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Weekly Bible Studies
During
the summer, instead of the weekly Bible studies, we are conducting a
Summer Discussion series, beginning on Tuesday, July 7.
Click HERE for a printable version of the PLUM Spiritual
Care Calendar (2
pages long)
·
Discussion Series, Worship Services
and Fellowship Corner will take place by Zoom Conference
Call. Please see the reverse side for details on the PLUM Summer
Discussion Series being offered. The call in line is:
Zoom online:
https://zoom.us/j/401596541
Zoom
by phone:
(646) 876-9923
Meeting ID: 401 596
541
·
Prayer Vigil
– This is done at our individual locations. It is an
opportunity to stop wherever we are and pray for our families,
our church, our community and our world.
·
Fellowship Corner
– Come and fellowship together. It is a time to share joys,
prayer concerns and words of encouragement.
PLUM Discussion Series
will be on a hiatus for 3 weeks (August 23 through
September 12).
The Studies will
resume on
September 15 and will be held on Tuesdays
at 1 p.m. and Thursdays at 7 p.m., via zoom.
Click HERE to print the Living Lutheran
"Unpacking White Privilege" article
The Tensions of being in Relationship:
Reflections on
Broken Covenants and Ways of Healing
PLUM Summer Discussion Series:
Recent events around our nation and in our city have raised our
awareness of the injustices that exist in our world. As Christians
called to love God and love our neighbor, it is our duty to educate
ourselves of those injustices. It is our duty to do what we can to
bring justice into our world. This summer, we will host a
discussion series around the issues of Racism in our communities and
our world. We will explore videos, articles and books with each
other as we consider actions that we can take to live out our
command to love our neighbor.
Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m.
and/or
Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
via Zoom.
“But
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the
Lord: I will put
my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will
be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33
The call in line for these discussions is:
Zoom online:
https://zoom.us/j/401596541
Zoom by phone:
(646) 876 9923
Meeting ID: 401 596 541
To participate in the
Discussion,
go to our Zoom page
Click HERE to print the Living Lutheran
"Unpacking White Privilege"
article
Summer Discussion Series – Weeks 1 and 2:
Biblical Covenants and Social Contracts
Introduction:
“But
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the Lord:
I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33
“He answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind;
and your neighbor as yourself.' ” Luke 10:27
I. Biblical Covenant
a. Definition:
A covenant is a chosen relationship in which two parties make a promise
to each other. Example: marriage
A covenant should be distinguished from a contract because it is a
personal relationship which people voluntarily enter.
b. Biblical Covenants
1. There is disagreement about how many are in the Bible. Opinions
range from 1-12. In the Scripture, there was a focus on three types of
covenants, namely, the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, and the
New Covenant mediated by Jesus. Some scholars classify only two; a
covenant of promise and a covenant of law. The former involved an oath
taken by God – a word of promise instead of command – while the latter
is known in the Bible as “the Law”.
2. Brief description of Seven Biblical Covenants:
*Eden: Genesis 3:15; God’s Promise: Satan and mankind will
be enemies;
Sign - pain of childbirth, work for bread
*Noah: Genesis 9:8-17; God’s Promise: God would never again destroy the
world with a flood.
Sign – Rainbow
*Abraham: Genesis 15:12-21, 17:1-14; God’s Promise: Abraham’s
descendants would become a great nation if they obeyed God. God would
be their God.
Sign – Smoking firepot and flaming torch.
*At Mount Sinai: Exodus 19:5-6; God’s Promise: Israel would be God’s
special people, a holy nation. But they would have to keep their part
of the covenant to obedience.
Sign – The Exodus
*The Priesthood: Numbers 25:10-13; God’s Promise: Aaron’s descendants
would be priests forever.
Sign – The Aaronic priesthood
*David: 2Samuel 7:13, 23:5; God’s Promise: Salvation would come
through David’s line, through the Messiah
Sign – David’s line continued and Christ was born a descendant
of David
*New Covenant: Hebrews 8:6-13; God’s Promise: Forgiveness and
salvation are available in and through Christ
Sign – the resurrection of Christ
II. Social Contract
What allows us to live together in community?
a. Definition:
an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for
social benefits. Example: sacrificing some individual freedom for
state protection
b.
Social Contract theory says that people live together in society in
accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political rules
of behavior. The US Constitution is often cited as an explicit example
of part of America’s social contract. It sets out what the government
can and cannot do.
c.
After the contracts are established, however, then society becomes
possible, and people can be expected to keep their promises, cooperate
with one another, and so on. The social contract is the most
fundamental source of all that is good and that which we depend upon to
live well.
III.
Trevor Noah Video
Trevor Noah is a South African, political commentator and television
host. He is the current host of the Daily Show. He is also an author
of “Born a Crime” and other books.
The video that we are about to share was Trevor Noah’s response to the
death of George Floyd and other events happening in our country today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c
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