The Women’s Circle is a Bible Study and Service Group which meets at 12:30pm on the 1st Monday of every month, Sept-May, in the Social Halls. Bring a lunch and your ideas. All are welcome. This year the Bible Study is “Confessing the Beatitudes” by Margaret Aymer. Read below to find out more about this study.
The Beatitudes are some of the most beloved teachings of Jesus, yet they may well be some of the most pointed. In this study, Margaret Aymer, associate professor of New Testament and chair of biblical studies at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, invites us to consider the Beatitudes as they might have been heard when Jesus spoke them—during the time of the Roman Empire. While great in many respects, Rome was a cruel and brutal regime that did not stop short of executing anyone who challenged its authority. Confessing the Beatitudes is aptly named, as we are invited at the end of each lesson to enter into a process of confession. The ancient practice of confession marks Christians as a people who recognize the truth, learn about the truth, and speak the truth—both about God and about ourselves. Through reading the Accra Confession of 2004, and creating our own confessions, we live out our trust in the grace of God through Jesus Christ, as we move from confession to action. http://horizons.pcusa.org/biblestudies/1112beatitudes/beatitudesbulletincover.pdf
