Bible Study for April 20, 2025

Hi everyone,

Holy week is the busiest and holiest of weeks in our Christian calendar.  It is a time for us to slow down and take in the magnitude and glory of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection.  Isaiah lays out a vision of a new heaven and earth, and Jesus' resurrection allows us to sometimes see and experience this in our own lives.

We get to experience this truth each Sunday: in the forgiveness of sins that comes also to us, in the witness of the prophets and evangelists through the Word, and in eating and drinking with Jesus in remembrance of the Last Supper.

TO JOIN ONLINE

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88689075784?pwd=K3lRMnVmL2Z6MGFoQ3AzRjJsRFplZz09

Meeting ID: 886 8907 5784
Passcode: church

Pastor Tim

"God has led you to the desert, and spoken to your Heart."

Mount of Olives Lutheran Church

3546 E. Thomas Rd

Phoenix, AZ 85018

602-956-1620 office

Bible Study for April 20, 2025

Opening Prayer:

Creator of all, we thank you for the opportunity to gather in study. Open our minds and hearts. By the power of the Holy Spirit, unite us in faith, hope, and love. Help us to be faithful to the gospel and to walk humbly with you. Grant us your peace as we grow in wisdom and understanding. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

John 20:1-18 Where have we been surprised by the joy of Easter and the presence of the risen Lord?

This is John’s account of the first Easter. Although Peter and John have a role here, the main character is Mary Magdalene. Before sunrise, she came to the tomb of Jesus and was shocked to see that the massive stone, which had been rolled over the tomb’s entrance to keep out bandits, animals or disciples who might wish to steal his body, had been rolled away. The “other disciple” is given credit as the first to believe that Jesus had risen. However, note that it was a woman who was at the cross on Good Friday who came to the tomb on Easter Day, and became the first evangelist of the Christian faith.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 When has conceit or pride prevented you from manifesting the mind of Christ? 

Paul wrote this letter to the church at Colassae, a town east of Ephesus in Asia Minor (Turkey), having heard about false teachers there who were saying that more than faith in Christ was needed for salvation. One also needed to worship other spiritual beings, as well as follow strict dietary rules. Paul wrote to affirm that in Christ God gives all that is needed for our salvation. To follow all these other things was to be led away from salvation. As believers are baptized, they are made new with new priorities—more interested now in giving than receiving; serving than being served; loving than being loved.

Isaiah 65:17-25 How might the servant’s example—and that of Jesus as well—embolden and strengthen you own service to God?

Isaiah 65:17-25 offers a breathtaking vision of a future radically transformed by God's direct intervention. This passage, often referred to as a "new creation oracle," speaks of a reality so profound that the "former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." It's a powerful message of hope and restoration with the promise of a new heaven and a new earth.  It points to a time of brokenness and suffering in our present age, later transforming life and relationships to one of harmony and peace.