Category: Religion, Psalms
Sunday School Lesson Overview For Feburary 24, 2019 Living With God’s Loving Assurance / Our Rescuing God Psalm 91:1-8, 11-16
Review of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
Last week the psalmist was excited and enthusiastic about praise of God. In its very beginning the psalmist told us how we ought to praise, saying we ought to shout for joy! I especially liked part b of the second verse – “make God’s praise glorious”. We were reminded that our praise ought to be magnificent and celebratory. We also mentioned “Glorious (Make The Praise)” by Karen Clark Sheard. This song seems to encapsulate the whole of what Psalm 66 was trying to convey.
Verses 16 through 20 closed the lesson with praise for God’s deliverance. But it was a personal reflection. The psalmist is writing about his own experience with a God who delivers, a God who hears, and a God who understands. Verse 16 says “let me tell you what God has done for me”. This is powerful. Telling your own testimony is authentic. Genuineness, authenticity, and being true are characteristics that have great impact on others. This should remind us that faithfulness to God is what God desires from us.
Last week’s lesson was the second in a series of love songs. This third week of love songs keeps us in Psalms, but this time in the third book of Psalms. The focus in this week’s love song is praise for God’s protection even in difficult and trying times in our lives. God’s work leads to praise and praise reinforces our love. Townsend and Boyd’s Commentary title this week’s lesson “Living with God’s Loving Assurance”. Standard Commentary titles it “Our Rescuing God”. The Scripture text comes from Psalm 91:1-8, 11-16.
Background:
Nelson’s Bible Handbook lists ten types of psalms. Those include individual and communal lament, individual and communal thanksgiving, general praise, descriptive praise, enthronement, pilgrimage songs, royal psalms, and wisdom and didactic psalms. While the span of these types covers the height and depth of human emotion as well as the sweep of human condition, Psalm 91 is not included in this list. Instead, it is “probably intended as a psalm for public worship” (Townsend).
Psalm 91 is included in the fourth book of psalms which includes 17 other psalms ranging from Psalm 90 to Psalm 106. Its author is not definitively known but some commentaries attribute it to Moses. This poetic Psalm is written to the Hebrew people but its truths, comfort, and reassurance of a loving and present God applies to us today.
What takes place in this passage:
God’s protection is the central theme of this psalm. In this third and final week in the Psalms, we close this quarter with another love song. In this love song we see the presence, protection, and provision of God. The immediate poetic language of verse one brings a reassuring comfort. I especially like the King James Version description of dwelling in the “secret place” of the most high. The New Revised Standard version calls this secret place the “shelter” of the most high. This secret place or shelter is a place of protection. Verses one through three speaks to both protection and provision by a God who unequivocally cares. Part of why this psalm if so beloved is because of its soaring, poetic language. In verses one through six the psalmist reassures individual believers of God’s protection, while verses seven through thirteen speak to God’s angels providing protection” (Townsend). Notice the care mentioned in verse four. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge”. This is a poetic picture of how God protects and provides for believers. We can feel safe under the wings of The Most High.
Verses eleven through thirteen speak to “God’s angels providing protecting during times of warfare or pestilence or danger” (Townsend). We should take comfort in knowing God’s angels protect in times of trouble, distress, and trying. This can be a particularly comforting psalm for the battlefield soldier. Its poetic language and reassuring promise bring comfort to the troubled soul. It should also be noted that this is a poetic psalm. Verse thirteen should not be taken literally.
Finally, verses fourteen through sixteen close this love song “speaking in God’s name as the psalmist assures the faithful of God’s constant protection” (NISB). Notice “because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him for he acknowledges my name”. This is a love song and in this psalm we see God’s presence, protection and provision for the believer.
Context:
This psalm is all about God’s protection of God’s people. It is a poetic love song that reassures us of God’s love. What make this psalm so powerful are our own individual experiences. We can understand and relate to the feeling the psalmist expresses because we know what it means to dwell in the “shelter” of the most high. Having a close and personal relationship with God brings comfort in times of trouble. Knowing that God knows and God cares brings reassurance that God is with us in our times of trouble. God has not forsaken us.
Key Characters in the text: (None mentioned)
Key Words (not necessarily in the text, but good for discussion):
Psalm – A hymn, sacred song, or poem. The book of Psalms (the Psalter) is composed of 150 religious poems of prayer and praise of ancient Israel, arranged in five books.
Praise – (from Lat. Pretium, “worth”) Honor and adoration given to God as a celebration of God’s being and worth. It is a constant biblical ascription and injunction that creatures should praise God as the Lord.
Assurance – the state of being assured: such as being certain in the mind or b: confidence of mind or manner: easy freedom from self-doubt or uncertainty.
Themes / Topics in this Lesson:
- God’s presence, protection and provision.
- How I know God is with me.
- My refuge and strength.
Questions:
1. How has God protected you?
2. What things have come against you and God protected or provided for you?
3. This psalmist looked to God for protection and provision in the midst of trouble. Since this is also Black History Month, who are past and present Black Americans that has done the same in the midst of trouble.
Concluding thought:
Protection from evil and deliverance from trouble are or will be needed in each of our lives. We cannot live in a fallen world and not expect to face trial and tribulation along the journey. The good news is that God knows, God sees, and God cares. This psalm reassures us that God is present in our times of trouble and “with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation”.
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson:
Next week begins the first lesson of the Spring quarter. March, April and May will focus on discipleship and mission. The first four lessons of next quarter focus on the call to discipleship with each scripture text from the Gospel of Luke. One lesson takes passages from Mark and Luke. Next week we will consider the ideas of humility and hospitality as they relate to our other relationships.
Sunday School Lesson Overview for Feburary 17, 2019 Praising God’s Mighty Works / Our Mighty God Psalm 66:1-9, 16-20
Review of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
Last week focused on a specific yet magnificent place called Zion. But importantly, we noted that today, we should be the magnificent place that God indwells. The psalmist associated God’s presence with the location of mount Zion. The psalmist also proclaimed Zion as the place where God dwelled and described God as her fortress or refuge. So we as individual Christians are the temple in which God dwells today.
We also focused attention on Psalm 48:13-14 where the psalmist told us to walk about Zion, observe all of Zion’s greatness, “that you may tell of them to the next generation”. The point of focusing here was to acknowledge if God has done something for you, you ought to tell somebody. And even more so you ought to tell the next generation. The lesson closed with a reminder from the psalmist that “This God is our God”. This God is the God who enabled building the great Zion. The point for Christians today is to remember that this God is the God who lives, loves, and inhabits each of us.
Last week’s lesson was the first in a series of love songs. This second love song week keeps us in the Old Testament book of Psalms. We remain in the second book of Psalms at Psalm 66. The focus in this week’s love song is praise for God’s mighty works in our lives. God’s work leads to praise and praise reinforces our love. Townsend and Boyd’s Commentary title this week’s lesson “Praising Gods Mighty Works”. Standard Commentary titles it “Our Mighty God”. The Scripture text comes from Psalm 66:1-9, 16-20.
Background:
There are 150 Psalms. This collection of 150 Psalms is further divided into five books. The first book includes Psalms 1-41, book two includes 42-72, book three is comprised of Psalms 73-89, the fourth book has 90-106 and book 5 is composed of 107-150. “Seventy-three are associated with David; twelve with the Asaphites, eleven with the Ko’rahites, three with Jeduthun, two with Solomon, two with Ezrahites, and one with Moses” (New Interpreters Study Bible). The Psalms include a broad range of prayers, praises, songs of love, poems, thanksgivings and devotions. “Some are prayers and praises that soar to the heights of spiritual devotion, while others arise from deep pain and distress displaying the depths of human misery, anger, and frustration” (New Interpreter’s Study Bible (NISB). Psalm 66 is included in the second book (Psalms 42 – 72). Most of the Psalms in this second book are written by David and Korah. There is no indication of who the author is. Its superscription simply says “Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel. To the leader. A Song. A Psalm”. Nelson’s Bible Handbook describes Psalm 66 as an individual thanksgiving Psalm. The writer “publicly acknowledges God’s activity on their behalf. It thanks God for something God has already done or expresses confidence in what God will yet do”. Townsend commentary describes it as an “all-purpose psalm and probably not composed for any particular special occasion”. That’s significant because we don’t need special occasions or significant events in our life to give thanks to God.
What takes place in this passage:
Verse one begins with a familiar refrain – “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:” The New Revised Standard Version says, “Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;” This Psalm begins with great praise. The psalmist is excited and enthusiastic not simply about praise, but about praise of God. In its very beginning the psalmist is not only excited but tells us how we ought to praise. The psalmist is saying we ought to shout for joy! I especially like part b of the second verse – “make God’s praise glorious”. The psalmist is telling us our praise ought to be magnificent, celebratory, and wonderful. We are commended, encouraged, exhorted, to make God’s praise glorious. The adulation and exaltation continues in verses three and four.
Verse five begins a section where the psalmist transitions to remembering what God has done for the nation of Israel. We are reminded how God turned the sea into dry land and the people passed through the waters on foot. Verse seven gives us another reason to praise God. God’s power is unmatched. Although there may be rebellious factions in every generation, and rebellious times in our life, we should know that there is none greater than our God. Verses eight and nine return to adulation, exaltation, and praise with a reminder that God preserved the Israelites lives.
Verses 16 through 20 close the lesson with praise for God’s deliverance. But this is a personal reflection. The psalmist is writing about his own experience with a God who delivers, a God who hears, and a God who understands. Verse 16 says “let me tell you what God has done for me”. This is powerful. Telling your own testimony is authentic. Genuineness, authenticity, and being true are characteristics that have great impact on others. The psalmist testifies in verse 18 that “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened”. This should remind us that faithfulness to God is what God desires from us.
Context:
This is a psalm about praise and thanksgiving. Perhaps you have heard the song “Glorious (Make The Praise)” by Karen Clark Sheard. If you have time before or during class consider playing it. As you think of making God’s praise glorious remember the words of this song – “I was created to make God’s praise glorious”. That’s an individual response. A collective response could be with a choir. A response from nature could be the beauty of a clear blue sky or the majesty of a mountain reaching into the sky. Whether individually, collectively or through nature, we are all God’s creation and as such God deserves our thanksgiving and praise. We don’t need a special occasion to praise God. We sometimes take mundane things for granted. For example, we may rush through saying grace before a meal and then hurriedly eat and move on. Yet, there are those who have food to eat but have no appetite. God deserves our praise and thanksgiving when we are delivered from great peril and in the mundane things of life we sometimes take for granted. Perfect praise is contingent upon a pure heart, a heart that does not cherish sin. Even if our present circumstances are not perfect or joyous, we can remember what God has done in the past and praise God for that.
Key Characters in the text: None mentioned
Key Words (not necessarily in the text, but good for discussion):
Psalm – A hymn, sacred song, or poem. The book of Psalms (the Psalter) is composed of 150 religious poems of prayer and praise of ancient Israel, arranged in five books.
Praise – (from Lat. Pretium, “worth”) Honor and adoration given to God as a celebration of God’s being and worth. It is a constant biblical ascription and injunction that creatures should praise God as the Lord.
Thanksgiving – An expression of gratitude. A type of prayer in which, both publicly and privately, believers offer their gratitude to God for all blessings and goodness received.
Gratitude – The response to God and God’s blessings that is an expression of praise and devotion. In the Christian context, believers respond in gratitude for the “indescribable gift” (II Cor. 9:15) of Jesus Christ, who is the supreme expression of God’s grace.
Themes / Topics in this Lesson:
- Created to praise God.
- Let everything praise God
- Perfect praise
Questions:
1. God is the creator of the earth and all that dwells therein. How does the earth praise God?
2. Name something worthy of praise for what God has done, for what God is doing and for what God will do in your life.
3. Since this is also Black History Month, despite America’s horrible history of enslavement, Jim Crow laws, mass incarceration and other immoral actions what or how should Black Americans thank God for as Americans?
Concluding thought:
Although they are very similar, there is a difference between praise and thanksgiving. Praise requires concentration on a thing, person, or deity that is being praised whereas thanksgiving is focused on what a person has received (Townsend). We should be grateful for what God has done, is doing and shall do. With our steadfast faith in God we give thanks and praise. For all of these lived experiences, good and bad, and for all of the possibilities of what is yet to come we are grateful and give thanks.
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson: Next week’s lesson is the third in a series of love songs in Psalms. We remain in the second book of Psalms at Psalm 91. Here the psalmist looks to God for protection as life delivers trials, tribulations and hardship. We will be reminded that God has delivered in the past so we can trust that God will deliver in the future.
Sunday School Lesson Overview for Feburary 10, 2019 Pondering God’s Steadfast Love / Our Loving God Psalm 48:1-3, 9-14
Review of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
Last week we noted how Paul reminded the Philippians of his Jewish accomplishments. His accomplishments, honors, reputation, and standing as a Jew were indisputable. Yet, Paul uses that esteem to make the point that any and all of his Jewish accomplishments were worthless in comparison to the value of knowing Jesus Christ. He is not concerned with his own righteousness but the righteousness of God based on faith. While imprisoned he acknowledges that nothing else really matters.
Paul also gave a sort of “reality check” to acknowledge that he knows he has not arrived. Although it is a reality check and he recognizes his situation and status, he “doubles down” on his commitment to Christ. Paul gladly forgets, forfeits, and renounces all that he has accomplished looking forward to what lies ahead. This was how he pressed forward to the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Last week’s lesson connects to this week through the continuing themes of our love for God and God’s love for us. Today’s lesson takes us back to the Old Testament. This time we look back about 700 years before Christ to Psalm 48. In Jerusalem, the writer helps us understand even if everything else changes, our love for God never should. Townsend and Boyd’s Commentary title this week’s lesson “Pondering God’s Steadfast Love”. Standard Commentary titles it “Our Loving God”. The Scripture text comes from Psalm 48:1-3, 9-14.
Background:
The Psalms are in large part a book of books about worship. “Some are prayers and praises that soar to the heights of spiritual devotion, while others arise from deep pain and distress displaying the depths of human misery, anger, and frustration” (New Interpreter’s Study Bible (NISB)). The book of Psalms is subdivided into five books. Psalm 48 is included in the second book (Psalms 42 – 72). Most of the Psalms in this second book are written by David and Korah. The superscription of this 48th Psalm identifies it as “A song. A Psalm of the Ko’rahites” and it deals with “The Glory and Strength of Zion”.
Townsend commentary describes Psalm 48 as the Jewish vision of God’s city and dwelling place, which is Zion. A Christological imagination of this text would also “apply it to the church, which has been grafted in to believing Israel (Romans 11:17-24) (Townsend). In other words, just as the Jewish psalmist wrote of the magnificence of Zion as the dwelling place of God. Christians today should view the church with the same magnificence. Keep in mind though, the church today resides within individual Christians, not a building, or specific location. So although, the psalmist is talking about a place whose magnificence symbolizes God’s love, today that place is you. You are the temple of God that should love and praise God.
What takes place in this passage:
Verses 1-3 describe a place that reveals love for God. Notice the majestic descriptions “mountain of his holiness” and “the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion”. The psalmist associates God’s presence with the location of mount Zion. This place is where God dwells and shows our loving God as her fortress or refuge. The NISB clarifies that “Zion is described in the far north, which does not match the geography of the land of Israel. Isa 14:13-14 talks about this location as the abode of the Most High and the gods”.
Verses 9 – 14 deal with a number of points relevant for Christian living today. For example, the psalmist begins with God’s unfailing love when “we meditate within the temple”. He describes God’s praise as reaching the ends of the earth and God’s right hand filled with righteousness. Again, we as individual Christians are the temple in which God dwells. When we take note of God’s creation we should be reminded of Romans 1:20. It tells us “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made”. So God is present not only in the lives of Christians but in all of God’s creation.
Verse 11 describes Mount Zion as a place that rejoices. Verses 12 and 13 are powerful in that they tell the reader to walk about Zion, observe all of Zion’s greatness, “that you may tell of them to the next generation”. So, if God has done something for you, you ought to tell somebody. And even more so you ought to tell the next generation.
Finally, verse 14 concludes this lesson on God’s steadfast love by reminding us that this God is our God. This God is the God who has enabled such a great place as Zion to be built. This God is the God who has brought Israel to such a powerful and magnificent place. The point for Christians today is to remember that this God is the God who lives, loves, and inhabits each of us.
Context:
As we approach the Valentines holiday this lesson on our loving God and God’s steadfast love toward us is timely. The text describes our loving God’s undeniable greatness and love toward us while encouraging us to acknowledge that love and pass it on to the next generation. That’s also a good point for Black History Month. There are some things that each generation needs to pass along to the next generation. For example, it is critically important for White Americans to identify and teach their children about the racist past of America and how that past has affected the American descendants of slaves. Only White Americans can solve the problem of racism. Christians follow the example of Jesus Christ. His is an example of love. The psalmist of today’s text described Zion as a magnificent place where God dwells. If God dwells in us today, we too ought to be a magnificent place of God’s steadfast love in each of our communities. Not just an example of love in the Valentines season. And certainly not just as an example of remembrance during Black History Month.
Key Characters in the text:
Ko’rahites – This is a psalm of the ko’rahites. They are described as temple singers and in Chronicles 9:23, 26 described as “in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord, as chief gatekeepers, and looked after the chambers and the treasures of the house of God.
Key Words (not necessarily in the text, but good for discussion):
Psalm – A hymn, sacred song, or poem. The book of Psalms (the Psalter) is composed of 150 religious poems of prayer and praise of ancient Israel, arranged in five books.
Zion – (Hebrew “fortress”) Used in the Old Testament for all or part of Jerusalem. In both Old and New Testaments it refers to God’s heavenly city (Isa 60:14; Heb 12:22; Rev 14:1). In the Christian church it is an image for heaven.
Themes / Topics in this Lesson:
- If God is good, you ought to tell it.
- God’s presence provides power.
- This God.
- Do you love me?
Questions:
1. How has God shown you steadfast love?
2. Verse 13 speaks of telling the next generation. As a Christian today, what should you tell the next generation?
3. Since it is also Black History Month, what should you tell the next generation about Black History?
Concluding thought:
For this God is our God for ever and ever: God will be our guide forever (vs 14). This God. The psalmist is specific. This God. It is this God that has made Zion so magnificent. The psalmist is intimately familiar with this God. The psalmist can see the power, might, and glory of this God. Likewise, it is this God that I tell my daughters about. It is this God that I am intimately familiar with. It is this God that has made ways out of no way. And it is this God that I must pass on to the next generation.
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson: Next week’s lesson keeps us in the Old Testament book of Psalms. We remain in the second book of Psalms at Psalm 66. Many will find some of the passages in this Psalm familiar as its key verse is “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands”. The focus in this week’s love song is praise for God’s mighty works in our lives. God’s work leads to praise and praise reinforces our love.
Sunday School Lesson Overview For December 16th 2018 Love and Worship God Psalm 103: 1-17, 21-22
Review of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
In last week’s lesson Joshua gathered the tribes of Israel to Shechem where he recounted how God had blessed them and delivered them through the centuries. He reminded them of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He reminded them of Moses and how God miraculously brought them out of Egypt. And then he recounted their more recent history of how they traveled through the wilderness to arrive the promised land. Through it all, Joshua is sure to remind them “it was not by your sword or by your bow”. It was by God’s divine intervention that they had been blessed with this land. Finally, he reminds them that they need to decide whether they will be loyal to the God who has brought them thus far or if they will serve the gods of the land in which they now live. You may remember the familiar passage: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Boyd’s, Townsend, and Standard title this week’s lesson “Love and Worship God”. The Scripture text comes from Psalm 103: 1-17, 21-22.
Background:
Last week’s lesson was from one of the twelve books of history. This week’s lesson comes from the five books of poetry and wisdom. Those five books are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. There are 150 Psalms and the book of Psalms is further divided into five books. Psalm 103 (today’s text) is in the fourth book. No one can say with certainty why Psalms has been divided into five groups but each group concludes with a doxology.
David is the author. It is believed he wrote this psalm in the latter part of his life. David now has the benefit of experience and all that living a long time brings with it. He has fought wars, killed a giant, and been an adulterer and a murderer. Now he understands the depth, height, and breath of God’s amazing forgiveness. When David looks back on all that he has been through, he realizes all that God has brought him through. This is a psalm of thanksgiving. David does not petition God for anything in this psalm, he does not ask for deliverance, help, or blessings. He is thankful and he wants to let God and all the people know that God has been good to him.
What takes place in this passage:
David begins this psalm with “Bless the Lord, O mysoul”. This is essentially saying let all that I am bless God. The soul is not a part of a person. The soul is the person. Townsend commentary says it this way – “You do not have a soul; you are soul”. So with everything that David is, with every fiber of his being, he declares bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me. It is the totality of what and who David is. David exhorts – “Do not forget all his benefits”. And then he lists some of the benefits of a close and personal relationship with God. Davis remembers how God has given him forgiveness, healing, redemption, crowned him with loving-kindness and tendermercies, and how God has satisfied him with good things.
He continues by remembering the character of God. Verses six through fourteen are addressed to the community. He began verse one with his own personal exaltation and continues verse six by exhorting the community. He reminds them that God works vindication and justice for the oppressed. David wants them to know that God has a special love for the oppressed but also for those who have repented of their sin. He can write about God being merciful and gracious and slow to anger because he knows of his own sin. He says “God does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities”. David knows that if anyone deserves punishment for their sin it is him. Just remembering what he has done and how God has still been merciful and gracious to him is enough for him to give thanks with every fiber of his being.
David continues his description of God’s goodness with the use of simile. He compares two different things to make the point of God’s greatness. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is God’s steadfast love toward those who fear God”. “As far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us”. Oftentimes mere words are inadequate for the feeling in our soul. When words aren’t enough painting a word picture gets us a little closer.
Finally, in the remaining verses David senses the ideas of eternity and transience in his own life. He describes the entirety of life as grass and a flower of the field. It grows, flourishes, and then with the blowing of the wind, life is gone. And just as he began this psalm with an exhortation to bless the Lord, he closes in the same way.
Context:
If I had ten thousand tongues, I couldn’t thank God enough. That’s the idea that comes to mind as I read this psalm written by David. He is in his later years of life and clearly realizes how good God has been to him – even when he wasn’t good to himself. This is a psalm of complete, wholehearted,and unreserved thanksgiving. Townsend writes “praise is offered to God simply because of who God is, thanksgiving is offered in response to specific things God has done”. David had plenty of specific things to thank God for. But he also wanted all of the Israelites to know about this gracious and merciful God. A God who is gracious and merciful to repentant sinners also.
Key Characters in the text:
The Lord God –
David – He is the son of Jesse and successor of King Saul. He was a shepherd boy, a young warrior who killed Goliath, the adulterer who forced Bathsheba, the murderer of her husband and yet still regarded as the greatest king of Israel. Even with all of his problems and sin, he is still known as a man after God’s own heart.
Key Words (not necessarily in the text, but good for discussion):
- Psalm– A hymn, sacred song, or poem. The book of Psalms is composed of 150 religious poems of prayer and praise of ancient Israel, arranged in five books.
- Soul– Primarily, “soul” is the life principle (Gen 2:7). For Hebrews it indicated the unity of the person as a living body. The New Testament term also refers to one’s life (Matt 2:20) or existence after death (Luke 21:19).
- Simile– A figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in“she is like a rose.”
Themes in this Lesson:
- Thank God for the good, the bad, and the ugly.
- God loves the sinner too.
Questions:
1. Psalm 103 is an individual thanksgiving to God. Do you have one?
2. A repentant heart recognizes the harm of sin against others and God. Yet God does, in fact, forgive us. Can we do the same for those who have hurt us and caused us harm?
Concluding thought:
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.– Maya Angelou
David could never forget how God made him feel when he realized God’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace.
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson: Nextweek takes us to the New Testament. From the Gospel of Luke we look at Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel, the Holy Spirit’s encounter with Simeon, and the realization of the young couple that their child would be a savior for the world.
Sunday School Preacher 