Sample Session of our Upcoming Bible Study
On the Lutheran Woman Today Web site, we have posted the first session of “The Hidden Hand of God: Wisdom Stories from Ruth, Daniel, and Esther.” The wisdom stories of Ruth, Daniel 1-6, and Esther help us think about our call to discipleship in the complexity of today’s world. You will see three reoccurring “H” themes throughout the study.
Hesed is a Hebrew word meaning extravagant loving loyalty that goes beyond the expected. Exploring it in these books will help us to examine how God is calling us to express hesed in our lives.
Heroic actions involve great risks to the one performing them. They are brave actions for the sake of others. Studying the leading characters in these stories will challenge us as we think about the risks God calls us to take as a part of faithful discipleship.
Hidden hand refers to the often-unseen presence of God in all three books. Discovering how God works in these stories allows us to reflect on how God sometimes seems hidden in our lives or in the lives of those we love–and how we are called to live through such times.
The rest of the study sessions are published only in the magazine; we post the first session as a sample to show potential readers what the Bible study is like. It may enhance your preparation for this study to read an introduction by the authors Gwen Sayler and Ann Fritschel from our July-August issue.
As we study these books together, we pray that we grow in confidence of God’s never-ending love for us and that we gain courage to take the risks God may be calling us to.
