

Book of Faith Road Trip - Day 1

2008-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Confirmation Student Ryan Hart travels around the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod to learn about how we open up the Bible.

Share Ideas

2008-10-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

How are you opening the scriptures in your congregation, with your friends, in your family, and in your own life? What works? What does not? What have you tried? Share your ideas and read the ideas of others so that everyone in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod can become fluent in the first language of the faith: the scriptures.

Click on "comments" below to be a part of the conversation.

Scripture Conversation

2008-10-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Authority of Scripture
Here are some short thoughts on what Lutherans are talking about when they speak of the "authority of scripture." These thoughts come from Augsburg Fortress' 2008 publication "Opening the book of faith: Lutheran Insights for Bible Study" by Diane Jacobson, Mark Allan Powell, and Stanley N. Olson.

"Lutherans say the Bible is inspired. The Spirit of God speaks there" (p. 2).

"The Bible is authoritative because it communicates the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Grace comes to us as law and gospel, demand and promise" (p. 2).

"The Bible is authoritative for us in much the same way that Jesus Christ was authoritative for those first-century women and men who became his disciples. They encountered God in him. We encounter God through the Bible because it effectively conveys Jesus Christ to us" (p. 2).

"Lutherans begin with what the Bible does, rather than beginning with claims about its nature or origin." (p. 3)

Lutherans tend to think that the power of the Bible does not come from the book itself. We do not worship the book. The power of the scriptures take hold of us when God encounters us through the words printed there.

This is the conversation starter. What thoughts or questions do you have concerning the "authority of the scriptures?" Click on "comments" below to be a part of the conversation.

Online Resources

2008-10-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

There are many resources on the web that help us engage the scriptures. What have you found? Click on "comments" below to add descriptions and web addresses of trusted websites that help us to faithfully open up the scriptures. Go ahead and be a part of the conversation.

The Importance of Studying the Bible with Others

2008-07-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Recently, some of the synod staff have started to meet on a weekly basis - for about an hour or so - to read and meditate on scripture together. The key word here for me is "together." If I were to do this alone, I would never come away with the insights that others share. My colleagues open my eyes to new things (it seems that we do that for each other) - and this reminds me just how alive the Bible really is! There's a reason we call it the living bible - and not the dead bible!

By reading together - with others - we attempt to interpret the Bible faithfully and through the Lutheran lens. We hold each other accountable, I guess you could say. I know this accountability factor doesn't exist when I read the bible alone.

One of the gifts that I receive from this gatherings is the sense of refreshment and renewal I experience. These gatherings are powerful and empowering.

Our process is simple. It's heavily based on the African Bible study. First we start by finding three volunteers to read scripture. Then here's what we do:

1. Someone lights a candle while another person reads the prayer for the day (from the Celebrate). Another way to do this is to have a prayer that you can say together as a group.

2. One of us volunteers to read the bible passage (so far we have been using the gospel text for the coming Sunday). While the person reads the passage, we pay attention to a word or phrase that stands out for us when we listen. The reader reads the passage again (after some silence). After a minute or two of additional silence, the reader rings a bell.

3. We each take turns sharing (without additional comment) the word or phrase that stands out for us. That's all.

4. Another one of us volunteers to read the bible passage again. During this reading, we listen for the answer to this question: "How is my life touched by this passage?"

5. After the reading, there is - again - another minute or so of silence. The reader rings the bell to signal the end of the silence. We each take time to share our response to the question.

6. A third person reads the scripture through once. During this reading, we listen for the answer to these questions: "Is there an invitation here?" and "Do I sense that this passage is inviting me to do or be something?"

7. There is about another minute of silence after this reading. Again the reader breaks the silence when so moved, by ringing the bell. We share our responses.

8. We close our time together by praying for whatever is on our mind. In addition, we pray for the person who sits to our right (or left). I think, for some of us, it was awkward at first to do this, but I am glad we have stuck with this. What an amazing thing to have the privilege to pray for another person - and to experience hearing another's prayers for me. When we first gather, we try to purposely sit in different seats each week so that we get to pray for someone new :-)

The next step for me is to find other opportunities to use this meditation. I am eager to use it with my family - and maybe even with a group of folks in my congregation. I like it because it doesn't require a concordance or bible study guides. All it requires is community. A listening community.

I'm already looking forward to when we gather together next week!

Book of Faith Resources for Youth: NOOMA

2008-07-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Northeastern PA Synod Resource Center has a wide range of materials for youth for Bible study. At the present time, the NOOMA DVDs have been flying off our shelves for youth groups (and adult groups as well). These short DVDs (no longer than 12 minutes) make a faith-life connection in a way that is engaging. A booklet with discussion questions and biblical references accompany each DVD.

Rob Bell, founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, guides viewers through real life situations and makes biblical connections to them. Themes of the nineteen DVDs are (titles are in parentheses):

God's presence in our suffering (RAIN)
God, creator of love, wanting us to feel it all in the way it’s meant to be felt (FLAME)
Looking for meaning in our lives (TREES)
Christianity beyond Sunday morning - being a disciple (SUNDAY)
Listening to God (NOISE)
Trusting God for what's right for us (KICKBALL)
Vengeance versus forgiveness (LUGGAGE)
God's faith in us (DUST)
What it means to love God and others (BULLHORN)
How God deals with our personal "junk" (LUMP)
Unpacking what it means to have a relationship with God (RHYTHM)
Dealing with loss (MATTHEW)
What it means to be blessed (RICH)
What it means to be created in the image of God (BREATHE)
What it means to be Christian (YOU)
Dealing with anger constructively (STORE)
Getting beyond wishing for how things used to be (TODAY)
Accepting ourselves (NAME)
God's response to our prayer (OPEN)

Visit our resource center website and reserve a copy for your group or class: http://www.rqmweb.com/search.asp?q=nepsynod Type the word NOOMA as the search phrase. Click on the "ResCode" beside the DVD for which you would like a description. Order on line or call the office (610-395-6891) and ask for Debbie or Karen. The only cost for using our resources is shipping and handling charges (very cheap!)

Youth! Youth advisors! Adults! Dig into your Bibles using these DVDs as a starting point.

Have you used these DVDs for Bible study? What is your impression of them? What have you learned? Which DVD "spoke" to you? Post your experiences and reflections.