Yes, its the St. Martin's Prime Timers Adult Bible Fellowship.

Join us each Sunday in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209, from 10:10 to 10:50. We are studying the gospel of John this quarter. You are invited to come and ask questions just as the disciples asked questions of Jesus in these farewell discourses.

Prime Timer News

The Prime Timers theme was the 60's! You can click on this photo for a better look!

A Guide for Life

Richard Cruse taught class today. Our reading was John 14:1-14 This is where Jesus reassures his disciples and answers questions from Thomas and Philip. Richard's example was that Jesus is saying that Christianity is not just for Christian Athletes! In other words there is a place for everyone in Him and he in us. The disciples know of Jesus coming death, and some of what he says to them will only really make sense in the light of the resurrection. Jesus affirms his own role as the one access to the life-giving truth of God.

Richard referred to Thomas as something like the Ed McMahon. In verse five "Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?'" Jesus says that he is the light and the way.

Philip asks to see the Father, that this would answers all the questions. This allows Jesus to expand on what he said to Thomas, that Jesus is the Father and the Father is in him. Our reading concluded with Jesus saying they can ask for anything in his name, and he will do it.

Richard then used verses 15-17 to expand on this "If you love me, you will obey what I command. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."

Further, in verse 23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

The class then asked if Jesus is God, how come the Old and New Testaments have such a different tone. Isn't Jesus message of love essentially a new covenant with God? The Rabbis would say that God is the same, we are the ones evolving.

Our mentor, the Rev. Massey Gentry told us that if he were going to rewrite the Bible he would start with the story of Saul and Samuel. Samuel makes a reluctant Saul King of Israel, and Saul makes a powerful King. Samuel asks Saul to destroy the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came from Egypt. Saul destroys the people but brings back their King, Agag, and plunder:  the best calves and sheep. Samuel has Agag put to death and the animals destroyed. Samuel regrets anointing Saul as King of Israel because he does not obey the word of God. The complex story of Samuel and Saul goes on for some time and illustrates that there are no neutral moral consequences.

When George Laigle brought up the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb's during World War II as an example of a moral watershed, Massey said that the Holocaust was the watershed event for most theologians.

Richard led the class in our intercessory prayer and then dismissed the class.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leaders

Prime Timers Mentor, the Rev. Massey Gentry at the St. Martins Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.

The Rev. Disco John Graham accepts the Shrove Tuesday Award for best float. The theme was the 70's.

Rev. Hyche brought back the 80's with a Miami Vice theme.

Seven Christian Habits:

1.  A personal, intimate relationship (through the Holy Spirit) with God as He is revealed in Jesus Christ in which I believe and trust in Him and His love for me and for my salvation in this life and the life to come.

2.  Daily personal prayer and weekly worship of God in His Church by which I receive the renewal of my emotional-spiritual energy which I need to live my life.

3.  Regular study of the Bible to understand how God has related to His people and what His will has been.

4.  Adjusting my will to the will of God for me as revealed in Scripture, prayer, worship and my relationship with Him.

5.  Service (which is ministry, which is love, which is doing good to God, others and self):

a. At home to family and friends.
b. At work to co-workers.
c. At Church.
d. In the world, especially by leading others to God in Christ.

6.  Fellowship (renewing relationship) with Christian people.

7.  Stewardship of my resources:

a. Of my relationships.
b. Of my time and talent.
c. Of my money, giving to God and His work my tithe (as I calculate it).

The Lesson for Sunday, February 25th is titled "Secure Connections"

Key Verse:  John 15:5

Focus of the Lesson:  We are all born to be in relationship with others, and we need them to be productive. Is there a relationship that can serve as a model for others? John says that being connected to Jesus is essential if we are to be productive in our lives.

The reading is John 15:1-17. This text is from the New International Version^®.

   ¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

   ⁵"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

   ⁹"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.

NIV®