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Check out this video from the FX series 30 Days about life on a reservation.

Let me kn0w if you think that life on a Reservation is any different than what you are used to. If so, how?

• Feb 1 & 15 – Cinnamon Rolls
• Mar 1 & 15 – Cinnamon Rolls
• Mar 4 – Apr 8 – Nails for Service
• Apr 12 – Easter Breakfast

• Dec 3 – Graceland – 7:30pm
• Dec 10 – Graceland – 7:30pm
• Dec 17 – Graceland – 7:30pm
• Dec 24 – No Graceland Winter Break
• Dec 31 – No Graceland Winter Break

Don’t forget your Bibles, notebooks and pencils!

Old Testament #1

Old Testament #2

New Testament #1 will be available January 19

New Testament #2 will be available March 18

The Big Idea: God heals divisions by promising blessings for all.

Learning Goal: Learners will understand the role that Abram and Sarai played in God’s creation of a people-with descendents, land, and a blessing-from the divided people of the earth.

God’s call to Abram and Sarai ushers in an entire new history-a history of blessing. It is the bridge between the first 11 chapters of Genesis, often called the “pre-history,” and the ancestral stories. Previous stories in Genesis show that human beings cannot independently achieve the level of blessing that God intends in creation. They rebel against it, in fact. Therefore, God gives the blessing as a gift to all the nations through Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah). Abram and Sarai are issued both a command and a promise. The command: “Get up and go!” The promise: Abram and Sarai will become the ancestors of a great nation; they will have land and descendents, and they will be a source of blessing for the world (Genesis 12:1-3). In some ways, the promise is a reversal of the curses given in Eden (Genesis 3:16-19). This line of promise will carry through the rest of the biblical story.

Many have called Abraham a model of faith. When told to get up and go, he got up and went. But the way he went was not at all smooth. As we continue reading in Genesis, we see that the road of faith that Abraham traveled was bumpy with doubt, missteps, and mistakes. The actual story centers less on Abraham’s faith and more on how he handles the complexities, ambiguities, and struggles of the life he lived. The promise is threatened many times in many ways, but the threats do not define the plot as much as the promise of goodness and well-being. “Blessing language” is used 88 times in Genesis-it is by far the overriding theme.

Again and again in the Old Testament the future is shaped by God’s promises. It is a conflicted family that God chooses to mediate divine blessing. Abraham’s family lives in the midst of the world’s families. It is as if the story’s writer(s) wanted us to know that Abraham and Sarah’s family had a deep connection to the world’s families, and much in common with them. They are not so different from the rest of us. They make mistakes and sometimes the mistakes are big ones. They try to take things too much in their own hands. They misunderstand God. They grow impatient. And God works through them. The line is not straight between Point A and Point B (for blessing), but the story and God’s people always move forward. God’s intention is to bless even when there are what surely must be aggravating roadblocks. Through all the bumps in the road, God continues to work with Abraham and Sarah to bring divine blessing to the world.

The exclusivity that God chooses (i.e., Abraham and Sarah) is for the purpose of maximum inclusivity (i.e., all of humanity). This promise is at the center of the entire Abraham and Sarah narrative. Their actions, helpful and not, remind us that God will continue to work with human partners even when they aren’t much help. And although the way may not be smooth, the promise is sure. Faith is not a condition of the promise, but it does remain relevant because of the divine-human partnership. At the same time, the “chosen ones” cannot thwart the promise because God does indeed act outside the chosen community. God is at work everywhere with everyone.

The Big Idea: God saved sinful humankind from the waters of the flood, with the promise of a whole new start.

Learning Goal: Learners will trust that God’s covenant with Noah is a covenant of love with them too.

It takes only five short chapters in the first book in the Bible for things to get pretty ugly and messy. By chapter 6 of Genesis, human violence and willfulness have corrupted God’s good creation so thoroughly that God is “sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (6:6). In this story we find humanity at its worst, God brokenhearted with an extreme plan for ridding creation of this awfulness, and only one righteous man and his family for God to work with. Whether Noah was righteous in the truest sense or just relatively so might be debated, but the story tells us that Noah “walked with God,” and indeed, God picked Noah to be the initial partner in this first universal covenant. The earth was threatened by watery chaos, but “God remembered Noah” (8:1) and the ark kept Noah’s family and the animals safe. The water was driven back by the wind/breath/spirit of God (8:1; compare to 1:2) and the universal promise made to Noah is marked with the sign of the rainbow.

Reading the Noah story straight through (chapters 6-9) is a little repetitious and circular. In fact, it seems like two accounts at times. Many biblical scholars agree that the three chapters probably reflect two different sources: the J and P of source scholarship. We are the recipients of a fuller story because of these two accounts.

The flood story in Genesis is similar to many flood stories in the literature of other ancient civilizations; however, there is an important difference in the Genesis account. Most ancient flood stories feature a god or gods sending a flood upon creation without much reason. Whimsy and caprice seem to be the motives. In Genesis, God used the flood as judgment with the end goal of redemption. The flood’s purpose is to allow a new beginning.

The divine judgment in this story is unleashed for the sake of redemption. God is not taking revenge on anyone or just looking for something to do. God wills to save, not destroy. Humanity has apparently become so unbalanced by this time that drastic measures are necessary, but the object is not terror or even “getting rid of evil.” The goal of the flood is restoration.

A covenant is a binding promise between two unequal parties. The covenant with Noah is just that, a bit one-sided. God’s promise to Noah in particular, and humanity and the rest of creation more generally (9:8-11), is universal in scope, and its grace is expressed in the regularities of nature (8:22). There is no mention of Noah’s part of this promise. We’re only told that God makes a promise. And indeed, the rainbow, the sign of the covenant, is a reminder to God, not humanity, of this promise (9:14-15).

God limits Godself in this covenant. Never again will judgment and ultimate restoration come through flood. On the other side of the flood it is not humanity that changes, but God! (Indeed, Noah is in trouble within a few verses, and the descendants of Noah’s sons are wreaking havoc in the next chapter.) God commits to an imperfect world in this story. God decides to grieve but stick with it, working with the imperfections and even the wickedness. It seems as though God realizes a couple of things in the course of the flood. If humans are to live, they need rules and boundaries (9:1-7), but they also need grace and unconditional promises. The Noah story is a story of both realism and promise.

The Big Idea: Our God existed from the beginning and created all things.

Learning Goal: Learners will recognize that the God of the Bible made them to be a special part of a wondrous creation.

Biblical

The Genesis story takes two forms: first, the creation of the heavens and earth in a series of six days followed by a day of rest; and second, the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. These two stories contradict one another at times, and if Genesis were submitted for publication today as a brand-new manuscript, it would probably go through much revision.

The first creation story (Genesis 1:1-2:4) is a methodical story beginning with the chaos of a dark, formless void that in six days becomes a flourishing, diverse earth with living creatures of all kinds. This creation account moves from confusion to order in a logical sequence by the command of the all-powerful God. The source of this writing is generally attributed to the Priestly writer, or “P.”

The second creation story (2:4-25) begins with the creation of a human from the dust of the ground. Here, too, God is the creator. But God is personified-planting a garden, breathing into the nostril of the human being-which playfully allows for errors in creation. The source of this creation story is ascribed to the Yahwist writer, or “J.”

Despite their literary differences, both of these creation stories point to one thing: God is the creator, and we are part of God’s good creation. Boundaries between creator and creation have been set; there is order in the world between God and humans, humans and animals, and in the interrelationships within humanity.

Theological

The creation stories of Genesis tell us who we are and where we came from while still acknowledging the deep mystery of God. Some things just can’t be explained, even with a really good story. What we do know is that we were created in God’s own image (1:27) and that “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (1:31).

Although God created us for good, it did not take long for humanity to push the boundaries. Genesis reveals a world where humans’ less-than-perfect decisions have consequences. God does not control us, nor can we control God. Rather, we are called to live faithfully and responsibly within our relationship with God the creator.

Human beings have been given a special place in God’s creation, but it comes with a burden: Men and women share the task of being conscientious stewards of the earth and all creation. Humans need one another and should not take the gifts of creation for granted.

We also need boundaries! The stories of the people in Genesis read like stories about small children testing the boundaries set by parents. There are consequences for going beyond, but there is also grace in forgiveness.

Many teenagers can relate to the story of Adam and Eve pushing the boundaries that God gave them. Like a good parent’s discipline, boundaries are given out of love to protect and preserve.

For teenage learners struggling with normal adolescent anxieties like acne and awkwardness, it also may be helpful to lift up that we are created in God’s own image, created to be good. Our lives are to be lived as a reflection of the image of God.

Historical

The Bible is a story of a living people passed on through the ages largely by oral tradition. Most cultures throughout human history have had some sort of creation story; Judeo-Christians are no different. In fact, our creation stories share similar themes. Universal foundation stories help us understand what it means to be human and where we came from in a divine sense. Genesis reads like a family history of the people who will be the nation Israel. The central points include that God loves us, God alone created us, and chaos will not win.

Contemporary/Cultural

The two versions of the creation story show us that the Bible should not be read as a science or history book.

The issue of creationism has been distorted in contemporary thought, polarizing hard science against religious meaning. The writers of these biblical words lived in different worldly understandings and could not have foreseen the unfortunate modern battle that has pitted faith against fact. The earth is undoubtedly billions of years old; our religious ancestors could not have known such geological and anthropological facts, nor particularly cared as it relates to our relationship with God the creator.

What is important is our understanding of creation: God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good!

The Big Idea: The Bible is an ancient book of books that has been translated many times over the centuries.

Learning Goal: Learners will gain an appreciation for the complexity of the Bible and significant distinctions among its translations.

It is easy to get an idea of the breadth of Bible translations available in our time with a quick walk through a large bookstore. The Bible continues to be one of the best-selling books of all time, and new translations are continually being released. What is easy to forget is how recently this wealth of options became commonplace, and how much work goes into producing a single biblical translation.

Historical

Before the work of actually translating a portion of the Bible from Greek or Hebrew can begin, translators must first agree on the text of the original language. Certain standard texts are available, thanks to the work of textual scholars who have pored over hundreds of ancient manuscripts and fragments, working to compile a single text among the many variations. The number of discovered manuscripts has increased over time, and their availability to scholars through the Internet has meant tremendous changes in textual scholarship in the last few decades.

Many students are not aware that translating the Scriptures into the vernacular was pretty much unheard of until the Reformation. For centuries Jerome’s Latin rendering was the official Bible of the church. Luther was the first to go back to the Greek and Hebrew in order to produce a Bible for the lay person, and others followed suit. Not until this century were Roman Catholic translators allowed to work from the ancient manuscripts and produce multiple translations.

Translators also have a myriad of decisions to make before a single word is rendered into English (or whatever language they are translating into). Am I trying to make the text sound as close to the original language as I can (for example, Everett Fox’s translation of the Pentateuch)? Or is it more important that the sentences flow in such a way that they seem fluent and even poetic in English (The New English Bible)? Should the translation be understandable to a fourth grader (Contemporary English Version)? Should it sound the way an English speaker today might say it (The Message) or is it okay if it sounds distinctly “biblical” (The New King James Version)?

Translations called “word-for-word” translations are those that show a literal or formal correspondence. Examples are the King James Version and the New Revised Standard Version. Translations called “meaning-for-meaning” translations are those that show a dynamic equivalence. Examples are The Jerusalem Bible, The New English Bible, and Today’s English Version of the Bible. The Holy Bible, New International Version attempts to balance literal and dynamic translation methods.

The Big Idea: The Bible tells the amazing story of God’s love for God’s people.

Learning Goal: Learners will understand the history of the Bible, its role in the Christian life, and the Reformation insights into its canon and core message.

Biblical

If everything that Jesus did “were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). How did the biblical authors decide what to include? John says that what he wrote is testimony (21:24). Luke wrote “so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed” (1:4). In Romans (15:4) Paul wrote, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” In 2 Timothy (3:16-17) we read, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” These reasons for writing the Bible help us know how to read the Bible.

Jesus Christ is God’s Word incarnate and God’s only Son, who has made God known (John 1:1-3, 14, 18). Jesus Christ-the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)-is the lens through whom we read the Bible.

Theological

“Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation. The proclamation of God’s message to us as both Law and Gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy through word and deed, beginning with the Word in creation, continuing in the history of Israel, and centering in all its fullness in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them God’s Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world.” The Bible-”the Old and New Testaments”-is “the inspired Word of God” and “the authoritative source and norm of [the church's] proclamation, faith, and life” (ELCA Constitution 2.02.-2.03.).

The Bible is the Word of God and reveals the Word of God, Jesus Christ, the hope of the world. “Any interpretation of Scripture that weakens or removes our hope and encouragement is certainly contrary to the will and intent of the Holy Spirit” (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, XI:92. Kolb/Wengert, 655:92).

Historical

In the 19th century, most North American Protestants read the Bible relatively literally. Developments in knowledge-for example, in archaeology, linguistics, science, and literature-brought new understandings of the people, cultures, and languages of the Bible, of creation and history, and of how human beings create and respond to stories and literary forms. By the 1920s, North American Protestantism was dividing between two main approaches to biblical interpretation informed respectively by fundamentalism and modern biblical criticism. Both believe in the “inspiration” of Scripture, generally put, that it is the Word of God communicated by the breath of the Holy Spirit. Fundamentalist (not to be confused with Pentecostal) Christians regard the Bible as “inerrant.” Inerrancy means that the Bible not only has no errors of any kind, but is, for example, authoritative compared to science or historical research. Others, notably the mainline denominations, use the tools of contemporary biblical criticism and take scientific, historical, and literary knowledge into account. They acknowledge that the Bible is internally contradictory, and consider the context of the text-historical, linguistic, social, political, economic, literary-as well as the text itself.

Contemporary/Cultural

Today there are not only numerous print translations of the Bible but also print paraphrases, films, made-for-television productions, and other interpretations of the biblical texts. These are great ways to learn more about the Bible and to share the good news of God’s love. God’s Word comes to us in many ways-but be mindful! Remember that all interpretations have a perspective. View and read all interpretations with a critical mind. Whose perspective is represented in this retelling? With whom does this retelling ask you to identify and how does that relate to the heart of the story? Compared to the actual biblical text, what is missing or added to this interpretation? Most of all, does this retelling tell the truth that God loves all people and all that God has made? Compare different versions-for example, one translation with another, a movie or paraphrase with an actual translation-and do this with other people.