Welcome to Episcopal 101

Episcopal 101: 

St. Mark's Inquirer's Class 2014

All Are Welcome!

Sundays, January 5, 12, 19 (Confirmation Sunday):
We meet in in the Church at 9:00am

St. Mark's will be holding a 3-week class on what it means to be a Christian in the context of the Episcopal Church tradition, called Episcopal 101. There will be introductory discussions on some of the  
BIG QUESTIONS that both newcomers and long-timers bring to the Episcopal church. Click on each title below to see that week's postings (postings for each week available by the previous week.)  Read, click and comment on any parts that interest you.

These BIG QUESTIONS will include:

1/5 Where is Jesus?
 

1/5  Why the Bible?

1/12 What's an Episcopalian?

1/12 Who is St. Mark's Fincastle?

1/19 Why the Prayer Book?

1/19 What's a "Household of Churches?"  and "What is God calling us to be?"
(Bishop Mark)

Weekly readings and resource links will be posted on this blog site. Please read and post your comments each week, whether attending class or not. Readings and comments will be discussed in our Sunday classes. Bring your own BIG QUESTIONS to share! Adults and Young People are all welcome. Those who are seeking Confirmation on Jan. 19 or Reception (if confirmed in another denomination) or want to make a Reaffirmation of Faith, please notify Fr. Stephen smecpriest@ntelos.net. 

WHERE IS JESUS?

For January 5:  "Where is Jesus?" Introduction

WHERE IS JESUS? INTRODUCTION

It’s a timeless question, asked by children, adults and other seekers for 2000 years.  Christians are defined by Christ’s Presence in the world. We pray: CHRIST HAS DIED. CHRIST IN RISEN. CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.  Past, present and future, from Biblical witness to Present Witness to Embodied Hope, we ask “Where is Jesus?” not just to KNOW something, but to EXPERIENCE that Presence in our faith, in our world and in our lives.  “Where is Jesus?’ is not just a question among a million others we ask, like “Where are my car keys?” It is a question that has MATTERED to people who question and people of faith, in some unique ways, from our biblical ancestors, who waited for the Coming One, to all the founders of Christian communities, to the  those who founded the Episcopal Church, to those who gather in His Name at St. Mark’s Fincastle today.  But the question only matters if we move beyond asking, “Where is Jesus in History?” and “Where is Jesus in the Church?” to “Where is Jesus in my life?” We will engage this question from three Anglican/  Episcopal perspectives that undergird our Anglican/Episcopal Identity: SCRIPTURE, TRADITION and EXPERIENCE/REASON.

COMMENT:  Have you ever asked or been asked "Where is Jesus?" If so, when?   

On the Comment Link Below

Click  for Other Postings:

Episcopal 101 Homepage
Where is Jesus in Scripture?
Where is Jesus in Church History?
Where is Jesus in the 21st Century?
Where is Jesus in Your Life? 
Questions People Ask About Jesus

WHERE IS JESUS IN SCRIPTURE?

For January 5:

WHERE IS JESUS IN SCRIPTURE?   

(THE Story)   

So, let’s begin with Scripture.  When Episcopalians read and hear and pray Holy Scriptures,  we see not just a library of holy books, we hear a whole story, spoken, written,  preserved and shared for a PURPOSE (We will explore what Holy Scripture is “for” next week.)  That HOLY PURPOSE is that we KNOW God, not just KNOW ABOUT God.  All of Scripture affirms that God CAN be known. When Christians ask: “Where is Jesus in the Bible?’  we are saying that the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, does not just point to its own story or stories ABOUT God. The whole Bible points us to the STORY OF JESUS, present in  Creation,  Israel’s history,  Incarnation, Resurrection,  Church History and Salvation History. All the way from “In the Beginning” in Genesis to  Revelation’s final blessing, “Come Lord Jesus.”  That’s what makes “Where is  Jesus?’ one of the foundational questions of our biblical faith.  So let’s survey the biblical landscape, to see the foundational questions  Christians have asked for 2000 years. The questions MATTER only if they matter to us and to our faith today.

Watch “Beyond Belief” clip by Diana Butler Bass, 
Episcopal author and historian

               

Here are the questions we Christians and we Episcopalians have asked. (Note some links for further study and reflection are added.)

“Where is Jesus in  Holy  Scripture?”

 

 Watch Video Discussion

In the Old Testament?

• Before  Creation?   Gospel of John, 1:1-5

• In  Creation?    Colossians 1: 15-20

• In  the story of Israel?

• In  the Prophets’ words?  Hebrews 1:1-2

             

In the New Testament?

•   In the Incarnation?  Philippians 2:5-7; Galatians 4:4-5 ;  

  Romans 1:1-4

         

•   In His early life?  Luke 2:22–40; Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:42-51

             

•    In  His earthly ministry?  See the geography of Jesus in His earthly ministry:

                               

•    After His Resurrection?

               

•    After  the Ascension?   Acts1:11

                These two messengers said: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."  If you want to know when you can follow Him, His Spirit will come to say, “It is here. It is now,” …but you have to keep moving, not upward but inward and then outward in His Way.   
                                                           –From an Ascension sermon by Fr. Stephen

            Extra Credit on Ascension:  

COMMENTS (below):   Which of the scriptures or comments on Jesus (above)  speaks most powerfully to your own faith and experience of Christ? Why?

(Click on comments link below.)


Click for Other Postings:
Episcopal 101 Homepage
Where is Jesus? Introduction
Where is Jesus in Church History?
Where is Jesus in the 21st Century?
Where is Jesus in Your Life? 
Questions People Ask About Jesus