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Theme 5: The Bible’s Big Themes

In this theme…

a.       What is your favourite Bible story?

b.       What does hermeneutics mean and what do I need to know about it?

c.       Who does the Bible say God is?

d.       Who does the Bible say Jesus is?

e.       Who does the Bible say the Holy Spirit is?

f.        Who does the Bible say we are, in relation to God, each other and everything?

g. What other themes are important?

1.        What appeals to you about hearing others tell about their favourite Bible story? What do you notice about the way they tell their story?

2.     Identify a story or character from the Bible that made an impact on you. What was it about the story that made such an impact?

3.      In what ways might you explore that story further? Consider exploring the context out of which the story was written, finding other versions of the story or just reading it several times over to revisit the characters and message.

1.        Hermeneutics is ‘the study of how meaning is made’. How does the Bible speak to us today? What a great question! Peter describes some of the processes we go through to make meaning from a text like the Bible. This kind of thinking is like being an eagle flying above the landscape with a great broad view of what’s going on below.

2.     Identify some of your assumptions about the Bible that might influence your reading or listening.

3.      Name some key experiences that might influence the way you interpret the things you read and hear.

1.        Have a think about your images of God. What would you draw if someone asked you to draw God?

2.     What ideas of God have caught your attention recently? Have you watched a film with God as a character, or seen a representation of the divine on television, or in a video? What did you think? What aspects of God’s character are most important to get right in such depictions?

3.      As you proceed through your week, keep your eyes and ears open for references to God and note which characteristic is described or highlighted. Ask: Is this image of God something I see reflected in scripture?

1.        Have you noticed the actions of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels? Sarah suggested that to know who Jesus is, it helps to see what he did. His actions ‘bring divine love, grace and forgiveness, to build and restore community and relationship’. Choose a Gospel and read through it with this focus: what is Jesus doing here? (PS: the shortest Gospel is Mark!)

2.     Imagine you have the task of communicating who Jesus is to a modern audience. What type of communication would you consider using? Facebook post? Tweet? Bus stop poster? Film advertisement? What would the result look/sound like?

3.      What would you like to say to your audience about the Jesus we know through the Gospels?

1.        Read Acts chapter 2 and notice the actions of the spirit. Paul suggests that it is God’s spirit that enables our ongoing connection to Christ, and the connection of others in other times and places.

2.     Notice the impact that the gift of the Spirit had on those early Christians. In what ways is God’s Spirit evident in your community?

3.      Ever heard a new word for the first time, and suddenly everyone seems to be saying it? Well, read up on the gifts of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-26, and look out for them in the coming days and weeks.

1.        The Bible is one source of information and inspiration about humanity’s relationship with the Divine. We can be inspired by its poetry and metaphor to understand something of the nature of our part in the world. Where else do you find information and inspiration about what humans are and our role in the universe?

2.     What evidence is there for the existence of a soul? What role does consciousness have in our human potential? Is there evidence that we are created in God’s image?

3.      If humanity has a special place in God’s creation, what is our responsibility for the whole of creation? What Biblical stories and characters have inspired you in this?

1.        So, the Bible is full of ideas and themes to explore. Which theme speaks to you at the moment?

2.     Do you need to know the reassurance of God with us? Perhaps you could look at Paula Gooder’s book Journey to the Manger. Find it at Booko.

3.      If you would like to explore the idea of glory, check out this YouTube clip: called  Seeing the glory in the everyday. It is a video that explores how people in the Bible recognised glory when they saw it, a wonderful dip into thematic Bible study.

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