Bible Study with Bishop Miller
The Second Sunday in Advent
December 6, 2009
Dear Friends in Christ,
Thank you for joining me. I hope your reading of Luke's Gospel straight through was helpful for you. What struck me as I read through was Luke's frequent use of the word, once, and that there was much less emphasis on the end of times (apocalypse) than in Matthew or Mark. I am interested to hear what you noticed.
As I told you I am writing this week from where it all took place. I am staying at a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee, which is home to a museum which houses a boat that dates back to Jesus' time. Today we visited Capernaum where Jesus began preaching and called his first disciples. Tomorrow we will go to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation the place where Mary heard the message that she would bear God's Son.
I invite you this week to re-read the stories of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. In what ways are they similar and in what ways are they different. You may want to outline the elements of each story side by side to help in your comparison. If you would like compare your notes with a friend and see where you agree and disagree on the outline and what stood out for each one of you.
Let me know what you find. Know, too, that as I visit that holy place I will be saying a prayer for each of you.
Yours in Christ,
The Right Rev. Steven Andrew Miller
