Welcome to Advent and the St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowship Prime Timers!

Its a great time to join the Prime Timers and you are invited to join us in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209 each Sunday in between the 9 and 11am services from 10:10 to 10:50 We just started a new series called Faith in Action:  Living in the Image of Jesus. Coffee and snacks are provided at no cost! See you there.

Our teacher this Sunday was Chris Hershberger.

Prime Timer Good News

Our class begins with time for members Good News. Henny Penny is the Prime Timers good news chicken. She charges a dollar to listen to your news. Today Max Kech read a letter from the Amistad Mission in Bolivia, thanking the Prime Timers for our contribution of $430. Henny Penny's nest egg put to good use!

Linda Thompson brought us a story of a problem with a happy ending. Her son's apartment building at college went condo, leaving him without a place to stay. Linda found another condo at a reasonable price and now her son is in better shape than before!

Seeking Reconciliation

Chris Hershberger led the class today in our first session of the new quarter. For the next quarter we will be studying Jesus Christ:  A Portrait of God.

One fall the Georgia O'Keefe Museum in Santa Fe  aired an interesting radio ad advertising a collection of photographs from northern New Mexico of the various places painted by Georgia O'Keefe in her many landscapes of the region. The ad invited the audience to come see the photos and paintings and "you'll see what the photographs missed." This playing with our assumptions about photographs reminds us that paintings, and portraits, can bring out characteristics and feelings that might be missed by a photo.

Our reading from Paul's letter to the Colossians is a word portrait. While the authorship of this letter is debated by biblical scholars, if it was written by Paul it would be around 60AD, at the end of his life while imprisoned. Chris reminded us that these words came from someone only one generation removed from the actual events of Jesus' life, when many believed that His return was imminent.

Paul is reaffirming God's preeminence in the life of the church, and reconciling the Colossians past sins in Jesus' forgiveness.

Chris recalled a story by M. Scott Peck, the author of "The Road Less Travelled" among others. This story is from "What Return Can I Make?: The Dimensions of the Christian Experience." A little girl says she is talking to Jesus. This causes quite a stir in the community and a priest is assigned to get to the bottom of it. He asks the little girl to ask Jesus what the priest had said in confession last week. When the little girl comes back the priest asks her what Jesus said. She replies that Jesus said "I've forgotten." The class discussion centered around how difficult this forgetting is. We may forgive someone, but how many of us can actually forget what they have done?

Chris read our Healing Prayer, followed by a short benediction, after which he dismissed the class.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leaders

Biblical Images and Names of Jesus. This is a series from our study guide, after each name or expression is a Biblical reference. You can click on the reference to read it for yourself.

Advocate:  1 John 2:1
Almighty:  Revelation 1:8
Alpha and Omega:  Revelation 1:8, 22:13
Amen:  Revelation 3:14
Apostle and high priest of our confession:  Hebrews 3:1
Atoning sacrifice for our sins:  1 John 2:2
Author of life:  Acts 3:15
Beginning and end:  Revelation 22:13
Blessed and only sovereign:  1 Timothy 6:15
Bread of God:  John 6:33
Bread of Life:  John 6:35, 6:48
Chief shepherd:  1 Peter 5:4
Christ:  1 John 2:22
Cornerstone:  Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:6
Deliverer:  Romans 11:26
Descendant of David:  Revelation 22:16
Eternal life:  1 John 1:2, 5:20
Gate:  John 10:9
Faithful and True:  Revelation 19:11
Faithful and true witness:  Revelation 3:14
Faithful witness:  Revelation 1:5
First and Last:  Revelation 1:17, 2:8, 22:13
Firstborn of the dead:  Revelation 1:5
God:  John 1:1, 20:28; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20
Good shepherd:  John 10:11, 14
Great shepherd:  Hebrews 13:20
Head of the church:  Ephesians 1:22, 4:15, 5:23
Heir of all things:  Hebrews 1:2
High Priest:  Hebrews 2:17, 4:14
Holy and Righteous One:  Acts 3:14
Hope:  1 Timothy 1:1
Hope of Glory:  Colossians 1:27
Husband:  2 Corinthians 11:2
I am:  John 8:58
Image of God:  2 Corinthians 4:4
King Eternal:  1 Timothy 1:17
King of Israel:  John 1:49
King of the Jews:  Matthew 27:11
King of kings:  1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16
King of the nations:  Revelation 15:3
Lamb:  Revelation 13:8
Lamb of God:  John 1:29
Last Adam:  1 Corinthians 15:45
Life:  John 11:25; 14:6
Light of the World:  John 8:12
Lion of the tribe of Judah:  Revelation 5:5
Living one:  Revelation 1:18
Living Stone:  1 Peter 2:4
Lord:  2 Peter 2:20
Lord of all:  Acts 10:36
Lord of glory:  1 Corinthians 2:8
Lord of lords:  Revelation 19:16
Lord is our righteousness:  Jeremiah 23:6
Man of heaven:  1 Corinthians 15:48
Mediator:  1 Timothy 2:5
Mighty God:  Isaiah 9:6
Mighty savior:  Luke 1:69
Morning star:  Revelation 22:16
Origin of God's creation:  Revelation 3:14
Our great God and Savior:  Titus 2:13
Paschal lamb:  1 Corinthians 5:7
Pioneer and perfecter of our faith:  Hebrews 12:2
Pioneer of salvation:  Hebrews 2:10
Power of God:  1 Corinthians 1:24
Prince of Peace:  Isaiah 9:6
Prophet:  Acts 3:22
Resurrection:  John 11:25
Righteous Branch:  Jeremiah 23:5
Rock:  1 Corinthians 10:4
Root of David:  Revelation 5:5; 22:16
Ruler of the kings of the earth:  Revelation 1:5
Savior:  Ephesians 5:23; Titus 1:4; 3:6; 2 Peter 2:20
Son of David:  Luke 18:39
Son of God:  John 1:49; Hebrews 4:14
Son of Man:  Matthew 8:20
Son the the Most High:  Luke 1:32
Source of eternal salvation for all who obey him:  Hebrews 5:9
Stone the builders rejected:  Acts 4:11
True bread:  John 6:32
True light:  John 1:9
True vine:  John 15:1
Truth:  John 14:6
Way:  John 14:6
Wisdom of God:  1 Corinthians 1:24
Wonderful Counselor:  Isaiah 9:6
Word:  John 1:1
Word of God:  Revelation 19:13

The Lesson for Sunday, December 10th is titled "Learning About God"

Key Verse:  Hebrews 1:1-2

Focus of the Lesson:  People have varying ideas about Jesus Christ, where he came from, how he is related to God, and how he is able to reveal God to us. Is there a definitive concept about Jesus? The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ came from God and is superior to the angels.

The reading is Hebrews 1:1-9 This text is from the New International Version^®.

Background Scripture:  Hebrews 1

   ¹In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. ³The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. ⁴So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

   ⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say,
     "You are my Son;
       today I have become your Father" ?
Or again,
     "I will be his Father,
      and he will be my Son" ? 
⁶And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
     "Let all God's angels worship him."
⁷In speaking of the angels he says,
     "He makes his angels winds,
      his servants flames of fire."
⁸But about the Son he says,
     "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
      and righteousness will be the scepter of
      your kingdom.
⁹You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
   therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
     by anointing you with the oil of joy."

NIV®