Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

Kings seemed conspicuous by their absence in that last study, but  we usually find them somewhere in our manger scenes, so here's their story... (5) The First Two Years Lots of manger scenes (and Christmas carols) include three kings. Before reading this study, what do you believe about the wise men? Read Matthew 2:1-16 1.        Let’s look at the men first: a.        Are they wise men, astrologers, or kings? How many are there of them? And why does tradition say  3? b.       If the men are astrologers, they’re probably Babylonian. Why might they be interested in Judaism? c.        Do they find the baby in a stable? d.       Does it worry you that there might be differences between interpretation, tradition and what the Bible says? How would you try to resolve these differences? 2.        Now ...

It's December (HELP!), and we're continuing our New Testament study. At this rate, we'll still be looking at Christmas at Christmas , but that's okay... though today's study is technically about that period just a few days after Christmas. Eight day? Maybe, or maybe a few more... See what you think. (4) The First Eight Days We’re all familiar with the Christmas story. We’ve all seen manger scenes in churches, sometimes even in public places. 1.        Which manger scenes have impressed you the most? Why? 2.        What would you expect to see in a conventional manger scene? Why? 3.        Have you ever seen a really unconventional manger scene? Maybe on a TV show? How did it affect you? 4.        How important is tradition? And how important is it to make sure our traditions agree with the Bible? Read Luke 2:1-7 1.        ...