Thoughts on the first of the five Lenten studies

Thoughts on the first of the five Lenten studies

I am not sure which was more satisfying to me this past Wednesday, March 8 at the Lenten study – the fact that 29 people showed up that evening OR that the topic was so intriguing.

Pastor Jim is leading a study series on “The Questions of Jesus” as recorded in the gospels. So often we think about what people of long ago asked Jesus or, maybe, what we want to ask Him. But this study series flips the table – what did Jesus, Himself, ASK the ancients and what might He be asking us? Jim is drawing from a book by John Dear, titled The Questions of Jesus: Challenging Ourselves to Discover Life’s Greatest Answers, c. 2004.

Jim began the evening by asking the 29 of us WHY WE decided to attend that night. I was drawn in by the sincerity of the responses. There was a sense among us of openness, a yearning to learn and grow. I felt comfortable in this group, as ‘The Servant Song’ says:

We are pilgrims on the journey
We are travellers on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.

The first question of this study series was one that Jesus asked to those hanging around or tagging after Him near the beginning of His ministry. He asked: “WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR (or seeking) ME? This question, or slight variation, was at the heart of the three scriptures we read – John 1:35-42, Luke 2:41-52, Mark 10:35-52. We discovered that not everyone in ancient times answered Jesus’ question the same way. So today, why are we – why am I seeking Jesus? I think that I need to do some honest self-reflection. Hmm. That might require some prayer time!

Part two of the five week series is on Wednesday, March 15, 6:00-7:00pm, Fellowship Hall. Jesus’ question is: “Who do you say I am?” The scriptures to be explored are Mark 8:27-38, Matthew 19:16-30, and Luke 18:18-30.

This traveller plans to be there. Won’t you walk along?

Written by Victoria Sherman