St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church
Trenton, New Jersey
St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church is a community of believers that is rooted in God’s unconditional grace and love, striving to share God’s light of hope and salvation to scatter the darkness wherever it is found, through word and deed.
"Not Just Going to Church, but BEING the Church"
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Bulletin (Click on PDF)
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As a Lutheran church body, Saint Bart's professes belief in the "priesthood of all believers" as reflected in Martin Luther's To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, that all baptized persons have equal access to God and are all called to use their gifts to serve the body of Christ. All are welcome here and we embrace the diversity of the beloved community.
At the same time faith does not close our minds to the world and our hearts to others. We continue to listen to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. We listen to the witness of others and we watch for the ways God is active in the world around us. Faith opens a place for engaging others in conversation, for seeking the truth, for asking questions and speaking love in word and deed.
Faith A living, daring confidence in God’s grace. When we about faith, we are talking about the relationship God’s Holy Spirit creates with us. It’s a relationship where God’s promise of steadfast love and mercy in Jesus opens us to a life of bold trust in God and joyful, generous service to everyone we know and meet in daily life.
As a Lutheran church body, Saint Bart's professes belief in the "priesthood of all believers" as reflected in Martin Luther's To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, that all baptized persons have equal access to God and are all called to use their gifts to serve the body of Christ. All are welcome here and we embrace the diversity of the beloved community.
Worship
Sundays
FB Live:
11:00am
BIBLE STUDY
UNTIL WE’RE ABLE TO MEET AT CHURCH AGAIN, THE GOSPEL READING FOR THE COMING SUNDAY AND SOME QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT WILL BE POSTED EVERY WEDNESDAY. WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU SHARE YOUR OWN ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS BY EMAILING THEM TO:
ALL OF OUR RESPONSES WILL BE COMPILED (ANONYMOUSLY) AND ADDED TO THE POSTING ON SATURDAY. WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL JOIN THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE GOSPEL READING EACH WEEK AND CHECK OUT THE RESPONSES EACH SATURDAY!
BIBLE STUDY FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021
PRAYER: Holy Father, by the power of your Holy Spirit, prepare our hearts and minds to receive all that You want us to learn. As we read your word, shine on us the light of your truth. May we gain a deeper understanding of who You are and what your will is in each of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
CONTEXT: This reading describes Jesus’ first public act in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus has already been baptized by John and has spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness being tempted, to no avail, by the devil. Reports about Him have been spreading through the population. We join Jesus now in his home synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath. As an honored guest, Jesus would have been invited to read a few words from Scripture and then provide some comments regarding their meaning. Nine words were all that were necessary.
READING: Luke 4:14-21
14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What does Verse 16 tell you about Mary and Joseph, and how is it an example for all of us?
2. In what specific ways do Verses 18-19, taken from Isaiah, encapsulate Jesus’ life, ministry and purpose?
3. If you had to choose the words that would encapsulate who you are – the essence of yourself, your life, and your commitments, what would they be?
4. What do you think Jesus is referring to in Verse 19 by “the year of the Lord’s favor”?
5. What is Jesus saying with the words in Verse 21? Why was it important for the people there to understand their meaning? Why is it important for people today to understand them?
6. We are all, in some way, the recipients described in Verses 18. What is holding you “captive”? To what are you “blind”? In what ways are you “poor”? How does this passage from Isaiah give you hope?
7. On the flip side, as Christians we are also called to “bring good news to the poor”, “proclaim release to the captives”, “recover sight to the blind”, and “free the oppressed”, and “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”. How will you do each of these things? Be as specific as possible.
8. Why is this reading particularly appropriate for the Season of Epiphany?
ADVENT 2021 NEWSLETTER
IS HERE!
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