The Advent Bible Challenge at St. Peter's begins the weekend of Advent 1 (December 3) with an introduction at each service. We are thrilled that nearly 20 of the St. Peter's community have signed on! We invite you to join us in this journey if you haven't already signed up.
If you would like to join us, send us an email so we can add you to our distribution list.
The Commitment - 40 days, 15 minutes a day
The Bible Challenge reading starts on Monday, December 4 and runs for 40 days, ending January 12. We ask people to set aside 15 minutes each day to prayerfully read a passage of Scripture and its accompanying meditation, and then reflect on one or two open ended questions.
The Theme - Social Justice in Scripture
Concern for the poor is mentioned over 2,000 times in the Bible. Other themes of social justice, such as care for creation, respecting human dignity, and compassion for the oppressed are also very visible in Scripture. While one could remove the 26 or so verses that deal with sex and sexuality and still have a nearly complete Bible, the Bible would not exist if its references to justice and righteousness were removed.
Mainline churches like the Episcopal Church often have a great commitment to care of the community, but don't have as deep a knowledge of its foundation in Scripture. Our 40-day focus on the Bible and Social Justice will help us understand more fully the Scriptural foundation for what we do and open our eyes more widely to see Christ in the world around us.
What do I need? Do I need to know about the Bible?
No previous Biblical knowledge is needed! If this is your first time engage with Scripture, you will not be lost. The only skillset required is the ability to open a book.
We will use the Social Justice Bible Challenge is our guide book through this journey. The book provides the full passage of Scripture (so you don't have to look it up), a brief meditation written by lay and ordained Anglican leaders around the world, and questions for reflection. Printed or digital copies can be ordered from Amazon. We also have a limited number of printed copies available for $10.
Resources
In addition to the book, we also offer support along the way.
- Each Tuesday, we will publish a blog post to help support you in your journey and provide additional information on topics raised in that week's readings.
- We will offer an opening plenary in the Hein Room (over the Chapel) on Tuesday, December 5th at 7:30 pm to help everyone get started. You can still fully participate if you can't attend.
- Weekly emails to participants offering encouragement and reminders.
- Weekly drop-ins on Tuesdays at a local Panera (late morning and evening sessions) with a member of the clergy for conversation on how the Challenge is progressing.
- Table talks with a member of the clergy or staff on Sundays during fellowship hour.
- A concluding potluck celebration in mid-January marking the completion of our Challenge
- Presentation of tokens of achievement at the Annual Meeting breakfast on January 28.
That's Too Much! I'm Out.
Wait! Come back! Each of these resources are optional. We're here to help you as you need and as you have time. If there's time only to read that day's passage, go for it! If you have time for deeper engagement, please join us!
OK, I'm in. But I didn't read this until after you started.
That's OK, too. Since this challenge features select passages of Scripture, you can enter the stream at any point and still be refreshed and caught up. We recommend that you start with the reading for the current day. If you have time and want to make up days you missed, that's great. If you don't have time, it's not a problem.
If you have any questions or would like to join us, send us an email! We look forward to having you with us.