EGC

UNITI ISSUE1

TheMission EliiahChallenges the of BaaI of the AndSucceeds in lgniting Fire on Altar Prophets NORTHERNKINCDOM, 9th Century, of Ash€rah.(The prophets of Baal and BCE-Strange happeningstook placeon Asherahare friends ofQueen Jezebel.) Mount Carmelearlier today. The "Wheneveryone had gathered at Mount Elijahchallenged four hundredand fifty Camel, Elijahgave tle peopleof Israelan ultimatum-eitherfollow Baalor follow theLord. Then he asked for two bullslo b€ given to him. The prophetsof Baal were Siventheir choice. When they had done so, Elijahsaid, Cut it in pieces.and lay it on the wood,but put no fire ro iti I will pre- parethe otherbull andlay it on the wood. butput no fire to it.' "After this wasdone. the prophetsof Baal calledupon their god. crying. O Baal.answer us!'The prophetslimped aroundthe altar they had made from mom- ing until noonwithoul any responsefrom Baal. 'At noon, teased them, saying, 'Perhapshe is on a joumey.or perhapshe is asleepand musl be awakened.'-fhe prophetsmved on andon, but still nolhing happened.

prophetsof Baal!o call on theirgod ro EliiahTakes Charge light the sacrificialfire. The god Baal did "Elijahsaid to all the people,'Come ChaliceYe&- not respond,bu! the Lord Godof Israel closerto me,'andeveryone gathered senta fire thatconsumed the oftering, EpiscopalChildren s around.Elijah prepared the altarto the An eyewitnessat the scenegave us this Lord. by taking twel\'estones for the Copyrighl 01994 detailedaccount: twelvesons of Jacoband building an ahar Vn8ida Theologicrl "The prophetElijah appearedout of to the Lord.Then he dug a lrench.cut the SeDiiary md Morchouse nowhereto confrontKing Ahab.Elijah wood,and prepared lhe bull. whichhe laid Publishing calledfor alt of Israelto assembleat Mount uponthe altar- Carmelalong with four hundredand fifty prophets prophels of Baaland four hundred Continuedon page 3 BlishaChosen As Eliiah's Successor

nlishr was a farmerwho becamethe successorto J{_etilal. ns rle storyis rold.Elija} andElisha uav- .lJeled from Cilsal to rheJordan River. At the Jordan,Elijah parted-thewate6 with his cloak, and the two wentto theother side. There Elijah was carriedaway by a chadot of fire in a whirlwind.When Elishacould see Elijah no longer he pickedup the mantleElijah had given him and went backacross the Jordan. 's work for the Lord took a diferent path from Elijah's.He becamea prophetof the cities.He is rememberedas a man of wisdom and a worker of mira- cles,bolh for all of Israelin times of crisis and for indi' vidualsin timesof need. We can read,i\ II Kings, cltr. 2-6, the storiesof Elisha'smiracles. He pudfiedthe waterof Jerichoby addingsalt. When a widow lackedmoney, Elisha increasedthe amount of heroil so thatshe could sell il andpay her debts. The mostfamous story is thatof Naaman,a Syrian commanderwho had leprosy.Elisha ordered him to bathein the JordanRiver seventimes. Then. when Naaman'sservants told him to follow Elishas insfiuc- tion,he was made well. To the very end of his life when he grew old and sick, Elishastayed keenly interested in the futureof Ismelas a nation.His ministryas a servantofcod had lastedfifty years(849-79 BCE). As thestory is tuu, Elijah and Elisha traveledftom Gilgal HebrewProphets Declared God's Word, to the Jordan River. At the Jodan, Callingfor FaithfulnessandJustice Eliah partedthe waten wilh his God that would come upon the unright- I)#.l'j; d,i,i:Jil#l;.: Hi:l'* eous,their final word was alwaysa word of cloalq and the I orominentin the HebrewScriotures. hope. God would remainfaithful to the two wentto the Seveialare mentionedin the'New peopleif theywould remain faithful to other side. Testamentas well. In listingsof church Cod. leaderc,prophets are namedalong with Womenwere prophetessesin Biblical apostles,teachers, pastors, and preachers. limes. (JrdSer 4: l -10), H\rldah(2 Prophetsspoke out againstinjustices Kings22:14-20), ^nd Ann (Luke2:36-38) theysaw happening among the chosen peo- spokeGod's word to thepeople. ple of fu, suchas the neglectof the poor Peoplewho speakout aboutsocial They alsocalled on the peopleto tum away issuesin our own time are sometimes from worshipof idols and falsegods and to calledprophets. For example,the late retumto theone Lord Godoflsmel. Manin LutherKing, Jr.,helped many peo- Prcphetsserved as a channelfor direct ple to understandracial injustice in the communicationbetween Cod and the peo- United StatesaDd to take steps to correct ple. They repealedthe word of the Lord as the iiequalities amongraces. it hadb€en spoken to themby God.While Who are someprophets in your ciry? the prophetsoften spokeof the justiceof

ctulie Ys Inrm.dior.. Episq.l childMl cutriculum Pagez l-l copy4hr o r yx vi4iiii T'lslosicJ sgminarymd M4hou* hbliding Eliiah Challenges, Continuedfrom page 1

''Then Ehah did a strangcthingl Hc had thc firc of the Lord fell and bufnt not only the peoplebring firur jars lu11ol $aler and the olGnns. buI the wood.thc srones.and pouf it oler the ofierins rnd the *md. He the du\t. It elen lichedup lhe wrter rhar rcpeatedthis $ree tinres.\\'ell. $e ll $on h|d run i o the lirnch. defedil he d beeDout ilr lhe suntoo long. 'Al1 the peoplefcll do$r arrdlrorshiped E\,eryonekno$s th t woodsorked $ith theLo . slying. Thc Lord indccdis God: ' \r'aterwill not burnI theLod indeedis God. -Howevef. \\,e all stoodstill as Elijah \l'e undeNtandthat the prophetsoi BnLrl pfa)-edto the Lofd God. Jnstas he finished. $'ere\eized rnd c fiedrwa).

MIMORYC}IAI,I,ENGE

Sure\,it isGod who saves nte; I will trustin himand not be dJrad. Forthe Lold is my stronghokl rnd mv sure detense. andhe irill bemy Savior I lllijrh. Ieot,1c.frorrher. Therefbre1,ou shall dra$' wrter with rejoicing I bull.prfIrLfcd. ll,rL'1. ftomthe springs of srhation. Andon that day you shall say. I r\\el\ e. r'lhcs..ltLc,)h. Givethanks tothe Lord and call upon his Nanre: + $ ood.piecc\. Lxld

Makehis deeds knorvn anong the peoples; 6. Eliirh.rrrs\\'er. teople. seethat they remember hisName is that exalted. l. lir.. con\unrcd.\lones. Singthe praises ofthe Lord, for he has done great things, 8. teople.fncc\, indccd mdthis is knorvn in all the world. Crya oud. inhrbitrnt. otZion. ring out l ourjor. forthe great one in the midst of youis the Holy One of lsrael. TheBookofCoutnon Pmtcr. N'lorning Pr,ryer ll, page86

chrLi!! \.r lnLjnn{Li,{r trx!,r, Ch iLrn,. Cutriu,ur I-1 Prge3 utffisENrENcBS

Unscramblethe words in eachsentence to discove.key points in thestory of Elijah.

L ThenJHAELI saidto the LEEPOq "1, evenI only, am left a PHORTEPof the Lord; bur Baal's prophetsnumber four NREDHUD fifty."

2. Sothey took the LUBL thatwas given them, DAREPPRE it, andcalled on thename of ABAL from morninguntil noon,crying "O, Baal,WANSER usl" But therewas no ICEOY andno answer

3. Elijah took WELVET stones,according to the numberof the BRITESof the sonsof COJAB,to whomthe word of theLord camesayjng, "EASIRL shall be yourname";

4. Nexthe put theDOWO in order,cut thebull in CIEPSE,and DIAL it on thewood.

5. He said,"Fill four SARI with RETAWand pour it on theTURNB ollering and on thewood."

6. (JHAELIcalled on the Lord andsaid,) "WASNER me, O Lord,answer me, so thatrhis LEOPPE mayknow that you, O Lord,are Cod, and that you have turned their TEARHS back."

7. Thenthe EIRF of the Lord fell andMUSNCODE the burntoffering, the wood,the NOTESS,and tie dust,and even licked up thewater that was in theHENRTC.

8. Whenall theEOPPEL saw it, theyfell on theirCASEF and said, "The Lord EDINDEis Cod."

Unit I: IJARNINGSCRIPTURE TEARNING Verscsfbr the Unit: Sessionl. II Kings2:l th; Psaln SCRIPTURE 85i8 SessionI Scssion2: Arrr)r Jr7; ir-21 Ses\ion3: ^did, 6j,lj 9r-2b ''. .l: . . a chariot of firc and horsesof lire separatedthe two of them. and Elijah Se\sion Ml./ll,lr5r, 6r8lt ascendedin a whirlwind inLoheaven." Session5: Jerzrrldr8:,1-1; -18:6b 11(r)r8r 2r-iib (NRSV) Session6: E.ekiel1.15. l6c; 37.1 Session'7:Isaidt 10:3l; 55:67 "Let me hear whal God the Lord will speak.tbr he will speakpeace to his peo- Sessron8: Jaath2:2a: Ztcha,-ialr ple, to his fairhful, to thosewho tum to him in their hearts." 9:9 -P.rd1' ,li:8 (NRSV) Session9: tpre.Jr.rrr,1rJ7',18

atchLldfl\ Cu[lttrn] Page.1 l-l EGC

TJNITI ISSUE2 AmosofTekoa Calls on People Israel :Prophet of ofJustlce To KeepGod's Law andAssist the Poor

ISP.4.EL,8th Cennn AmosSpeak Out 8CE-Throughoutall Manypeople have heard Amos' speech- of Israel.in the north. es andhave shared their impressionswith the prophetAmos has us. been seenand heard "He cenainlyis a forcefulsp€aker," said proclaiminSthe word one listener."He speaksoul againstcities of the Lord. He claims andnations-Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, to havehad a vision Edom,Moab, Judah, the Ammonites,and from God. who told especiallyIsrael. He saysthe peopleof him to speak out Israeldo not obeythc laws of Cod, They againstthe peopleof havetumed their lacesfrom de Lord and Israel. They are do not worshipaccording to Cod's com- neglectingthe poor, and mandments, they do not worship "I think Amos is a strangeperson who accordingto God's doesnot know our ways." laws. A merchantwho heard Amos by lhecity ln a recentinterview galereports! 'Amos hasbeen shouting we askedAmos who he fireats of punishmentfor Israel.He says is and why he cameto the day of the Lord is coming when the Israel.He replied,"l am Lord will punishIsrael tbr all her iniqui- no propnet, nor a ties.When asked what theseiniquities prophet'ssonl but I am were,Amos told us of thosewho 'sell the a herdsman,and a righteousfor silver, and the needyfor a dresserof sycamote pair of sandals.' tlees,and the Lord tookme from following 'Amos conlinuedby lelling the people the flock,and the Lord saidto me. 'Go that God despisedthe religiousfestivals, prophesyto my peoplelsrael."' wouldnot acceptthe bumt offerings. songs I! was later reported of praise, EpiscopalChildren's that he repeated or musicfrcm the harps.But let thesesame words to Amaziah,the priest of justiceroll downlike walers,and righF CopynghrO1994 Bethel.Amaziah, who was sentby King eousnesslike an evetflowing stream.' con Virsinia Theological Jeroboam,told Amos,"O seer,go, flee cludedAmos." Serninaryand Morehouse awayto the landof Judah,eam your bread "I think the leadersof Israelshould do Publishing there,and prophesy there; but neveragain somethingabout this so-calledprophet," prophesyat Bethel, for it is theking's sanc- themerchanl added. tuary,and it is a templeof thekingdom." Conlinued on page 3 ArchaeologistsExplore Biblical Sites, SeekingClues to Howthe People lived t was not until the early lli0os that Archaeologistsare scientistswho archaeologistsbeSan to explorethe expbreancient places in searchof cluesto Biblicallands. They lookedfor the the pAst.Their work is n verydifftcult and placesmentioned in the Scriptures,and fbr preciscprocess. FirsI, thc groundmusl be ilemssuch as pottery. They wontedto find rneasuredand marked olf in sections.Then oul moreabout life in thelinle of , an excavatordigs down lery carefuliyby King .the prophcls.or Jesusand the hand.using special lools. Dirt is sifted disciples. throughsieves to be surethat small ftag- menlsof potteryor coinsare not lost.The iterrslbund arc examined lbr datesor other milrkinSslhat would identily thcm. Amongthe things rrchaeologists hnve uncovcredare ordinaryhousehold ilems, suchas clayjars. or oil Jamps.Other pieces areivory. jewelry. and coins-and evensil- ver andgold plalesand goblets used by i-=- K'ngs. Collectionsof ivory havebeen found in Egypt.Palestine, Syria. and Mesopotamia. Thc mostfamous ivory discoveries were du8up in Samaria.Thcy were intricately carvedwith Egyptianart andinscribed wirh Hebrewlelters. Thc prophetAmos was very critical of '\he palacesof ivory" andthe 'bedsof ivory"the Samaritan women slcpt on. At onetime Asianclcphants were plen- tiful in Syria.and it wasthe ivorytbrm theirtusks that was used for jcwclry.furni- ture.and other luxufy ilems.These ele- phirntsbecame extinct ilbout 1000 BCE. EachGeneration Needs Call forJustice Many churches mor' call lbr juslice for the poor dilTcrentraces or religionswho aredis- could havebeen spoken in every criminatedagainsl by governnrents.soci- and organizations pcriodofhuman his()ry. The story is ety. or individuals.Such cases are called work peace the same.over and over Manypople live socialinjuslice. for in poveny.and the rich conrinueto neglect Manypeople have spoken out today,just andjustice lnem, as theprophets did in the pasl,about these CharlesDickens wrote about the poor in issues.The Rev.Manin LuthcrKinB, Jr. a throughoutthe England,in bookssuch a\ Olit'erT\rist and Baptislminisler, gave mnny speeches and world.... A Chrishns Cdrol.The poor in America marchedin demonslrationsto convincelhe duringthe depressionof the 1930sappe.jr governnrentlnd the peopleto treatall per- in JohnSteinbeck's The Crcpes of Wrath. sonsas equalregardless of their mce or Todaymany ciries deal with peoplewho colorof thebskin. are homelessand must looli to othersfor Many churchesand organizationswork fbod.clothing. and sheher for peaceand jusdce ftrcughout the world, lnjusticetoward other people is not lim- in thehope that everyone may live in saftty itedto thepoor victimsinclude persons of andbe treated l'airly.

ChaliceYer InLrnrdir.. EfilropalChildreni Cutri!duiI P^ge2 l-2 copvnAhrO lc91 rir-rlir Theolo-!' Amos of Tekoa , Continueilftom page7

A rvomanwho recenllv heald Amos' ''I belie\eAmo\ \\'henlre sav\ th.rt Isrrel prerchiDghrd a differentpoint of Iie\r'. will bepunished for lts \ins.I wi\h thepeo- Shesaid. Anros is ightl The rich people ple $lruld listen1o him and changetheil in lheir iurry housesdon t cLLrcLrbout the \!als. poor. Thc! just go to the ternplebecruse it $t hale herfd that Anos has left the is thething fin lhen rc do. rnd not becruse landof Israel.Thc people\\,ill haveto go thev crfe ahoutGod of obeyingGod s LrnwLrndcing if his pRrphcc)will in trcl

Srrely.it is Cod who srves me: I willtrust in hirn and not be afraid. Forthe Lotd b ny saaryfu*lwl ny surcdcfewe, anl he vill beny Soion Arswcr: Rrshlc()u\ncssllnd Therelbreyou shlll dral rvaterwith rejoicing tronrthe springs ofsalvation, Andon that day you shall sly. Crrl ltuithrtl rln tnut rtr'!si,,ill!t .hddt Givethanks to thc Lold and call upon his r-ame: hLcutn thtt njer r(l thc Mikehis deeds known among the peoples: li/\t d llt( L1tl. &! )r k!(t) Cul ! lttttItt!. unl seethat they remenlber that his Nanre is exalted. \t\'t. l.Ll usIrd\. I)\' I i(r Singthe praises of theLord. tbr he has done great things, tuliu \ lti(hth(it utk(! andthis is known in all the world. Cryaloud. inhabitants ofZion. ring out yourjoy. forthe geat one in the mid$ ofyou is the Holy One oi Israel. ThcBook oJ Conunon Pntrr. Nlomng Pnyerll, prge 86

I-2 Pagel A \lvtOs\_ Fill in lhe blanks with the appropriateletlers in order to fbnn wofds ppenringin today's session. GodpQnisQed thetransQ..QrQonr of fQdatr becausethey reQected thelaw of theLord, did Qot keepGQd's QtoQrtQr, andweQe ledaQQray by lQes aftQr whichthQir anQestorQ walked.

Wntc thclclters in theci.cles herc:

Now rcrn nlc tho letten lo fonn t*,o *,ofds/thcnrcslhll wcre intportilnlin Ant{)s' pfophccy.

and

Unit I: Lf,ARNINGSCRIPTURE TEARNING Versesfbr the Unit: Sessionl: 1/Kn,.sr 2:/ /ri l'far, SCRIPTURB 85r8 Session2 Session2: Arros 3.7i 5.-21 Session3: Irdid, 6r.lr9r2, "Surely .l: the Lord Goddoes nothing, without revealing his secretto his ser- Se\sion Mi.d/rfr5r, 6r8l, vantsthe prophets." Session5: Jerrrrrirrlr8:,1-1r -18:6/.' Ar1orJr7 (NRSV) Session6: E.ekielI:15, l6(; -17:1 'l0r-l1i Session7: /.rair? i-ir6 7 "But let justiceroll downljke waters,and dghteousness like an everflow- Session8: Jonuh 2:2a: Zttharialt ing stream." 9:9 -Ar?or 5j24 (NRSV) Session9r tltr.,ri.rrr -1r17'J8

chrl re \'.ii irm'ullic. Eri\!ofrll chrldrtD,cunIdun Page4 l-2 ECC

UNTTI ISSUE3 Isalah: IsaiahRemembers the Vision from God MessiahVill That CalledHim to a life AsProphet Come

J UDAH. llth Ce't- "Thenonc of thescr|phs llew to Dre. txn 8CE-The proh- holdinga livecoal wilh r plir ofbngs.The phct lsairh.rgre€d to seraphtouched nry nrouthwith lhc corl xnd an intcrvicw a[1er told memy sinswere erased. almost for(y yerrs oI 'As I wasrecovering. I hcardthc voice speakingGod's word of the Lord saying, Whonrshull I send. to the pcoplc of andwho wiu go lbr us? Jcmsalenr. "To my surprisc.I henrdDry otfn voice \r s born lo replying,'Herc rrD ll scndme! Thcn the , one ol the rul- Lord told mc whatlo say 1()the people.I ing class in Judah.We havebeen lrying to shareCod s nressirges askedhitn aboul his wilh thosewho would hear ever sincc." call to be a prophct. "lt wrs the saDc Words of Hope year that KinS Uzziah We thenasked Isaiah to tcll us about died that I rcceiled my sonleofthe prophccicshc hadprocllimed. call to spcak lbr Cod," "I havespoken to kingsand () the peo- beganIsaiah. "l had a ple-I havetold the|ll what will happcnto visi()nin which I saw themif theydon'l retumk) thew:rys of (he the Lord silting on a Lord. throne, high and lotiy. "But I havcalso shared lhc wordof hope His robe filled the fromGod. I toldthem.'ln the days lo whole tcmple. Seraphs come.the mountainof lhc Lord'shouse with six wings atlcnded will be established... . Hc shalljudge him and called lo onc another, betweennations.... they shall beat their saying,Holy, holy,holy is lhe Lord of swordsinto plowsharcs.and their spears hosts;thewhole earth is full ofhir gbry.' into pnrninghooks; n tion sh.rllnot lift up Epispd Children's 'The foundationsof the buildingshook swordagainsl nation, Deilher shall they Copyri8htO | 994 when the seraphs'voiccs called out, a|ld learnwar any more, VirginiaThcologiclll thewhole house filled wilh smoke. ''TheLord will savehis peoplefronr Seninaryand Morchouse 'I "I wasafraid," continued Isuiah. s!id. destruction.I lold thenr, The p€oplewho Publishing 'Woe is mel I l]m lost.'I thoughtthat Cod walkedin darknesshilve seen a greatlight; would punishme becauseI was a sinner ...For a child hasbeen bom lbr us, a son andlived among pcople who weresinners. givento us;. . .' He will becalled wonder- I thoughlftat if I had seen I God, surely Continued on poge 3 woulddie. tl PeopleHear God's Call for Various T}pesof Ministryin Today'sChurch eoplewho do God's work in the . Thesecond form ofordinationis to the churchtoday often talk abouta 'tall" priesthood.Persons who feel that God is to ministry.Persons who feel called askingthem to servethe churchin this by Cod believethat God hasled themand uniqueway must think verycarefully about wantsthem to do the work theyare doing. the decision.Tley talk with their priests. Suchcalls may be stronglyaftirmed by theirfriends, and othe6 who can help them others-teachers,friends, parents, and cler decide.They meetwith membersof their cv own congregations,lhe bishopsof their Manypeople are called into a varietyof dioceses,and with committeesof dioceses today'sministries. They include volunteers knownas commissions on ministry. Theprophets who spendtime at churches,soup kitchens, All of thesepeople help an individual day carecenters. and otheragencies that carefullyconsider a call to be a priest.lf found God's reachout (o peoplein need.Other persons everyoneagrees, the individual then attends seekpaid jobs within the church.such as a schoolcalled a seminary.lo studyfor people parishsecretaries. organists, and directors priesthood.After graduation.this person worshiping ofChristianeducation. They ar€ lay peopl€ will be ordainedas a transilionaldeacon. engagedin thechurch's ministry. Usually,six monthsto a yearlater, the dea- pagan gods,like Anothergroup of peopleseek to serve conwill beordained as a priest. these God in the churchthrough ordination. The . The third form followsa call by a dio- figurines call to ordinationcan come in threeforms: cesefor a pdest to becornetheir bishop. of Baal and ' In somedioceses, people are called to Bishopsare elected by rpecialmeetings of be permanentdeacons. They areordained the clergyand lay peopleof the diocese. Asherah. by the bishopand usually do specificjobs, Bishopsneed to haveleadership and pas- suchas ministeringto peoplein hospitals toralskills that will helpthem to dealwith or nursinghomes. variouskinds of people.

Textof Isaiahlnspires Great Music Usedin Church'sSeruices of Worship

he wordsof Isaiahhave been the "swordsinto plowshares"and "spears into inspirationfor manykinds of music pruninghooks," when the peopleof God usedin thechurch. Canticles such as will "studywar no more."This hymnis the three Songsof Isaiahare frequently incl\tded in Lift Every Voiceand Sing:An sungat Moming or EveningPrayer (Lire African American //yranal, which cele- BookofCommon Prayer pages 86-87). bratesthe uniquecontribulions of African The Sanctus-'Holy, holy, holy Lord, Americansto musicfor worship.lt is pub- God of power and mighl, heavenand earth lishedby TheChurch Hymnal Corporation. arefull of your glory'- is saidor sungal Thefollowing words aie fromfte refrain: everycelebration ofthe Holy Eucharist. "Coin' to lar'down ny sword and Isaiah'swords also inspired hymns and shield, otherkinds of music.fh? Messiah,by Down by the riverside, GeorgeFrederick Handel, is basedon Down by the riverside, :6 and is heardby manypeople rive6ide. every year during the Advent and Down by the Chtistmasseasons, Goin' to luy down mt swod and shield, A famousNegro spiritual,"Down by the Down hy the nventule, Riverside,"reflects Isaiah's lhoughts about TostuA!- waf no more,, . ."

ChdiceY.d lnhdirr.. Enhcorll Childrnt cutriculum Page2 I.3 Tbo or MoreWriters for Bookof Isaiah For centlrfies.the Book ol lsaith was a di\ciple of Firsl Isriah.Hc lilccl clufing thoughtto bc $rittenby one uthoiA\ the e\rle in Babylonrnd is known as iust princc expertsbegan examining !hcse \{'fitings. Secondlsaiah. lul counselor. of perce. horvever.thc! discovcredunusual ch.rnge\ Thc lastpaft of the book.ch pter\ 56 nd he $_rllcslab ju\lice o[ scencwithin lhe te\t. It has beendetef' 66. was probabl) writteD b) rnothef drsci lish lincrermorc. mincd from the histoficalrefefences thrt ple after the fennn of the peopleof lslilcl to $'e Lrslcdlsaiah to lell the lll1t 39 chaplcrs$erc probably written Jerusalcnlfollo\r'ing the exile. u\ \\,hothi\ ne* ru]cr $,as. ihe .rginc by a pft)phetnamed Is.riah \,' ho lilcd in No onecLrn be surc$ho urolc theBook bui prophct not rns$el Jerusalenduring the lLrltcrdays of lhc of IsLLirh.and whelhcril ras thc \r'ofkof could ques- kingdom0i Judah. onc- l$(,. c'r lhrcc pc|lsons.Scholars of dre lhis most ffessing Chaptcrs.10 55 appeafto be thework ol Biblehavc diffefing opinionli. tion.

Surely,it is Cod who sirves nrc: PUZZl.laS()l.U'l loN I willtrust in him and not bc afruid. Forthe Lord is my $ronghold rnd mv sure delense. andhe will bc my Sirvior: Thoeloreyou slwll thtw wrlcr with njoithg i funthc sprhgsoJ solvilion Andon that day )ou shall say, Civethmks to the Lord rnd callupon his Namel Makehis deeds knorvn among the peoples; lt:i 5ecthrt thc) rcnrcrrrbcr thl hi. Nrme is e\r red. Singthe praises ofthe Lord. tbr he has done great things, andthis is knoln in allthe world. Cryaloud, iniabitants olZion. ring out yourjol'. fbr thegreat one in thernidst of youis theHoly One oflsrael.

TheEaok oJ Cattnnon Pntver. Morning Praycr ll. lage86

chdi!r Ycr liLcnDqli!'!. FlrA-,f! l-J Prge -l RECAIIING ISAIAH CrosswordPuzzle Clues:

ACROSS L Isaiah said, "Here I trlri. 2. Theywill beattheir swords inlo _. 3.Isaiah asked. "How . O Lordl' ,+.Thc - hadsix wingscach. 5. Thepeople hxve seen Ll great 6. Neilhershall thcy _ warany nore.

DOWN 7. Thcpcople walkcd in 8.He will bccallcd Princc o[_. 9. Hcir nllmcd_ Counselor 10.Thcy callcd to oDcanother and said,

Ithe rn\wcr i\ onlyonc u,rrJ) IL Thc will bccoDrcpruning

12.For un() us sonis _.

Unit I: TEARNINGSCRIFTURE TEARNING SCRIPIURE Sessiou3

"And onecalled to anotherand said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;the wholeeanh is full ofhis glory"' /raia,h6.J (NRSV)

". . . thosewho livedin a landof deepdarkness on themli8ht hasshined." 1sctun9:2b (NRSV)

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UNITI ISSUE4

MlcahSpoke ProphetPredicts Punishment But Offers for God Promiseof Salvationto Peopleof God

JERUSALEM,Iate 8th Cutury BCE- knownand recognircd as a prophct.yct thc , a prophetof lhc Lord, spokeout p€oplereject his message. tod y againstthe city of Jcrustlemand the Oneperson who wasprescnl whcn peoplc01-Samaria. He is angryabout the Micahproclaimed words ofderitrxcti()n and injusticesbeing done lo the poor,and he punishmenlfor Jerusalem,said that "one hatesthe evil waysof the powerluland shouldnot preachof suchthings; disgrace mighty. will notovcnakc us." "He is a prophetof doom,who only wishesb tiightenthe womenand chil- dren,"snid another Yet,in contradictionto thoscslalements, Micuh hasbeen heard offcring rhe people hopeof salvation.An observerreported, "Micahhar said that one day 'lhc mountain of the Lord'shouse shall be eshblishedils the highestof mountains,'and lhat people andnations will sreamto il. Therewill be no war, familieswill haveplenty, and no onewill beafraid." "l thinkMicah is right,"said one citizen. "lf we do not dest(rywhat is evil anddo whatis right in God'seyes, the peoplewill suffcr,"

Micah Describes Future Leader Other prophelshave spokenoul against the injusticeliand the disobedienccof the Chrlice Yen- Micahis warningKing Hezekiahand people. They have suggestedthat the peoplethal, because of their sins,they Jerusalemwill be spareddestruction in Epi!.opal Children's will bepunished by cod. He saysrhcy witl spiteof th€ sinsof its people.Micai offcrs Cuniculum experiencemilitary defeat and exile. Copyright@1994 hopetbr thosefew who still follow Cod's Virginia Thalogical He comesfrom Moresheth, a smalltown laws. But he still believesstrongly that Semimry andM@hde lwenty-fivemiles southwesl of Jcrusalem. Jerusalemwill b€destroyed by (hccncmy. Publishing No one scemsto haveinformalion about Micah has madea curiousprediction his family or his occupation,alrhough somesuspect he hasbeen a lirmer. He is Continued ot page J Prosecutor: Peopleof Israel.$h)' halc ]ou sinnedagain\t MICAH'SCOT]RIROOM Codl ['hat hasGod doneto iou. rhat]ou fbryet to fbl- TheLord he Lord God bring\ Isr.relto trial. low the lar'? \\ha! ha\ Thc mountains,the hills. rnd the cirusedyou to be weary of worshipping God brings lbundationsof the ea{h arethe Jury. the Lord? Israel to trial. Thcy will hearthe testimonvbccause lhc] Cod bft)ulhl!ou outof ha\c stood sincethe creationand hilvc wit E8yp1.out of\laver! in(o ne\scdlhe $orksand deeds 0l Cod. the promisedland. \'loses. Cod Nill rct as proscc tor-lhe one AaroD.and \\'ere \yho .rccu\e\ Israel ol ignoring God s la\ sentk) vou as leaders.You Lrndthc bcnetit5of beingGod \ Foplc $crc snvedfiom the e!il Cod will alsoserve irs iudgc thc one lh l King B lak ofN{orb who will pronounceinrljudglrcnl. senlupon you. God has lsrrel rvill plerd lor nrercyand offtr Proloctcdvou manylr]]cs rloncl]rcntlirr sins connrilted. li(nnv()ur enemics. Scene:l./)r/-r?drr [itht k ( lir'lht /sruel: I rcpenrol nr! rins bclorc jtkl.\? \ h?t\h. atul (hair\ l)t th( (l(lAkla t lhc coufl.what DrurtI d(tl anl thc pnpher Mi

n Micah\ time the landsof Israeland Judah were Its capitalwas Jerusalcm. The soil of Judahwar not nch separate.The kingdornof twelvetribes, crelted in quality.Fruits und vegetables the people harvesled undcrKing Sauland unitcd by King David,became wereused as food for thepeople and were not abundant divided after the deathof King Soknnon,David's son. enouShto beavailable for trade. Thc capilalof the northernkinSdom of Israel was The upperclasses failed to k)okafter the poor pcoplc. Samaria,a city that faced the ser. The land was ltrtile Therich citizens turned rw y fiom wonhippingGod. andJbunJanl !* ith gooJ\kr lrudewilh olherprovincc\. Judahhad stronger lcadership because the kings could Becauscof the neamessto a scrporl, the peoplecould oblain many luxury items tionr the landsaround the clai|nthey were direct descendants ofKing David.h was MediterrrneanSea. The lvealthypeople had palaces to thc leadersof Jerusalenrftlll Ihe prophetsspoke out made of ivory. and vesselsof gold. while the poor sul- abou!the failure to folk)rvthe lalvs ofCod. tered. Whenthe northemkingdom mel destructionfrom the It wasagainst these injustices atprophets spoke out. Assyrians,Judah's hopes of a stronguniled kingdom Judah.the southemkinSdom, was mostly hilly desert. werealso desfoyed.

ch.L]^c \U |n'cm!{tDl.. Ercnll P.i!c I I-t Prophet Predicts, continuedfrom page I concening n leaderof Isrrel $,ho "sh.rll This futurcrulef. Micah says, \\ill be bom \tand and feed hi! flock in the strengthof in Bethlehem.This appearsunlikel) since the Lord. in the majestyof the nameof thc mostof theruling families live in thelaryer Lofd hisGod.' citiesof thc rcgion.Bethlchen is only a He hastold peoplethat thi! personwill smallrural village inhabitcd by larmcrsand be gre.rt.rndwill bfing peaceso the shepherds. descendantsof will live in sccunty.

Surely.it is Cod who saves mel

I willtrust in him and not be dirid. Answcrst(, Nlatching FOrlhe Lord is my stmnghold and my sure defense, I.lxcrcisc l-el l-g: l-hi.l' i5-lj andhe will be my Savior Therefbreyou shall dmw waler with rejoicing Hinl:'l'hc vcrscsirfc li)und in the ch plcf\ tiomthe springs of salvation. $ ilh the s mc number. Aruln a doyyou sMlsa1, Gfuetluttb todu Lonlml ull uponhh Nme ; Makehis deeds known among the peoplesl seethat they remember thal his Name is exalted. Singthe praises of theLord, for he has done great things, andthis is known in allthe world. Cryaloud, inhabitants ofZi0n, dng out yourj0y, tbr thegreat one in themidst of youis theHoly One oflsrael. TheBook aJConnan Pra\?r. Moming hayerll. page 86

rar, rrlrlD.cui!! um l-.1P.rSel MATCHMICAH'S WORDS

Find the secondpart of each oi the tbllowing statementsmade by the prophct Micah. and match it to the tirst part. Includedis one pair for everychapter in tl'reBook of Micah.

1.". . . listen.O eanh.and all that is in it: a. neithel shall they leafnwat anymore: , , .'

2. "Do not my wordsdo good b. Jerusalemshall become a heapofruins....'

3. "Zion shallbe plowed as a lield;- c- but to dojuslice.and to love kindness.{nd to walk ' humbly with your God?

4. ". . . nation shall not lili up sword against nulion.- d. andthefe is no oneleli who isupright:. . ."

5. "Bul you.O Bcthlchcmol Ephrathah.who arc oneol thelittle clans ofJudah.- c. and lct the Lord God be il witncssagainst you, . . .'

6. . . . {nd whatdoes the Lord requireol you f. tiom you shall come lbrth li)r mc onewho is to rulein Isritcl...."

7. "Thc faithtll havcdis.rppcarcd tionl lhe hnd. g. to onewho walks uprightlyl"

UnitI: TEARNINGSCRIFII]RE TBARNING Versesfor the Unit: Scssionl: 1./,(irgi 2./1bi /'(r/rr SCRIPTURB 85r8 Session4 Session2: ,4/,?or.lrZi 5.21 Session3: .lsrridrtJr-i; 9r2D ". - . bul we will walkin thename of&e Lord ourGod forcver and ever." Session4| Micah 4:5b; 6:8b Micai, Jjsl, (NRSV) Session5: J"r"rridh8.7/; 18.6b Sessror,6tE.ekiel 1:15, l6c; 37:4 ". . . whatdo€s the Lord requireofyou bui ro dojustice.and to lovekindncss, and 1o walk Sessionl::31; 55:67 humblywith yourCod?" Sesrbr'A: .lonah 2:2a: Zechariah Mical 6r8L(NRSV) 9:9 Sessior'9: Ephesiansl:17 18

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UNITI ISSUE5

Jeremiah: AuthoritiesSeeking Prophet and Scribe Prophetof OnOrders of KingJehoiakim'sOfficials Faith The prophetJeremiah and his scribe Israeland Judah and all the nations,from Baruchare being soughl by the authorities the day I spoketo you. from the daysof followingthe readingof a scrollnear a Josiai until today.It maybe thatwhen the templegale yesterday. houseof Judahhears of all thedisasters thatI intendto do to them.all of themmay tum from theirevil ways,so ftat I mayfor- givetheir iniquity and their sin.' "Jeremiahthen called Baruch and dictat- ed ro him all tharGod hadspoken. When $ey werefinished, Baruch took the scroll andread it aloudto thepeople who had ga$eredat the templefor a day of fasling. (Jeremiahhad been banned from the house oftbe Lord becauseofhis prophecies.) ",one who heardall the words of the scroll,went to the chambenof the secretaryand told the ofncialswhal he had heard.At oncethey senl tbr Baruchand askedhim to readthe scrollto them.After Baruchfinished, they asked. 'How did you writeall lhesewordsl' "Baruchsaid. 'He ()dictated all thesewords to me.and I $rote themwift ink on thescroll.' Jeremiahhas long beenir sourceof ''Theofficials told Baruch. Go and embarrassmen(fbr the kingsof Judah.He hide,you andJeremiah, rnd let no one has predictedthe fall of the city of knowwhere you are."' Jerusalemif the peopledo not repentand returnto the Lord.Jeremiah speaks out King Burned the Scroll CopyrightO1994 forcefullyagainst the evils thattake place A palaceofficial told us thar rhescroll VirginiuTheologicil people. Seminaryond Morchouse amongtie wastaken to the king by Jehudi,who read Publishing An acquaintanceof the prophettold us thescroll aloud. aboutthis most recent event: "Jeremiah We askedJehudi to tell us whalhap- receiveda messagefiom God. Cod told pened.He reported."l was calledto the him, Takea scrolland write on it all the Continued on page 3 wordsthat I havespoken to you againsr Jeremiah'sYokes Offer Stern lllessage n the beginningof the reign of King Whenthe prophetJeremiah finished Z€dekiah,Jeremiah made a yoke, such speakingto the people, the prophet asthose wom by a teamofoxen, out of Hananiahtook the yoke liom the neckof strapsand ba$. He placedthe yoke the prophetJeremiah, and brokeit. 'This aroundhis neck to get acrossa Hamniahsaid, "Thus says the Lord: messageto theking andtle people: is how I will breakthc yokeof King They mustwear lhe yoke of the Nebuchadnezzarof Babyknl.. ."' Kng of Babylonand serve him aIId Thisdid not stopJeremiah. Somelime hispeople. He keptlellinS everyone laterhe returnedto wherethe prophet over and over again that they Hananiahwas. This time he wore an iron shouldsurrender and no( fight. If yoke aroundhis neck-He told Hananiah theychose to fight theBabylonians, thatthe yoke upon lhe nationswould be as he said,all thevessels ofthe temple slrongas iron.He evcnpredicted lhe death and all of the city would be ofHananiah,who actually died two months destroyed. tater. CondemnedProphet Is Put into Cistern

he priestPashhur remAined an enemyofJeremiah. Sonle time atler the event of the brokenpot. Pashhuragain heard Jeremiah saying to all the people, "Thussays thc Lord, 'Thosewho stay in thiscity shalldie by the sword,by famine,and by pcstilence:but thosewho go out to the Chaldeansshall live; . . . This city shallsurcly bc handedover 1o the armyof the king of Babylonand be taken,"' Pashhurand lhe otherswere so angered by Jeremiah'sstatements that they went ro rhe king and askedthat the prophetbe pur to death.King Zedekiahturned Jeremiahover (o theomcials and said, "He is in yourhands. Immediatelythe men took Jeremiahand threwhim into a cistem.He was let downby ropesuntil hereached lhe bo(om wherehe sunk into the mud. The cistem wasa cold.damp, and miserable place to die Ebed-melech,an Ethiopian.heard thar Jeremiah had been put into the cistem. He appealedto theking. "My lord king,"said Ebcd-melech. 'lhese men have acted wickedly in all they did to the prophetJcrcmiah by throwinghim in thecistern to die thereof hunger, for thereis no breadleft in thecity." The king commandedEbed-melech, "Take three men with you tiom hereand pull the prophetJeremidh up from the cistern beforehe dies." Ebed-melechthcn took somerags and old clothesand let themdown to Jeremiahby ropes.Then he told Jeremiah."Just put the mgs and clothesberween your armpit$and the ropes."Then theypulled Jercmiah from thecistem and he remained in thc coun of the guard. WhatCisterns Vere l,ike Cistems in Biblical ti es *'ete holes.lug into the gruunl. The\ were slnped like long-ttecketlbonles. Their purpose \ras to collect and store ruin haler during wel weotheri,t or.ler to sar'cit.for useduring the dn tpells. The neckof a cistem wdsonl'- big enoughJbr the nun who wasdiggitg it to cralrl thrcugh,At about 25 Jbetdotin, the hole was enlareedand lincd with plaster This is v,herethe )rater $as stored. Oncethe cistent wasfnished, the top was overed with a ston! or woodencover to protect the rater fm t ewporation a d contantination. en.l to keep a itmls dnd peo- plefrotnfallifig it1. chiric. Yer lm.mc!i!r!. Eii{oool ChildEn s cumculum Page2 I-5 coplrigi' o lei! virFnir ftmbti.d s.n!!x'] nd \n)Nhotrtc Puhl*hr-! Prophet Predicts, continuedfrom page I

king's wintcr apanment.It was cold day and therc has causedsuch a stir in Jerusaicm.He was called by wxs a llre buming in the braziefin fioDt ofthe king. God as a youth and appointed over nationsand over "The king rd the otherswho were theresent me to kingdoms. lo pluck up and to pull down. to destroy get a scfoll from thc secretarys chamber.when I an{lto ovcrtbrow.to build and to p]ant." As a son of rctumed.I was told to readlhe scfoll k) the king. I was Hilkiah, a priest fro Anrthoth. Jereniah was not a rerlly frightcned becauseof what the kins did as I slrangerto the ways of kings. He took his call frrnr fead.He wolrld rngrily cuI off eachportion ol the God as his life s work and has set aboul dili8ently to scfoll I h.rdjust readand throw it into the brazief. spreadGod's wo lo thc peopleof Ismel xnd Judah. Severalulsed him not lo bum the scro1l.but he would beggingthem lo irlum to thc Lord. not lislen to lhem." we expecl rhis will not be dre last we will scc and This is not thc first time th t dre prcphel Jeremiah heal ofJcrcmiah. ihe pft)phet.

MEMORYCHAI,LENGE TheFirst Song oflsaiah --222

Surely,it is Cod who saves nrel I rvilltrust in him rnd not be afraid. Forthe Lold is ny strongholdmd ny suredetense, andhe will be my Savior: Therelbleyou shrlldnw wrter with rejoicirg fromthe springs of salvation. Andon that day you shallsly. Givethanks t0 the Lord and call upon his Name: Mqkehis deeds knoh,n anury the peo esi seethal lhe! Hnenberthat his Na e is exalted. Singthe praises ol theLord. for he has done great things.

andthis is klown in allthe uorld. Z= t:.a " Cr1,aloud. inhabitants ofZion. Ling out yourjoy, forthe great one in the rnidst of youis the Holy One of Israel. TfuBoak oJ Conunon Pmef. Morning Pruler 11, pr8e ii6

ch r. \.[ li]!mn]jJ!. Fn].(f JERBMIAH'SYOKB

Directions:Using thc cluesbelow and thc crossword puzzlc ofJeremiah's yoke. fill in theblanks b discoverthe puz- zle solution,

3. was calledby Cod as a 13. 1()call the 7. backto Cod. Hc livedin 4. wherehe olllred his IL lo the kingsol' 5. iind 9. -) _. Jeremiahworc o 12. to showthe peoplc that thcy ustsubnril to lhe kingol l,{. lnd bc scnlinto 8. . Hc alsoL a6. .jugto illustratehow thc city ofJcmsdlcmwould bc dcstloycd.Jcremiah was r I5. t0. 01Cod.

Unit I: IJARNINGSCRIPTTJRI TBARNING Versesfor the Unit: Session1: 11,(ir,q.\?:-11bi Prorn SCRIPTT]RE 85;.s Session5 Sessionl: .1rror-?r7j i.'2J Session3: .lsaiz 6:J; 9:2lr "They havetreatcd rhe wound of my peoplecarelessly. saying. 'Peace, peace.' Session,l:Mit rrlrJ:50; 6:8/-' whenthere is no peace-" Session5| Jeremiah8 : 1I ; 18 : 6b -J"'"rrldr 8rJ1(NRSV) Ses\ion6: E.ckial 1.15. l6(: 37:1 Session7: /srrialr40:J/; 5-5:6-7 "Justlike theclay in thepolter's hand, so are you in l1,Iyhand, O houseofIsrael." Se\\i()n8: JoMh 2:2a;Zecharialt -Je)",rid, 78:6, (NRSV) 9:9 Se\sion9: E)l?r/.,r.r/:/7-l8

r al, dd ! Ctrhdlri' Page,l I-5 EGC

UNITI ISSUE6

Ezeklel: StrangeVisions and Deeds of Bzekiel Seerof Vlslons ProvePuzzlingto God's People in Exile

TEL-A B l B, 6th Centu ry BCE-The beganto rattletogether, and flesh came prophetEzekiel retumed to Tel-abibtoday uponthem. At flrst theywere not breathing afterbeing away for sometime. He has so I did asthe Lord told me andcalled told us of a visiongiven uponthe four winds.A vastnumber of to him by theLord. peoplesrood on their flet and walked "The handof |he Lord around.What had happened? What did this cameupon me, and he mean?What had I done?These were dead, broughtme out by the andnow they lived. spiritof the Lord andset "Then the Lord spoketo me again, medown in themiddie of telling me that thesebones were like the a valley;il was full of wholehouse of Israel.The peoplewho are bones.He led me all in exile feel cut off from the Lord. Their aroDndthem: there were bonesare dried up like lhesebones. Their very manylying in the hopeis lost. valley, and they were "The Lod told me to prophesyro you very dry," began andsay, 'I (theLord God)will put my spir- 'saccount of his it within you,and you shalllive, andI will vision. placeyou on youl own soil; thenyou shall He continDed,"I knowthat I, theLord, have spoken and will lookedaI all thosebones act,"' andwondered what I was doing there.Then the ObserversDismayed Lord spoketo me and The peopleof Israelare puzzledby told me to prophesyto Ezekiel'sactions and words.As strangers the bones.He lold me to in a foreignland, tiey want 'O to believethat say Io them, dry theywill returnto Jerusalemand their bones,hear the word of ancestralhomes, However, Ezekiel's the Lord.Thus says the Lord Godto these sirangevisions are sometimes hard fbr bones:I will causebreath to enteryou and lhem to take. you shalllive. I will lay sinewson you.and Everyoneremembers EpiscopalChildren s whathappened will causeflesh to comeupon you. and aboutfive yearsafter we had beenliving Coplngh!@1994 coveryou with skin,and put breathin you alongthe river Chebar,in the laDdof the andyou shalllive; andyou shallknow that Chaldeans.Ezekiel, a priestfrom lhe fami- Seminarydd Morehouse I amthe Lord.' ly of , had a visionof wheelswithin Publishing "I did whatthe Lord told me !o do. and Continued on page j therewas a loudnoise. Suddenly the bones LetterDescribes life in Exile

Ih! lljltt"\itt< is d l,tt.t th,tt n \r,,,.! 1'c,\d'r \ttlt ittt" 'ttlr i' Rttl'\ldt t i!l lu\r \\ nnt t tlJ( l)1.ttl \ ht) u |ul hLhin,lin ltrr;,tlot.

Dear9arah. It hao bean a lorI NitAasince we left Jeruoaem \Na haa fiany had.hi?9 ah ourJourney ta 1awlon Ov capLarea(e kinabfi the trio wa' lonL, \NeLravaleA over narntain' ana dage(Lolor many minrna befire arrlvihq aL rhe dver Chebar'We now live in 7el-ab1b w|l;hother Jewowha have been .eri inl,oexile from JDAahan4 brael. Lfe here is very aiffereni frcm Jervsalem.My falher workea6 a 6eNanl for Ihe ruler here.We liveln a t'ant W rha (iver'My mather cooko.5ew9, and LenA. t'he few 6heepwe keePir a nearw fiela. My 9igtcr and I helpher whenwe are nal aoin4alJr chorc,. I car'nal qa "'o Nhat eft'plewilh my fat'her ae I usea to. An ol^ rabbiin the vlllaActeaahao the bay. whoaat att'en^ \ le haw etart- ed havinqreq) ar |rorghip neerin4a in a lar\er tenl al aAe al the fanilieg.Wecall lt a 9yna6o4E.1afieal the eberohare bequn writ' ihqlhe aacreaatorie1 an larqeacrolL.lhey reaa Nhe 'tarieo alar^ '-e durl.4 worohi?. Cla dea"a ao lor seer lo care I' al we aa' t wor6hi?their eoa, Marauk.'ome are eveAlnteregta^ h what wetell l,hemaboul, Lhe LarA GaA. Moot ol I,he ?eo?lehave resiTneAihemoelve. to lile ----4Frr:-- here,althorqh everyonewisheg we cauld co(r'eback hofie. A tew farr,ilie.are very anqry and cry a lat.'ofie DemBones wafter hunq their harps in the v,/illawt.ee' by the river and .aia they wad4 nal ginqa4ain wll lhey ret^fi lo E!.ekielcied, "Den dn l)0 cs!" Jert)5a em, E:eliel.icd, Dentdn' bo ?t! Da yar rcmemberlhe 6Norywe uoei ro tell abont havt Oh, hcar the v\)td oJthe lnftl. al the alffercnt, an4ua4e6beqan? well, ?ea?lehere 1ay Th?lbot bone ur|u|tt.tl to ltc lell bon?, that:,the lawer of 6abe wa6bn )t nat verylar fram where The Ieg bon. co ne.tcl n th( kneebotte. we )ve.I werl wilh ^atrtefriehAs la searchtor the ruir2, kneebotte covle.le.l lo the tigh botv. \,t'Je The but I think we werenot in tha riqhl' Pace Ai4r't .ee The thigh botw (rtlttuded b tJtchack bone. anwhinqI.hat was buill hi4henouqh t'o reachthe 6ky bone. The backbotte otttk\'led k) thc ,tcck I hapevre will be ableto catneback to Jerusaletn'oon. eckbote coNELt?dtu thr h(od botk. The I tr1ta9yau. Oh, henr P vord 0J tlle bftl! thalom, Dent hotrc!,dc t bonasgonnd \rLtlk tt-,o tt' Den bones,lcn botrttsgoNuj ttLlllia-rcurt' JO9nUa Dent bo 6,lent lrotk'rRonna stlk a-nun' Oh, he\r th" troftl oJthc Loftl! Th( head bone con aatt'd ta th( ncck boile. The neckbonecotmeLtt\l tu lhe backhote. Theback bone u,iractcl t(1tllethigh bo e. The thigh boneconncoed rtt tltt htee bune. me kneebo e Lottnedal kt tlP leg hone. The leg bone o tlttad to tle foot bo e. Oh,Ircar th. word oJthe Loftl! _'lek_

Prge I I-6 Strange Visions, continued.frornpaget

$hecls.hu rnc coitis.nld \tranccuinsed lbr long pcriod\ Lrf timc. Once he cur his crearurt's.Ilc kept lirllingon his llce and hrir .Lndhurndd l rhird of it. Arodrcr lhird thensl.rDdiDs updsht. \\ hcnit \\.rso\er. hc h.-cut ino lin\ pieces\\ith r \\ord. ihen sntstunncd nmoDs us iin sc\cnd vs. spreadit all .uoundthe cili. Thc lin.1]thir{l Alicr tl).rl lirne. Ezekiel ditl nran,"-pecu hc scattered(r thc$inds. liLrrthirs\. Hc bLrilta nrotlclof the cit) r)l \\'e \tnnt lo bclic!e he sperksfor the Jer!\rlcnr\\ith bricks.lnd l.ridon his \i(lc L()fd.but \onrrtinres \\e \\'orrilcfl

MEMORYCHAITENGE

Surell.it is God who saves rne: ,\Nswt.tR: I willtlust in hinr and not be athicl. llilck1.l Lludrh Forthc Lord is mv stronghold and nl) suredelense. andhe s,ill be nrr Salior. Therelbreyou shall druw water with rcjoicing Ionrthe springs olsulvation. Andon thlt da1'y-ou shull sa1'. Gilcthanks to thc Lord and call upon his Namc: M ehis deeds krown anolg the peoplesl seethat thev remenbef that his Nanrg is exalted. Sittgdt2 pnldlws of the la{for helus donc gnd hhrgs, ottl hh ishown h alllhevorll CryaloLtd, inhabitants ol Zior. ring 0utvourj0y. l0rthe great one in the midst of lou isthe Holv One ol Israel. -Thr ktokofConnnan Ptlrzr-. \lorninr Pru1erll. paee E6

I-6 EZEKIETSSONG

Step A: Use the cluesto fill in the circlesat dght. l. was a prophetwho had fan- tasticvisions. 2. Thepeople of_ wereled intoexile. 3. Theliving creanrres had fbur 4. The peoplcwcrc led away Babylon. 5. Thepeople _to theLord , God. 6. Whenthe Lord spoke to theprophet. he said.

StepB: Usethe shaded letters in thewheel to fill in theblanks and discover where Ezeliel saw thervheel.

IH

FT

UnitI: LIARNINGSCRIPIURf, TEARNING Verseslbr the Unit: Sessior1: 11(irgs2rl/b, Prdlr, SCRIPTURE 8i..8 S€ssion6 Session2:Arrrol J:7; 5.24 'As Session3: lsrrial 6:-ir9:2b I looked xt the living creatures,I saw a wheel on the earlh besidethc living Session'1:Mi.dl 4.5r; 6:,!D creatures.one for eachofthe four of them. . . . their constructionbeing something Session5: "/e/e,rialr 8.//i /8.60 like a wheel within a wheel." Sessioi6t Ezekicl1:15, 16c; 37:1 -E.ekiel 1:I5,76c (NRSV) Session7: ftaid, J0.J/; 55.6-7 'Prophesy Se\siot1* Jo%th2:2a; Ze.haidll "Then he saidto rne, to thesebones. and sayto them: O dry bones,hear 9:9 the word of the Lord." Session9r [pn.rl.r?.\-1. -17 -18 -E:eliei J7r4 (NRSV)

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TJNITI ISSUE7

Isaiah ProphetOffers Comfort and True Hope ProclaimsA To God'sPeople Who Long to GoHome Messageof RABYLON.6th C( tury BCE--fhe ['ll ncverlbrgel the tirst time I heardhim tight belovcdprophet lsaiah has once ag!in speal.He told us thenthat our penaltyhad offercdwords of comfortto the peopleof beenpaid andotfer€d us greatcomfon. I Israelin exilehere in Babylon. rememb€rthe words as if theywere spoken Yesterday.he lold a crowdof onlyminutes ago. lsraelites:"The Lord is the "lsaiah rcld of a voice crying out and everlastingGod. the Creatorof saying,'ln the wildemcssprepare the way the endsof lhe earth.He does of the Lord, |l)rke slraightin the desena not faint or grow werry: his highwayfbr ourGod. Every valley shitl be !nderstandinSis unse!rchilble. lifted up, and everymountain and hill be He givespower to thetitint, and madelow; thelneven ground shall become strengthensthe powerless. Even level,and the roughplaces a plain.Then youthswill lxint lLndbe weary. theglory of the Lord shallbe revealed,and andthe young will fall exhnus(- all peopleshnll see it together.tbr the ed; but thosewho wait tbr the mouthofthe Lord hasspoken."' Lord shallrenew their strcnglh, theyshall mounlup with wings Generations in Exile like eagles,th€y shall run and The peopleof lsraelhave been in exile not be weary,they shall walk in Babylontbr severalgenerations- Most of andnot befaint." themwere born andraised in the villages A bystanderremarked that here.We wonderedwhy they s(ill called the people slood as if in a Jerusalemhome, Here are some lypic l trancewhen Isaiahhad fin- ished.It wasa longtiDre before "Our parentsand groDdparerts have kept theybegan to spetkor move thestory of Israelalive.' ''The about. landot lsraelwas Biven to our We askedan Israelitewho heardlsaiah p€opleby theLord ourGod. It is wherewe to commenton what she had heard.She belonB." "l Epispal Childetr's said, havefelt so losl herein Babylon. "We would still be living in the landof Thepeople have been good to us,but still.I milk and honey,that the Lord gavelo us, if Copyd8ht@1994 feel like a stnngerin a strangeland. I long we had not turned away from God. We Virgiria Th€olo8ic2r to retum lo Jerusalemand seethe place have learnedwhat is truly important SeminaryrDd Morchouse wherethe templeonce stood,where my Publishing throughbeing in exile." ancestonjworshipped. "Welong to rvorshipour God on the ''lsaiai givesme hopethat one day our Continued on page 2 peoplewill retumto live in thatholy city. Isaiah'sS€rvant Songs Jesus,the Messiah Here is my servant, wbom I uphold, my And when Jesushad b€enbaptized, . . . he cbosen,in whom my soul delights; I have saw the Spirit of God descetrdinglike a put Ey spidt upon him; . . . : I dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heavensaid, '"This is my Son, the Beloved,wilh whom I am well plesed." Manhev,3:16-17

Prophet, Conlfuwdfumpgc I . . . to openthe eyesthat ar€ , . . the blind rEceivedrcir sighl . . . si6 of the tcnple built blind,. ..Isaiah42:7a Manhew1l:5a by Kiag Solomor,in the clty whorc King Davidrcigned." The Israelitesare I determircd pcople. They hsvc kcpt their I will give you as a light to lhe nations,that . . . I am ihe light of the world. Whoever faith ald hopc alive my s.lvaiion may Eoch to the end of the follows me will neverwalk in darknessbut dgaimtall odd6.While cxti. Isaiah49:6b will havethe light of life, lheirdrlsms to rctumto Jottt 8:12 Jorusalemmay lecm impossiblo,a ncw hop€ has lisen with the ascensionqf Cyrusto thethronc ofParsia.

I gavcmy backto thos€who stsuck me, . . . Theyst uck his he{dwilh I rer4 spstupon I did nol hidemy faceftom insultand spit- him,8trd knelt down in bomageto him. ting, Isaiah49:6 Mark 15:19

Bul was wounded Thisr'./a6 to tulfill whathad bcln spokenby hc for our tratrsgres- 'Tle sions,crushcd for ouriniquitics; . . . theprophet Isaiah, look our hftmities Isahh 53:5a andbote oui dis€lses." Matthew8: 17

By pcrvcrsionofjustice he w83taken away. . . . I haveexahined him in your presence :8a and have not found this mrn guilty of any of youi chargesagainst hirn. Neither ha! Herod, foi he sent him back !o us. Indeed hc hasdone nothitrg to deservedeath. Ltkz 23: 14b-I 5

Chdi6 Y*5Ed.din , Etlt lpd Cn nus Onidlm Page2 I-7 C.pytigll O l99r vit3hir Tbdlosidl S@i[ry !d Mcdds ArblLhilg DeadSea Scrolls Include All of Isaiah fr, l.ri l"rh.'r crrl) ltJl- .hcph.rJ.ser( $]lchrnprl-eir I .\l'. , n rhr s(.rJrT) I\llnk ,'l rl-eDe,J S..,.\.,nr. ioq ,r c.r, s... ,lr'.orcrcLlhrt helJg . rt rr:r.rIr.. lnsiderere potteryjar\ containingmanuscdpts $rappcd in lincn. Thesetufned out to be the oldestHebrelv manuscipl\ no\,!in cxistcncc.Thc) afe prob.rhll.rbout 1,000le.rsold. Fmln the shepherd\the scrolls lound lhcir $'iv to Biblicalscholar: $ho aretry ing to put thc manl piecesof inti)nnlltionn)gethei wilh theadlent of computeN. thcl havcbccn ablc 1o produ.e a simulatiorof thepLrts $rt h !e decaycd. Oncof lhc scrollsthat \r'as found in Soodcondition $as r copyol lhc llook of lsaiah.It \\'.rsnrade of seventeensheels ol lcrlhcr sc$n logclhcf r\.ithlinen thrcad.It nrersured2,1 lcc( longby 10inchcs high. This lsaiahscfoll cont ined all 66 chapters$ith verylitlle diflerences lrom whatvle rcird ilr our Biblesno$.

Surely-.it is Cod who srves me: I willtrust in him and not bc rfraid. Forthe Lord is my stronghold and my sure detcnsc. andhe willbe my Savior: Thcreforcyou shall dnw water with reloicing fromthe springs of srlvation. Andon that day you shall say, Givethanks tothe Lord and call upon his Nane; Makehis deeds known anmng the peopLes: seethat they reniernber that his Name is exaltcd. Singthe praises of theLord. for he has done great things, andthis is known in allthe world. Crl tloud, hlubilutF of Zin4 ringout yotujoy, furthegnd one lnthc n ht ofyouis llu EolyOne oflsmzl TheBoak ofConnan Prct€f. \'loming Prayer Il, lage86

I-7 Pase-'l ISAIAHWORD SEARCH

Firld words fiom Isaiahhidden in the puzzle. cor,ltoRf JERTJSALE\4 C o M F o R T o C Y R U s I JLTSTICL COVENANT F A T T F A I R H S o o o FAINT U M o U N T I N T E SUFFERING VALLEY E N s U F F E R I N G P T SERVANT N R L o N F E J E R N o H A EACLES I R L S A N E U I T E H PREPARE SIN N G P R E P R E s s R E ISAIAH T H E s R Y T U R E T hr D A N,IOUNTAIN SPIRIT t,l T E H R I s P I R I T G CYRUS E E H o T o A I T E N c L NATIONS A o S I N A N L R I N G R E SHEPHERD RICI.ITEC]LJS R U L R T o S E I N G S U S MERCY Y S M E R C Y M E R T I R o s]'ttENC l lt IOUCI.T|S T R U N T H o U G H T T s s WINCS WEARY RUN

UnitI: TEARNING t[ARNINGSCRIPTURE SCRIPTURD Versesfbr the Unit: Session7 Ses\i(nl: // rrrqr 2:/ /ri Pidr,r ''. . . bur thosewho wrir lbr the Lord shall renew their srenglh. (he! shall nounl ,15r8 up with wings likc cagles,rhey shall run and not bc weary.they shall walk and not Session2: Arr0r Jr7; -5r24 faint." Se\\ion3: lrdldl,6r.ir 9. 2, -lsaian 40:J1 (NRSV) Sessim.1: Mrrlrr 4r5br6r,lb Session5: Jerrrnidr.l:,1-1; 1.1:6b "Seek the Lord while he may be fbund. call upon him while he is near; let the Se\sion6: E.ekiel 1.15, l6t; 37:1 wicked forsale fteir way, and the unrighleoustheir thoughts;let them retum to SessionTiIsaiah 10:31; 55:6-7 'ler the Lord, that he may havemercy on then, and to our God, for he will abundantly Scssion8: J ottuh 2 :2a: haridl pardon." 9:9 tudld&5516,7 (NRSV) Scssion91 Eplresirrns 1:17 18

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TJNITI ISSUE8

Centuriesof ReluctantProphet Grows Angry When Prophecy PeopleHear His Message and Repent NINEVEH,8th C?nturyBCE This coveredwith sackcloth,and theyshall cry weekthe prophetJonah stormed out of mightilyto Cod." Ninevehin an obviousrage. When he 3.'All shallturn from evil waysand reacheda spoteast of the from theviolence that is in theirhands." city he madea booth for The king is saidto haveexpressed the himself. hopethat these actions would persuade Somedays ago, God to haveA changeof heartand spare camehere and began to pro- thecrty. claim the Lord'smessage to It appearsrhat the Lord Cod has been the people.He said,"Forty touchedby thededication of all thepeople daysmore, and Nineveh of thecity. The calamity that Jonah predicF shallbe ovenhrown." edha$ not come about, Thepeople of Ninevehdo nol usuallypay muchatlen- JonahShares His Story tion to travelerspassing Today,Jonah told us moreabout his through,panicularly anyone background.His storyis anincredible one. who proclaimsthe end ofthe He began,"Some time ago,I wasat home world. Howevet theremust in Gath-h€pherin Galilee.when the Lord hrvc beena noteof truth in calledne saying,'Co at oDcek) Nineveh, Jonah'smessage because the lhat greatcity, andcry out againstit: for peoplereally believedhim. theirwickedness has come up beforeme.' Shortlyafter Jonah began "l hadno intendonof goingto Ninevehl preaching,they startedto In fact I fled in the oppositedirection. I f-asl.They put on sackcloth- wentto Joppaand got on a boatheaded for Soonthe wholecity was Tarshish.I tigured I'd get asfar awayfrom fastingand prayingto God {ld people, Nineveh as possible,even put a sea children,everybody. When the word cameto the king, it was "well, therewas a stom ard the sxilors reportedthat he immediatelygot up off his discoveredthat I was running from the EpjscopatChildren's throne,took off his royal robes,put on Lord, so they tossedme overboardto calm sackcloth,and sat in ashes.Instantly, a theslolm. I thoughtI wasgoing to die,bul Copyright@1994 VirgiDia Thelogical decreewent out frcm the palace: suddenlyI was inside the belly of a big Seminry od MoFho$e | - "No humanbeing or animal, no herd flsh. After three days. it spit me up on the Ptrblishing or flock, shall tasteanything. They shall shore. not leed, nor shall they drfuk water." Continuedon page 2 2. "Human beings and animals shall be Reluctant Proph Qt,,Continuedfrom page I

The Lord spoketo me again, 'Get up to Lord, or that the Lord would changehis Nineveh,that greatcity, and proclaim to it mind. I thought a few people would be themessage that I tell you.'I surelywasn't spared,but that would be all. goingto disobeythe Lord a secondtime. "Even though I was angry when I went So I camehgre- out iDtothe desert,the Lord senta plantto "I was expectingthe giveme shade.When a wormate it, I want- city to be destrcyed.I ed to die.Then the Lord spoketo me again really couldn't believe andtold me of his concemfor the people that the people would and animalsof Nineveh.I finally under- listen and turn to the staI)d."

Tbo of the Dlinor ProohetsCall God'sPeople Back to Faithfulness Followingare storiesabout two of the "minoi' prophets.Both sharedimponant messages.

Hosea comeupon the peoplejust as the locusts was a had suddenlyappeared. He wantedthe prophetin the north- storyto betold. em kingdomof Israel He said,"Tell yourchildren of it. andlel *_,>-{_x-_-!:-*-:* about?45 BCE. His your childrentell thei children,and lheir namemeans "God childrenanother generation." Keeping the has saved."He was story-in the memoriesof the peoplewould marriedto a womannamed Gomer, who helpthem to remainfaithful !o God. wasunfaithful to him. Eventhough she 'saccount is frightening.He wasnot a goodwife, Hosealoved her very describesthe attack ofthe locustsas "a day mucn. of darknessand gloom, a dayofclouds and Hoseauses his marriage(its hurts and thickda*ness! Like blacknessspread upon disappointments)to explainto the people the mountainsa gr€atand powerfularmy ol lsrael their relationshipwith God. He comes;. . . Beforethem the land is like the seeslsnel asthe unfaithfulspouse, whom gardenof Eden,but after thema desolate God lovesdearly. Hosea's message is that wildeiness,and nothingescap€s them. if Israelwill only retumto theLord andbe They havethe appearanceof horses,and faithful,all will be well, for Ood is loving like war-horsesthey charge.As with the andforgiving. rumblingof chariots,they leap on the tops Hoseabelieved that faith was a matterof of mountains,like the cracklingof a flame thehean, not of sacrificesand other rituals. of fire devouringthe stubble, . . . The€arth "For I desiresteadfast love and not sacri quakesbefore them, the heavens tr€mble." fice,the knowledgeof Ood rathertban In spiteof thisdisaster, Joel says that the bumt offerings,"the prophetsaid (Hosea Lord will onceagain bless the land wilh 6:6). sweetwater and wine andthe hills will Joel flow wilh milk. The wordsof Joelare We know very little aboutthe prophet repeatedby the apostlePeter on the day of Joel-not even where he cameliom or Pentecost:"I will pourout my spiriton all wherehe lived- we l(now only that he was flesh;your sonsand your daughtersshall the son of Pethueland that he had experi- prophesy,your old men shall dream encedthe devastationof the land brought dreams,and your youngmen shallsee on by swams of locusts. visions." Joel believedthe Day of the Lord would

Chlli.e Ys Intmediak. EDnoDir Childcn\ Cutriculum Page2 l-8 cooyri-qht6Lgrvi.gniaTnsbsic Slminlryrd MofthartPublishins I 'Minor'DoesNot MeanUnimportant The tems maior and miror ha\e a diffcrcnt mcaninlr In any case.the prophetswere indi\idu.rls rho spoke when $'e usethem to designatethe prophctsof thc Biblc. the word of God to the people of Israel. They r\.erenot The term nrjor simply refersto the length of ihe \ery populirranLl were at tines thrcatcncdwith death.ln prophcls wrilings. Thc thrcc longesl books rre Is i h. miln)' situalionsthe] ftcmsclvcs wcrc rcluctant to leavc Jcremiah.and Ezckicl.Thcsc arc crlled Nfujor Pi)phets. their comibrlrble lives.X,loscs. Jcrcmiah. Jorah. and oth Thc rcmainingprophcrs, kno$n as (heTrvelve. ar€ the ers said. \o, and ga!'c cxcuscsibr not doing as Cod shortcr wntings of Hosea.Joel. Amos. OhadiLrh..'onrh. askeLl. Micah. NrhuIn. Hab kkuk. .. The lvork of the prcphetscovered rbout 900 lea|s it ZechLrrirh.and N'l lachi. we begin* ith Mosesrs the first prophetof God.The Sonretinresthe terlnsFormer .rnd Lattef afe uscdto p()pheciesof Elij.'hthII)Lgh Isairh coveredrbout l(X) dcscribcthc prophcts.ln rhis c!sc. ForDrerrcters ro the yearstlnd the Twelre lron Nrhum throughJoel d!' prophcrsmcntioncd in Joshur-Jud!es. SLrnuel ( | and:). cn(orrrlJ\\1(ll)\e.Lr\.' J..r, -,, andKinsi ( I nd 2).

-a

Swely,ilis (d whosmes ne; I vil tutt h hin awlnoa be 6rcid" Forthc Ianlh nrystnngholtl wl ry wredcfeue, wdln vilbe ny Soior, ThereJucyou sWl ibtw vaterwith rejobiag funthe sryhgsolsalvdhn AruIon tful dty yoa slwll say, t,z Givetlwtll b fie lanl awlcall ryn hisNme; Motohis ihets known unong ilu peoplcs; seetlut tl'd!rencnber tlul h* Nmeis exallcrL 22: SW thcpndtes of thzLor{ for hz hasfune gred hings, wd,hiris knownh sI thavorW 'i CWahud"lalnbitutr of Zio4 rirl,g out your joy, r.E

for thcgreot oaa h theniht ol youis tlu Eo$ One ZC oJhratl 'lht Bookof Connott Pratir MomingPraycr li. page86

l'8 Pgcl PROPHETS'NAMES

PEZHHIAAN LOJE SIHAAI GAHIAG HODAIAB OSAM MERIAJEH KABKUKAH ANDIEL SHEOA LAMHACI CIHAM HUMAN LEKIEZE JANOH RECZIHAAH

Unit I: TJARNINGSCRIPTTJRE MANNING SCRIPTURE V€rsesfor the Unitl Sesslonl: Il Kings2:1Ib;Psalm Secsion 8 85r8 Sess;on2. Amos3:7; 5:21 Sesslon3: :3 i 9:2b ". . .I calledto theLord out ofmy distress,and he answercdme; . . ." Session4: Micah 1:5 b; 6:8b -./.rrar 2.2a (NRSV) Session5: Jeremiah8: I I ; 18:6b Session6: Ezekiel l : l 5, l6L; 37:4 "Rejoice gready,O daughterZionl Shout aloud, O daughterJerusalem! Lo, your Session'7: I saiah40: 3 I ; 55 :6-7 kirlg comesto you; triumphantand victorious is he, humble and riding on a don- Session& Jo ah 2:2a; Zech.ttriah key, on a co1t,the foal of a donkey." 9:9 ---Zecha ah9:9 (NRS\) Session9: Ephesiansl:17-l I

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TJNITI ISSUE9 ApostlePaul Calls the ChristiansSaints, Honorlngthe Salnts SurprisingLeading Religious Authorities MEDITERMNEANAREA, Ist century ofbeingbound to Codin love? CE-The apostlePaul has astounded reli- The letlerfurther repois on immorality, giousauthorities by addressingmembers of boasling,lawsuih, and eating food offered Christiancongregations as "saints." to idols-all of whichare happening In a letter treasuredby the Christians amongthe Corinthians.The authorities who Iive in Corinrh, questionhow such peo- Paulgreeted them: "To ple can be considered the churchof Cod tlal holy in any way.Yet is in Corinth,to those Paulcontinues to refer who aresanctified in to (hemas oneswho ChristJesus, called to belong to Christ, besaints,,,." beloved.Bnd sai n ts. The t€rm saintshad alwaysbeen reserved Another Example for thosewho liveda Discovered life boundclosely to Fuflherevidence to Godin love,or whoset outrage religious themselvesapart and authoritieswas discov- dedicatedtheir livesto eredin an earlierletter God. Thesewere spe- by Paul, to the cific peoplewho w€re Chrisliansin Rome.To recognizedas holy by that churchhe senta lhewhole community. woman.Phoebe, who But the le(er to claimedto be a deacon Corinth scoldedthe Chdstianswho live of the church.He askedthat shebe wel- there.They hadbeen quanelling with one comed "in the Lord as is fitling for the EpiscopalChildrcn'! anotherover their baptisms. Several people saints,, , ." Cuniculum were baptizedby Apollos and othersby Peoplewho say they will neverrecog- Copyrisht O1994 Peter.These two groupsseemed to be nizethe holinessof this newreligion have Vi.giria Th€ologicd rivals for leadershipwithin the church. alsod€clared, "We will neveraccept a Scmirary ard Morchousc Pubtishing Paul told them that their divisionsand woman as a deaconof the church,nor as a argumentsmus! stop. Their purposeis to sainl." proclaimthe gospel. we askedthe authoritieswhat if any Paulhas also stated that $ese people are action will be taken on this matter. not wisein the waysof the Lord.They are Everyonewe rcacheddeclined to answer just beginningto dedicaretheir lives to thisquestion. Chrisl,so howcan they meet the definition Saints:Our Examples and Our Companions ln tghty qpoD.lry you r d&/y $rpirt I you hwa m-t Da us ,tnr wlh your t rult ttt /mn'rn,mi),rrr fiflh Cyn l 1/t6/ r aur r,rrth/2tlttlgnmaTe wo m'ty,r/mi)r.r /,,t npprtaD /y this fallowhlptf l0rc,rxD pnEar ,rnD kntn'our,rehrt t t lr sar- nrunDci)h! thairwilnc:.r 10 lour prrrdrnnEnnty aPa arlt thts/it'tlr.wko ty'Jrut €hnt in wlun,r// ourinleror.s- suns,irc,raw/,ih/rt/mu4h tlr u\z7rrtt.,mi1 r'ho /n'r.c, mi1 ratrTt-sJirn ar,mD nu: /vnn. TheBook oJCr.tttrnon Pravr, p.395

This praycrreminds us ol i! vercefrcm Thc Leucr to he Hchrevs,"Therefore, sincewe arc surroundedby so greata ck)udol wilnesses,let ur alsolay asideevery weightand the sin thatclings so closely,and lcl us run with perscvcrancethe race thalis sctbcfore u:i. . . ." a,r''aa6iqpj The ruthorof the collectmay have had lhe s me verscitl mind.The prayer WhyWere the expresse\lwo ideas:the saints otl-er us examples ofhow to live.nnd they surround us with lovemd prayers. Saints,Saints? Bcinga Chrislianolten mcansthat we act or think difttrenlly liom someof our friends.Whcn we faoea dillicull situation,it is comfortingto knowthat the saints are Why were the prayingfbr andwith us. saints.saints? Becausethey were cheerful,when it was difticult to be cheer- full Patientwhen it was difficultto bepatient. HowAll Saints'Day Began And becausethey pushedon, when$ey flstival wasrcnamed All Hallow'sEve. or wantedto standstill; n ancientIreland, beforc people had whlt wenow call Halloween. And kept silen t encounteredChristirnity, people cele- All Saints'Day is oneof theseven prin- whenthey wantedto brateda festivalto chaseaway the evil cipal leastsof the church.All Saints Day talk; spiritsof thede.rd, \uho werc said to haunl tl)aybe celebratedon its fixed dareof And were agree- the earthon a particularnight in latc NovemberI or on the Sundayfollowing. ablewhen they want- autumn.In orderto frightenany the evil SpecialCollects and prayers are wrilten for ed to bedisagreeable. spirils,pcoplc would dress up in costumes use t the celebrationof Euchariston All Thatwas all. and carry lanternstnade fr(nn hollowed Saints.lt is alsoa d y whenbaptisms I! war quite sinple gourds, occurlfno oneis beingbaptized. then it is andit alwayswill be. Whenthe Christiansarived. perhaps by a day whenwe rnayrenew our own bap- -A tl0r Unknown way of St.Patrick, the church wanted to help peopleto understandthat thosewho tismalvows. a"sd*talr:fr haddied should be honored.Therefore the fu is a time whenwe rememberall the Feaslol All Saints'Day wasestablished on srintsof drc Churchwho haveled holy or the day followingthis paganfesdval. The exemplarylives as Christians.

chiiice Yer lnrlmcnhk, Episcopal Page2 I-9 copr-isft O 19ervirsinlr Tr'.olo-ai.dS.minfy lid NnJdhotr\(Puhl.h n! SaintsAre Bound to ThoseThev Love And Also to ThoseWhom Thev Iniure

whill is lhc coDnrunionof s inlsl iurd killcd. They hlted one another becauseol dilllr' *An Thc rni\,!er crD bc found in Outlineof lh. cr)cc\.l'hen. al thc vcr! end of fte movic.the scene Fairh: connnnrl: callcd the Catechism. Tltc Book ol \\n\ in r church.l1 \\'as lime for the dislribution of the ('.)t,ut( P o\'.r p.862 bre'ndirnd \ inc duriDgHolv Communion.A\ dre bre d ''-lhe c(nnrrunionof saint\is the \\holc liulil) of \.rs lri\enlo cachpersoD. all thecharacters in thestorv God.rhr li\ ing ind lhe dead.tho\e \honr \\e lo\c itnd relppc:rrcd.Thc\ \cre no$ rli\e. $holc.and sniling. tho\. \\h()nr!\c hur{-bound rogerheriD Chfi\r bt Thc nlc\\irge \\ils clcar: In the communionol sirirlts \irc(rrrrcr)1.nrirj cr- ilnd prilisc.-- thcrd r'cno ditlerencesin race.gender. or $c.rllh.All Sc\,cralrears irgo. it mo\ic femindedu\ of the lrue rc boundlr)lether in Christ as .r f mih sh.rringthc hnril\ ('l (i(xl. In lhc stinl. people$ere shot.bcLllcn. \irefanrrrt. plir) cr. ard prarse.

MEMORYCHAITINGB Fist Songof Isaiah

Surei).il is God tiho sales me: PtJZZI,T]SOI,T]'I'I()N

I willtrust in hin and not bc riiaid. tl Forthe Lord is nrl stronghoklrnd ntr surcdeicnsc. l\'t ud henill benr1 Salior l\l: s r'a () Therelixe shalldrat\\rirter \rilh rejoicing lt 1l l: 1 1ou I ll: l: sl -1R liomthe springs ofsllvrtion. I tt t rPrroPl I Ll: Andon fial dayyou shall suy. Civcthanks to thc Lord lnd call upon his Nanre: Makehis deeds known anong the peoples: seeihat they lenenrber that his Name is erllted. Singthe praises ofthe Lord. tix hc has donc great things, andthis is knorvn in all the rvolld. Crrrloud. inhrbitrntr olZrun. rinL ,'ul rourjnr. tbrthe great onc in the midst ol lou is the Holl One ol Israel. Tht Bookof Annun Pnrlr. \lorninrPnrcr Il. plgeE6

I-9 I'ugc3 \Arr sarNTs

Clues: l. Christianslive by _ in God. 2. Jesustaught us the Lord's _. 3. All peoplebelong to thecommunion of _. 4. Thesaints sunound us like a cloudof _. 5. The- of HebrewScriptures arc saints of God. 6. TheChurch celebrates the _ of All Saints. 7. Faithis _ in God'slove for us. 8. All the_ of Godare saints,

Unit I: TDARNINGSCRIPTTJRE TEARNING SCRIPTT]RE Versesfor the Unit: SessionI : 11frnSr 2rJlb; Psdlrl Session 9 85..8 Session2.Antos 3:7; 5:21 "I praythat the Godof ourLord JesusChrist, the Father of glory,may give you a Session3: A.lr.rh6.J, 9r2b spiritofwisdom and revelation as you cometo knowhim, so that, with theeyes of Session4: Mitah 1:5 b; 6:8b your heartenlightened, you may know whatis the hopeto which he hascalled Session5. Jercniah8: I I ; 18:6b you,what are the riches ofhis gloriousinheritance among the saints. . . ." Session6: E..ekiEll:15, 16c;37:1 -Epndridnr 1rl 7-18(NRsv) Session7: Isaiah40:31;55:6-7 Session8t Jonah2:2a; ZeclQtiall 9:9 Session9i Ephesians1:17-18

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