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    Converge Bible Studies: Three Gifts, One Christ
    Converge Bible Studies: Three Gifts, One Christ
    Converge Bible Studies: Three Gifts, One Christ
    Ebook54 pages46 minutes

    Converge Bible Studies: Three Gifts, One Christ

    By Katie Z. Dawson

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    About this ebook

    Scripture tells the story of magi who followed a star in the sky—a light in the midst of the darkness—to find the Messiah. In the gifts that they placed at the feet of the Christ—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—they recognized the intermingling of light and darkness, truth and falsehood, life and death. But more than what the magi gave the child, Three Gifts, One Christ is about what Jesus offers us. Using passages from Matthew and Hebrews, Katie Z. Dawson explores three of Christ’s roles—Jesus comes as the high priest who sacrifices himself for us, the prophet who calls us into the Kingdom and shows us a better way to live, and the Messiah who triumphs over evil and sets us free.

    Converge Bible Studies is a series of topical Bible studies. Each title in the series consists of four studies on a common topic or theme. Converge can be used by small groups, classes, or individuals. Primary Scripture passages from the Common English Bible are included for ease of study, as are questions designed to encourage both personal reflection and group conversation. The topics and Scriptures in Converge come together to transform readers’ relationships with others, themselves, and God.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAbingdon Press
    Release dateOct 15, 2013
    ISBN9781426778285
    Converge Bible Studies: Three Gifts, One Christ
    Author

    Katie Z. Dawson

    Katie Z. Dawson is currently the lead pastor at Immanuel United Methodist Church in Des Moines, Iowa. At Simpson College she studied communications, religion, and physics; she then received her Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Katie and her husband, Brandon, enjoy playing disc golf, spending time with family, and their two cats, Tiki and Turbo. When she can find the time, Katie blogs at SalvagedFaith.com.

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      Book preview

      Converge Bible Studies - Katie Z. Dawson

      INTRODUCTION

      I was walking through the farmer’s market one morning in Des Moines, Iowa, enjoying the smells of fresh-baked goods and the colorful displays of fruits and vegetables. A banjo group was plucking away, and children were rushing by with balloons and face paint. I had a gooey, warm, freshly baked pecan roll and was mid-bite when a voice called out.

      Are you saved?

      Standing on a milk crate, a man was asking everyone and no one this singular question. Some stopped to answer. Others waved him off. The atheists had a booth set up on the opposite corner and seemed to pay no attention. Are you saved? he kept calling out, handing a bright yellow pamphlet to anyone who came near. It appears to be a simple, yes-or-no sort of question. But as I stood there in the middle of the street, I realized just how complicated it is.

      What do we even mean by the word saved?

      The origins of the words save and salvation are a Greek word: sozo. Among other things, sozo shows up in Scriptures as to rescue, to deliver, to save someone suffering from death or disease, to heal, or to preserve.

      The disciples call out for Jesus to rescue them when their boat is sinking (Matthew 8:25). The hemorrhaging woman touches Jesus’ garment and is healed (Luke 8:48). Jesus teaches that deliverance and safety are found by those who seek him (John 10:4-14). Those who believe in the good news are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18-21).

      When have you experienced healing? Do you need to be forgiven or to forgive? Have you been rescued? Did you hear the good news? What strengthened you to keep going? Too often, we reduce the gift of salvation to a yes-or-no question and minimize the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to a moment on a cross. In doing so, we miss out on the riches of the gifts of salvation that our Savior wants to place in our hands. Even the phrasing of the question Are you saved? puts the focus on a moment in the past that we can pinpoint and wrap up with a bow.

      I don’t know about you, but every day I need strength. I need to hear again and again some good news. I have friends who need healing, and I struggle with forgiveness. I need salvation on a continuous basis. Maybe that is why Paul wrote, "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved" (1 Corinthians 1:18, emphasis added). Yes, I have already come to know salvation; but I’m also being saved every day. And I’m waiting for that day when I will fully experience the saving power of Jesus Christ. Already, not yet. Jesus came to bring salvation and he is coming again to complete it. The past and the future all colliding together.

      The four weeks before Christmas are a time of mental gymnastics in the church calendar. Advent, meaning to come, is a season that intertwines the longing of the prophets for a messiah, the coming of our savior Jesus Christ, and the reminder that his work is not yet finished. Christ will come again. It is a time when we celebrate hope, peace, joy, and love. It is a time when we get to think about salvation in all of its meanings. As we drag out the Christmas decorations and get caught up in the spirit of consumer frenzy, we can be so focused the shiny bows and glittery paper that we forget all about our need for salvation.

      We hide our grief for loved ones who have passed and the frustrations of work by filling our bellies and emptying our pockets. We rehearse the spirit of

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