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Luke 1:30, 31
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.

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Luke 1:28, 29
Ang he came to her and said, "Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

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Ven. Christopher Page

Ernest Morrow

Judith Armstrong

Ven. Christopher Page

"with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints"

Ven. Christopher Page

“God has put all things under Jesus’ feet and has made Christ the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Ven. Christopher Page

The Belly of God

‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink."

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Karen Klashinsky

Ven. Christopher Page

"In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us."

Ven. Christopher Page

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Ven. Christopher Page

Ephesians 1:1-6
"blessed in the Heavenly places"

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Radical Jesus

booklet

Mark 8:27-30

1.         Why might Jesus have asked his disciples the question he puts to them in 8:27? 

2.         What does the popular answer to this question indicate about the general attitude towards Jesus? 

3.         What has Peter seen that the others have failed to see? 
            Why might Jesus have wanted to prevent this insight from being made public? 

John 2:13-22

1.         What contrasts do you see in this picture of Jesus compared to the pictures in the gospel readings of our  two previous Sundays? (cf. Luke 5:27-32; Matthew 8:23-27)

2.         The area occupied by the merchants and money-changers in this story, was known as “the court of the Gentiles.”  It was a large area in which non-Jews could gather and come close to the presence of God confined in the Holy of Holies. In this context, what does Jesus’ action indicate? 

3.         What event in his life does Jesus point towards in response to the objection against his behaviour in the temple? 

4.         What impediments might we put in the way of others coming to experience the presence of God?  How can we help one another and those outside the church to experience the reality of God’s power as manifest in the resurrection of Jesus? 

Matthew 8:23-27

1.         What is the disciples’ condition in this story? 
            How does this contrast with Jesus’ condition?
            Where is Jesus when his disciples are in a panic? 

2.         How do Jesus’ disciples view their situation? 

3.         What is Jesus’ response to his disciples?

4.          What helps us grow in faith when we are feeling overwhelmed by the circumstances of our lives?
            How can we help one another recognize that Jesus is in the boat with us? 

Luke 5:27-32

1.         What was there about Levi that would make it unusual
            for anyone to want to spend time with him? 
            What is Jesus’ attitude towards Levi?

2.         What is Levi’s response to Jesus’ invitation? 
            What might this indicate about Levi’s character? 

3.         How do the Pharisees and scribes respond to Levi’s
            banquet?  What might this indicate about how they
            view themselves in relation to the others at the
            banquet? (see especially Jesus’ statement in 5:32) 

4.         How can we communicate to the Levis of our day that
            there is room for them in our hearts and in our
            fellowship? 

1.         Why are the people “astounded” at Jesus?              What is their problem with Jesus? 

2.         How would you answer the peoples’ question in 13:54?  Where do we look for “wisdom”? 

3.         What was it about these people that seemed to hinder God’s work in their midst? 

4.         What might there be in our personal lives or in our
community that prevents us from experiencing the fresh work of God? 

1. How do you imagine the experience Peter, James and John had on the mountain with Jesus?
2. What does Peter want to do?
3. How might we fall prey to Peter's error?
4. What does the voice "from the cloud" suggest Peter, James and John need to know about Jesus?
5. What might this event suggest is the purpose of the church and how might we fulfill this purpose more fully as a community?

1. What does it mean to be a "people who sat in darkness"?
2. How will we see a "great light"?
3. What does it mean to "fish for people"?
4. What might I need to leave in order to follow Jesus?
5. How might St. Philip's shine "a great light" and help us all "fish for people"?

1. What two purposes for Jesus' coming does John the Baptist point to?
2. How do I experience myself benefiting from these purposes?
3. What were the two disciples looking for?
4. What am I looking for?
5. How might St. Philip's encourage or block us in our search and in helping others to find what they are looking for?

1. Why might Jesus have felt it was appropriate for him to be baptized by John the Baptist?
2. What was Jesus' experience following his baptism?
3. What would be the likely outcome of such an experience in a person's life?
4. What might hinder me from having a similar experience?
5. How might we at St. Philip's help or hinder one another in having this experience?

1. What was the purpose of the Magi's journey?
2. How can I make this same journey in my life?
3. What might I do in the coming year to progress on this journey?
4. What might this story suggest about the purpose of the church?
5. How might we at St. Philip's support one another on this journey?