The Present Word is an examination of the biblical truths that inform and instruct believers about what they should believe and how they should live. The class meets in the Parlor on the 2nd Floor and is facilitated by Sonia Bodi, Clark Robinson. and Oakley Smith.
The Present Word is an in-depth Bible study for adults (made available through the PC(USA) Store) that dives deep into God’s Word, studying the Bible over a six-year period and focusing on a specific theme each quarter. Adults read the Participant Book lesson during the week and a no-prep Leader’s Guide provides instructions to lead a 45- minute session. Worship leaflets are also available to wrap the session in prayer and song. Designed by an ecumenical collaborative so that participants in multiple denominations are studying the same passages together, the goals of The Present Word curriculum are to engage in a serious study of Scripture in order to discover its deeper meaning and how it is relevant to our world today.
Each session follows the structure below.
1. Opening Worship—gathering time and prayer. 2. Scripture and Bible Study—reading the Scripture, background information, and reflections on the text. 3. Stepping into the World—reflection on the relevance of the Scripture to today. 4. Closing Worship—closing prayer.
The Winter Quarter
The winter quarter, “A King Forever and Ever,” explores the broad sweep of biblical teaching about God’s reign and connects to Jesus as the earthly exhibition of the divine Kingdom. Beginning with key moments in the history of David’s ancestors, Unit I highlights Jesus’s birth as the “Son of David.” Unit II is a four-week study of psalms that extol the reign of God, while Unit III gives a New Testament look at Jesus’s teaching on “Life in God’s Kingdom.”
Unit I, “Jesus, the Heir of David”
Unit II, “Our God Reigns”
Unit III, “Life in God’s Kingdom”
