First Sunday of Advent (A)

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The Unknown Day and Hour   Lectionary: 1 Reading 1 -  Isaiah 2:1-5 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 122: 1-9 Reading 2 -  Romans 13:11-14 Alleluia -  Cf. Psalm 85:8 Gospel -  Matthew 24:37-44 '... Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.' Introduction  As we gather on this First Sunday of Advent , we also mark the beginning of the Church’s new liturgical calendar and a four-week preparation period leading up to Christmas. The word Advent comes from either of two Latin words, which simply mean “to come” (Ad-venire) or “to arrive” (Ad-ventus), and as early as the fourth (4th) century, Christians have had this special time of preparation towards Christmas. Of course, Advent is not merely a countdown to Christmas; Even as we begin the material preparations for the social celebration of Christmas, the liturgical celebrations of these weeks invite us to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus. But what does the co...
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Review: Word: An 11-Session Study of Matthew

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Word: An 11-Session Study of Matthew Word: An 11-Session Study of Matthew by Sarah Howley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This short, 65 page Study Guide is part of the four (4) book “The Son reveals the Father” series (One for each Gospel) whose stated goal is to "uncover the nature of God through the nature of Jesus” revealed to us in the Gospel and prefigured in the “Old Testament.” It begins with some general guidelines for group and individual that make it clear that each session is designed to help you begin your study and is not scripted or overly biased to a particular conclusion. Each session starts with an Introduction that tries to weave in a contemporary context before reading the specified chapters for that session. Afterward there are a series of questions to help kick off the discussion/meditation before looking at links from the Old Testament and finishing with a quick section to encourage thinking about [discussing] how to apply the lesson in today’s world. There is very little exegesis, interpretation or exploration of original context (that is left to your discussion) which allows each session chapter to be very concise and short. Most of the discussion prompts are fairly basic and/or simple which may lead to a more shallow discussion that doesn’t reveal much that is new or interesting if you have studied the text previously; however, it remains a good place to start for many.

Welcome to this Study
Suggestions for Study
Study Introduction
Session 1: The Messiah was Born (Matt 1-2)
Session 2: Starting a Ministry (Matt 3-4)
Session 3: Come ye Weary (Matt 5)
Session 4: Relations with God (Matt 6-7)
Session 5: auth of the People (Matt 8-10)
Session 6: Kingdom Treasure (Matt 11-13)
Session 7: Abundant Provision (Matt 14-16)
Session 8: Children Enter the Kingdom (Matt 17-19)
Session 9: Kingdom Work (Matt 20-22)
Session 10: Woes and Warnings (Matt 23-25)
Session 11: Gift of Power (Matt 26-28)
Study Conclusion

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#StudyOfMatthew #TheSonRevealsTheFather #LibraryThing

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