Walking with Matthew
In my circle of pastor friends, here’s a question that often comes up: “What is your favorite Gospel?” And it seems like each time I give a different answer. Many times my answer is “Luke”, I guess because of its length, detail, and emphasis on the poor and outcast. I think once I replied “Mark” because of how fast and furious it moves and how it really leaves you with a cliffhanger at the end. Many times I’ve answered “John” because the 4th Gospel is just so uniquely weird at times. I love the beginning and the ending and all of the rich stories in between. However, I can honestly say that I’ve never pointed to Matthew as my favorite. I wonder why. I wonder if I’ll have a different view after this time around. I wonder if this year I find a deeper appreciation for this specific take on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Beginning in December, and ending in April, we will be walking with the Gospel of Matthew. To help guide us through this journey, on Wednesdays during Advent I will be leading a study on the Gospel of Matthew. We will meet in the Imagine Center and each session will be from 6:30 pm to 7:15 pm.
Here’s some of the content we’ll be covering:
How is Matthew’s version of Jesus’ story different from the others?
Did Matthew “borrow” some content from another Gospel?
Why is prophecy so important in Matthew?
Why does Peter take a prominent role?
What is the overall theme of Matthew?
Why all the drama?
As we move through Matthew’s story over the next four months, we’ll be hearing some familiar accounts of Jesus’ life, but we’ll also encounter some pieces that seldom show up in our lectionary. I’m curious how I’ll be feeling about Matthew this time around. Will it become an instant favorite or will it still be at the bottom of my list? We’ll see…
In God’s peace,
P Derek
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