HOUSEGROUPS 2011/12
Theme:
The Words of the Prophets are written …
Booklets to accompany the series – notes written by our minister, Rev. Edgar Daniel
Do, please, think seriously about joining a group.
We are sure both you and the Church will benefit from your belonging!
There are 4 regular housegroups, all of which meet fortnightly during the autumn and spring:
- Kingsteignton – Tuesday evenings
- Bradley – Wednesday evenings
- Milber – Wednesday evenings
- D’Arcy Court – Friday mornings
For further information contact: Bob Francis (Housegroups Coordinator) Tel.:01626 207412 Email: jeanandbobfrancis@gmail.com
The suggestion was made at the end of last year’s house group series that we look at the Old Testament during the forthcoming session. With this in mind, we will have a closer look this time at the Old Testament prophets, what distinguished them from the schools of prophets that existed in Old Testament times, their message and its relevance for us in the twenty-first century.
One of the things we will find as we look at these great characters is that human nature has not changed a great deal! Circumstances have changed, technology and science have developed, we live in a globalising world, but human nature – that’s not changed much. That is why the battle the prophets had particularly with the persistent tendency of God’s people towards idolatry rings all kinds of bells with our cult of celebrity, the dominance of the markets and the insidious attraction of money, materialism and pleasure, that are among the tantalising idols of our time.
It was the strength of the prophetic message calling God’s people to choose whom they will serve, that caused their message to be rejected in their time and some of the great prophets to be subjected to persecution and ridicule.
We too may find the words of the prophets challenging, we may not always like what they say, but there is a real sense in which the stakes are higher in our time precisely because of the global reach of human greed, of choosing the gods that cannot save, especially when our selfish greed and our inhumanity are accompanied by the technological means for our total liquidation!
In a word, we need to hear again those distinctive prophetic words that echo through the ages, sometimes in tones like the sound of thunder, “Thus says the Lord…”- and to allow ourselves to be pointed in the direction of the One who personified the message of the prophets and fulfilled their deepest longing for God’s decisive action in saving the world and drawing the whole creation into a perfected harmony. At that point in time, of course, the Word became flesh.
An Outline of our Studies for 2011/12
- Autumn 2011 “Thus says the Lord!” (distinguishing marks of the Old Testament prophets)
- Autumn 2011 “Have you found me, you troubler of Israel?” (Elijah)
- Autumn 2011 “The Lion has roared” (Amos)
- Autumn 2011 “How can I give you up?” (Hosea)
- Autumn 2011 “Whom shall I send?” (Isaiah of Jerusalem)
- Autumn 2011 “Only a youth!” (Jeremiah)
- Spring 2012 “Behold, I am doing a new thing, do you not
perceive it?” (Isaiah 40-55) - Spring 2012 “Can these dry bones live?” (Ezekiel)
- Spring 2012 “Wounded for our transgressions …” (the suffering
Servant of the Lord)
