06.03.24 | Pastor's Bible Study, Perspectives Podcast
Join the women clergy of First Church of San Diego in their multi-episode exploration of “Divine Gifts” with Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast.
In this episode, Rev. Trudy and Rev. Hannah continue the discovery of the Divine gifts that God brings to us. Today’s gift: Clarity. They begin by looking at two stories of Jesus on the Sabbath, challenging misconceptions of the pharisees and Judaic laws.
From this scripture reading, they discuss the shifting power dynamic when it comes to how to prioritize the rules, the conflict between seeing the heart of God’s law, made from love for people, and the need to institutionalize the law so we don’t break the rules.
They make the case for looking at Scripture and holy laws with a 21st century mindset –detecting the biases and partiality that exists and having healthy conversations on whether it should still be that way. How can we stop being an institutionalized church, imparting specific expectations on others that gatekeep access to God’s love?
It’s a lot to consider – we hope you join in the discussion talking about the acts of grace that we receive from God that open our hearts and minds for us to see and experience the world differently.
Our weekly Bible Study discussion group, Convergence, is currently taking a break for Summer. But we invite you to ponder and discuss the following questions with your friends and family:
- What benefit do laws hold for us as society?
- Are there laws that irk you? What are they and why do they bother you?
- What relationship do you think Jesus had to the law?
- What relationship do you think Christians have to the law?