Blog

Spring 2025

Costly Sacrifices The themes of worship, sacrifices, and offerings run through the Scriptures. Grasping the sacrifices and offerings of the old covenant is essential to our understanding of the New Testament’s presentation of Christ’s sacrifice. This quarter will explore sacrifice and worship in the Old Testament and what the New Testament has to say about sacrifice and worship under the new covenant. Tabernacle, Sacrifices, and Atonement The first unit of lessons covers parts of Exodus and Leviticus that describe the system of sacrifices and offerings that created a holy people and a place for the presence of the Lord. On Mount Sinai, the Lord decreed to Moses that the Old Testament covenant people are “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6; see lesson 1). The Lord gave the people specific instructions for constructing a sanctuary known as the tabernacle, which contained “the Holy Place [and] the Most […]

Read More

Winter 2024

A King Forever and Ever This quarter explores the broad sweep of Scripture’s teaching regarding God’s reign—teaching that culminates in the proclamation of Jesus as the earthly exhibition of that kingdom. Beginning with key moments in the history of Jesus’ ancestors, this quarter highlights Jesus’ birth as the Son of David. The quarter then moves to a four-week study of psalms that extol the reign of God. The conclusion of the quarter provides a look at Jesus’ teachings on life in God’s kingdom. Jesus, the Heir of David The first unit of lessons prepares us for the Christmas season by introducing us to members of Jesus’ lineage. Each individual in that lineage is a testament to God’s faithfulness and his glorious plan for his kingdom. This royal lineage would culminate with the rule and reign of Jesus Christ. The example of Ruth demonstrates the ways that God’s plan for his […]

Read More

Fall 2024

Worship in the Covenant Community “So you will be my people, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 30:22). God’s covenant—his enduring promise of relationship and presence—is central to the worship of his people. Worship is the act of ascribing worth to and celebrating the glory of something or someone. The truth is, all people worship. For the people of God, the question is, who will receive our worship? Is the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the only one we will choose to direct our worship toward? Scripture reveals a pattern to the worship of God’s people: God reveals himself, and his people respond through their worship. In the stories of Scripture, we read how they responded: they sang songs, raised their hands, played instruments, danced to music, and did good works of service. The lessons of this quarter examine the worship that God’s people have offered. Although the ways […]

Read More

Summer 2024

Hope in the Lord One dictionary defines hope as “to want something to happen or be true” or “to desire with the expectation of obtainment or fulfillment.” In popular use, a hope is often closely associated with a wish; there is not necessarily an expectation that this “hope” will come true. But Christian hope is based on nothing less than God’s promises and the confidence we have based on his faithfulness to his promises. We do not wish God would honor his promises; we hope he will. This quarter of study traces hope through the generations. Hope and the Church The five lessons of Unit I, “Experiencing Hope,” consider hope through the lens of those whose faith in Christ gave shape to the early church. In Colossians 1:27 (lesson 1), Paul tells the Colossians that the mysteries of God become known to them as their hope in Christ transforms their […]

Read More