Jesus says, we live “by every word that comes from the mouth of God,” (Matthew 4:4) which includes every word in our Bibles. If we were forced to choose only one book to read for the rest of our lives in this creation, as disciples the choice is obvious. It would be the Bible.
However, let’s be honest. The Bible is not the easiest book to read. We can be intimidated and overwhelmed by it. It’s a collection of 66 books with different kinds of literature – prose narrative, poetry, prophecy and letters. The newest books in the Bible were written about 1,900 years ago. The oldest more than 3,000 years ago. They were written in times and cultures very different from ours. No wonder we have difficulty reading our Bibles.
Recognizing all these obstacles, Pr. Harry Wendt, a Lutheran pastor, developed a series of Bible studies that have helped many Christians around the world grasp a clearer picture of the Bible’s overall story, and read each book of the Bible with greater understanding. His studies use illustrations coupled with readings from the Bible that help us see the point of God’s Word. He also includes important information about the history and culture of the times in which the books were written.
One of his main studies is Divine Drama, which is divided into two parts, the Biblical Narrative and Our Narrative. The first part gives an overall survey of the whole Bible – the basic narrative of God’s plan for redeeming His creation. The Bible is God’s drama. He is the writer, director, producer and main actor.
Though the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the main actors in the drama, we are caught up in the drama. The whole point of the drama is God saving us from sin, death and the devil. The second part, Our Narrative, describes our role in the drama as Jesus’ disciples.
Pastor Mark will lead two one-hour sessions of the Divine Drama (Biblical Narrative) at 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM on Thursdays beginning on September 2nd. Each participant will receive a book for each part with the illustrations and Bible references, a work book for each part, and a timeline that shows the dates for all the events in the Bible and the corresponding historical events in the ancient Middle East.
In the winter and spring, Pastor Mark will offer the second part, Our Narrative of the Divine Drama.
Here is the link for the GoToMeeting recording of the last session of the Bible study:
