Jesus and nature: Teachers of Faith by the Rev. Sara Olson-Smith
Jesus often turned to the natural world in teaching, opening our eyes to see creation not just as something to be cared for, but as our teacher and kindred. It is no mistake that Jesus, who lovingly spoke of soil and plants, was thought to be a gardener that first Easter morning. This three-session Bible study will shift our perspectives and allow nature to be our teacher, through the words of Jesus and other parts of Scripture. The trees, the soil and the creatures will offer us new perspectives on the character of God and challenge us to deepen our stewardship of God’s precious creation.
September 2022, Session 1: “Trees,” will tap into Biblical images of trees and explore why planting and protecting trees is important, while rooting us in models of interdependence and mutuality. View the video supplement
October 2022, Session 2: “Soil,” will dig deeply into the parable of the soil (otherwise known as the parable of the seed, Matthew 13) and other Biblical accounts that relate to care for this part of creation, while looking at models of growth that involve wholeness and wellness. View the video supplement
November 2022, Session 3: “Creatures,” offers us an opportunity to observe and learn about God from birds, foxes, sheep, dogs and other animals, while considering habitat protection, food justice and the model of trust. View the video supplement
Thank you for this Bible study on Trees. Our group got a late start but found the study to be so timely in what was going on in our farming community. The video supplement added much to what we discussed and studied. The daily devotional tied into the fig tree story.
Looking forward to the study on soil.
I enjoy every issue of Gather and do not discard any of them. Looking forward to the nature issues. I remember the Women’s issues w2hen the magazine was just the size of a R
eader’s Digest magazine.
I am leading the Bible study on Sept 14th for my women’s circle at church — I subscribed to Gather magazine in June.
When can I get the printed material for study per the September “Trees” topic???
Thanks, Dori! Your magazine should arrive by the end of August. If it does not, please contact us at gather@elca.org, and we can email you a PDF file to use until your magazine arrives!
I am very interested in this Bible Study. I am new to this. How do I sign up and/or access this Bible Study? Thank you.
I am looking forward to this new Bible Study for the Fall. Thank you Gather and the WELCA team for all you do to keep us in the WORD.