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What’s so old about the Old Testament (session #2), Dr. Melissa Jackson

(Please Note: We had technical difficult recording Session #1)
One of the biggest challenges to reading and understanding the Old Testament is that very word “Old”.  The time and place and events of then are so very far removed from the time and place and events of now, yet we claim as Christians that the Bible is a book that transcends time and place.  Working to bridge the distance between the worlds of 21st century Christians and ancient Israelites will greatly aid us in interpreting those words for this time.  A host of issues that were of great theological significance for them then remain crucial ones to us now, yet our differing contexts have shaped the way we think about them in different ways.  This series will explore several of these issues with the hopes that gaining insight into the world of the “Old” Testament might create opportunities for it to speak to us in new ways.
The specific topics will be:
April 18: “Law”
April 25: Justice
May 2: Violence
May 9: Love
May 16: Family
May 23: The Cycle of Life
Led by Dr. Melissa Jackson.
Born and bred a Tarheel, Dr. Jackson grew up in a small NC town just west of Charlotte and did an undergraduate degree at UNC.  Her path subsequently followed a “work, then a degree, then work” pattern, a path which meandered through workplaces including Habitat for Humanity and youth ministry in a local congregation and through institutions including BTSR (MDiv) and the University of Oxford (DPhil).  This path has now returned her to her Richmond alma mater where she is currently serving as Visiting Professor of Old Testament.

One of the biggest challenges to reading and understanding the Old Testament is that very word “Old”.  The time and place and events of then are so very far removed from the time and place and events of now, yet we claim as Christians that the Bible is a book that transcends time and place.  Working to bridge the distance between the worlds of 21st century Christians and ancient Israelites will greatly aid us in interpreting those words for this time.  A host of issues that were of great theological significance for them then remain crucial ones to us now, yet our differing contexts have shaped the way we think about them in different ways.  This series will explore several of these issues with the hopes that gaining insight into the world of the “Old” Testament might create opportunities for it to speak to us in new ways.  The specific topics will be:
April 18: “Law” April 25: Justice May 2: Violence May 9: Love May 16: Family May 23: The Cycle of Life
Led by Dr. Melissa Jackson.
Born and bred a Tarheel, MJ grew up in a small NC town just west of Charlotte and did an undergraduate degree at UNC.  Her path subsequently followed a “work, then a degree, then work” pattern, a path which meandered through workplaces including Habitat for Humanity and youth ministry in a local congregation and through institutions including BTSR (MDiv) and the University of Oxford (DPhil).  This path has now returned her to her Richmond alma mater where she is currently serving as Visiting Professor of Old Testament.

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Worship, Easter 3b: 4.22.12

Our worship service focuses upon Luke 24:36b-48.  How will the disciples respond the the appearance of the resurrected Savior? Worship leaders include Cecil Gholston, Dat Pham, Jerry Jones (solo), Linda Southworth, and the church staff.

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Easter Worship, April 8, 2012

Our Easter Service features a wide assortment of celebratory music and an uplifting sermon about the embracing of extraordinary news. The Gospel of Mark concludes with women running in fear……not telling a soul about what has happened. How does the story end?

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Worship: Palm Sunday, 4.1.12

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus triumphal entry to the city gates of Jerusalem. Our children and many others began the service knocking on the sanctuary doors. The parade that followed was wonderful.  Jesus is preparing for the last several days of his life on this side of crucifixion.

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“Death and the Afterlife: What Does the Bible Say?”: Session 5, 3.28.12

This Wednesday evening class will look at both Old and New Testament texts to explore the earliest Jewish and Christian traditions on death and the afterlife.  The multi-week series will allow us to take up an array of ancient perspectives on this topic.  We will examine relevant texts outside of Scripture, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, to show that Christian beliefs on the afterlife did not exist in a vacuum.  Lent provides an appropriate season for addressing our ultimate destiny and the witness of sacred sources on death and the afterlife.

Taught by Dr. Samuel L. Adams, Old Testament Professor at Union Theological Seminary

Adams’s interests include the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament and ancient Near East, the Prophetic Books, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Egyptology, and biblical theology. He recently published the monograph, Wisdom in Transition: Act and Consequences in Second Temple Instructions (Brill, 2008). An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Adams has served churches in both New Haven, CT, and Chicago, IL.

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Worship: Lent 5b, 3.25.12

Our worship service centers upon Jeremiah 31:31-34. The prophet speaks of a new Covenant! Worship leaders include Ryan and Jessica Corbitt, Naomi Reddish, Bill Blanton, David Guion, Samantha Denton, Peter Delgrosso, Sanctuary Choir, and church staff.

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“Death and the Afterlife: What Does the Bible Say?”: Session 4, 3.21.12

This Wednesday evening class will look at both Old and New Testament texts to explore the earliest Jewish and Christian traditions on death and the afterlife.  The multi-week series will allow us to take up an array of ancient perspectives on this topic.  We will examine relevant texts outside of Scripture, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, to show that Christian beliefs on the afterlife did not exist in a vacuum.  Lent provides an appropriate season for addressing our ultimate destiny and the witness of sacred sources on death and the afterlife.

Taught by Dr. Samuel L. Adams, Old Testament Professor at Union Theological Seminary

Adams’s interests include the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament and ancient Near East, the Prophetic Books, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Egyptology, and biblical theology. He recently published the monograph, Wisdom in Transition: Act and Consequences in Second Temple Instructions (Brill, 2008). An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Adams has served churches in both New Haven, CT, and Chicago, IL.

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Worship: Lent 4b, 3.18.12

Our Worship Service centers on Numbers 21:4-9. Is God a wrathful God? Worship leaders include Anna Tuckwiller, Severns Family, Mamie Ruth Blanton, Jim and Ginny Meisner, the Sanctuary Choir, and Church Staff.

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“Death and the Afterlife: What Does the Bible Say?”: Session 3, 3.14.12

This Wednesday evening class will look at both Old and New Testament texts to explore the earliest Jewish and Christian traditions on death and the afterlife.  The multi-week series will allow us to take up an array of ancient perspectives on this topic.  We will examine relevant texts outside of Scripture, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, to show that Christian beliefs on the afterlife did not exist in a vacuum.  Lent provides an appropriate season for addressing our ultimate destiny and the witness of sacred sources on death and the afterlife.

Taught by Dr. Samuel L. Adams, Old Testament Professor at Union Theological Seminary

Adams’s interests include the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament and ancient Near East, the Prophetic Books, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Egyptology, and biblical theology. He recently published the monograph, Wisdom in Transition: Act and Consequences in Second Temple Instructions (Brill, 2008). An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Adams has served churches in both New Haven, CT, and Chicago, IL.