{"id":900061,"date":"2024-01-13T15:44:30","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T20:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=bible_study&#038;p=300061"},"modified":"2026-10-11T18:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T22:49:12","slug":"bible-study-lent-2-b-february-25-2024","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-lent-2-b-february-25-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Lent 2 (B) \u2013 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>LCR: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:22-30; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/L2-2024-Bible-Study-Graphic-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-300068\" style=\"width:512px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h4 class=\"kt-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_bc62af-ed\"><strong>Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The one thing Abram has wanted since receiving the promise from God that he would be the father of many nations is an heir, but things are starting to look bleak on that front. At first, without children of his own, Abram thinks his slave Eliezer, who oversaw his household, might end up being the heir. But God tells him that his heir will be his biological son. Abram and Sarai then decide to help God along with that plan, and they have Sarai\u2019s slave, Hagar, conceive and bear a son with Abram. But Hagar takes her son and runs away because of Sarai\u2019s resentment. And that brings us to our text today. In the wake of these stumbling and failed ways \u2013 Abram has tried to finesse the promise so that it makes sense given his and Sarai\u2019s ages \u2013 God shows up and demonstrates God\u2019s faithfulness by renewing the promise and then inviting Abram and Sarai anew to trust in God\u2019s ability to provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have you brought something to God in prayer that you really wanted? How did God respond to you?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do you live your faithfulness to God? How are you sustained in that faithfulness?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h4 class=\"kt-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_0bcd05-ba\"><strong>Psalm 22:22-30<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The verses from Psalm 22 appointed for today come after the psalmist has spent the first 21 verses crying out to God in despair and pleading for deliverance. The psalmist can do this because they recall that the Holy One has always been faithful, delivering their ancestors when, in trust, they also cried out in despair. It is by recalling God\u2019s faithfulness in the past that we can now join our voices with the great multitude through all time who cry out in praise of God\u2019s saving deeds \u2013 those who fear God; those who worship God; those who seek God; all the families of the nations; all those who sleep in the earth; and all our descendants yet to be born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Can you recall moments in your personal history where God may have been at work responding to your need?<strong><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does praising God look like as you walk through your day-to-day activities?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h4 class=\"kt-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_deed1a-a7\"><strong>Romans 4:13-25<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our text from Romans offers us something of a Christological exegesis of today\u2019s reading from Genesis. God\u2019s promise to Abraham was an invitation into a loving relationship based on faith. God offered Abraham a vision of his place in history and promised to provide the means to achieve it \u2013 an heir. Abraham\u2019s attempts to make that promise come true before he and Sarah were too old to have children, however, represent our need to wrangle matters of faith into logical systems of progression (i.e., laws). <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such a wrangling may seem to secure the promise, but if Abraham had succeeded it would have precluded the action of grace that guarantees the fulfillment of the promise to all his descendants regardless of one\u2019s ability to abide by the law. Abraham has (and therefore we have) been saved from that fate by God\u2019s faithfulness that inspired the same in him. Faith is a divine gift that comes despite external evidence to the contrary. We Christians renew that gift of faith today not by anything we do nor by following any laws that might make us worthy, but by professing our belief in God who raised Jesus from the dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have you ever found it hard to stay true to your faith? What helps strengthen your faith?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How have you experienced God\u2019s grace and blessing in your life?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h4 class=\"kt-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading900061_b6c2e4-bf\"><strong>Mark 8:31-38<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A fundamental aspect of the Christian life is that in small and sometimes big ways it will always include rejection and suffering. The preaching of a gospel of love that seeks to restore all people to unity with God and each other will (must?) bring you into conflict with the powers that be who maintain control by sowing division. On a personal level, opening yourself up to love another more deeply requires that you let go of any idea of a stable and secure existence in favor of the unpredictability and profound joy of an authentic, vulnerable human relationship. When we follow Jesus, in small or large ways we will suffer, though never for the sake of suffering but always in service of God\u2019s healing and reconciling love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If it is your practice to fast during Lent, how does your fast this year open you up to love more profoundly?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are there perspectives you hold that give you a sense of security or stability that you might reconsider?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the context of great challenges today like climate change or prolonged and deadly military conflicts, how might \u201ctaking up your cross\u201d look now?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This Bible study was written by <strong>the<\/strong> <strong>Rev. Ben \u201cSimon\u201d Dinglasan, Jr.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-7768bd2b-9a55-43a4-9d20-eb3e7e99ac55\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Lent-2-Bible-Study.docx\">Word \u2013 Lent 2 (B) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Lent-2-Bible-Study.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-7768bd2b-9a55-43a4-9d20-eb3e7e99ac55\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-33d7cfc0-61d5-47fe-a729-01d3f6457223\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Lent-2-Bible-Study.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Lent 2 (B) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Lent-2-Bible-Study.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-33d7cfc0-61d5-47fe-a729-01d3f6457223\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LCR: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:22-30; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 The one thing Abram has wanted since receiving the promise from God that he would be the father of many nations is an heir, but things are starting to look bleak on that front. At first, without children of his own, Abram&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,51,52,3],"tags":[303],"class_list":["post-900061","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-lent","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-lent-2b"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":51,"label":"Lent"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":303,"label":"Lent 2B"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/900061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/900061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3492287,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/900061\/revisions\/3492287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=900061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=900061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=900061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}