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A free resource for content and presentation Technology
Complete Adult Formation Kit
The Following are Samples of the offerings
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About Us
Since the 1990s, I have led an Adult Education, or Formation, class most Sundays at Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Years ago, I began using PowerPoint presentations for lectionary and Bible study materials because it was hard to know how many paper copies we would need. PowerPoint also made it easy to include art, sta
Since the 1990s, I have led an Adult Education, or Formation, class most Sundays at Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Years ago, I began using PowerPoint presentations for lectionary and Bible study materials because it was hard to know how many paper copies we would need. PowerPoint also made it easy to include art, stained glass images, maps, and other visual aids—the kind of resources once found on Sunday school flip charts.
Some churches already have everything required for this kind of setup. For those that do not, the “How to” section offers practical instructions to help any congregation create an engaging adult formation space on a budget.
$200.00 Budget
The class materials here are free - I enjoyed making them and presenting them. I want you to enjoy them as well. You can do every course here for one initial investment of less than $200.00. If you are lucky enough to have a class space already equipped for PowerPoint, then you would have no cost.
Take the Plunge
Take the Plunge
Explore the samples and instruction videos to see what is possible—and to be reminded that you can answer your call to formation. Technology can feel intimidating at first, but it can also open the door to richer study, deeper conversation, and a wider range of resources. My hope is to help adults in the Episcopal Church become more fam
Explore the samples and instruction videos to see what is possible—and to be reminded that you can answer your call to formation. Technology can feel intimidating at first, but it can also open the door to richer study, deeper conversation, and a wider range of resources. My hope is to help adults in the Episcopal Church become more familiar with the Bible: what it actually says, rather than only what others insist it must say.
With a little study, you may discover that the Gospel is truly good news—not merely somewhat good news. The Lord loves you, will never abandon you, and is there when you look.
Invitation to Sunday Lectionary Class
The link below is to a regular Sunday session of the Lectionary Class held each Sunday at 9:00 AM U S Central Standard Time. The class uses a Microsoft Teams format. No download is needed beyond clicking the Link and following the on screen directions.
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+1 501-295-7463 United States, Little Rock (Toll)
Conference ID: 969 280 966#
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Files coming soon.
Proper 17 RCL A
Sample of a Genesis Bible Study
Nicene Creed
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If you have questions about the opportunities available to you in our programs, feel free to send us a message. We will get back to you as soon as possible. Our hope is to help Episcopal Churches with Bible oriented Adult Education.
Proper 17 RCL A
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THE COLLECT Proper Seventeen Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. THE COLLECT Proper Seventeen The petition in the Proper 17 Collect asks God to increase true religion in us so that it may be manifested in our lives through good works. Good works are the result of salvation, not the way we earn it. The readings through the three years illustrate good works as the result of the Lord’s actions on and through his people. From Jeremiah's lament in RCL A, in which the Lord’s words are eaten and made a joy in his heart, to the admonition in James in RCL B to be not just hearers but doers of the word, the readings call for and support the virtue of good works. THE COLLECT Proper Seventeen Another aspect of good works is motivation: the readings deal with why one might do good works. In Luke, in RCL C, for instance, we are encouraged to make a banquet for the poor because, unlike our rich friends who can repay us with a return invitation, the poor cannot. Good works are always good, but they are best received by God when the motive is a pure one. There is a more subtle theological message that good works are pleasing to God but not required for salvation. Salvation is a gift freely given. We are also called here to love God’s name, first revealed in the Exodus reading for RCL A. Exodus 3:1-15Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the Exodus 3:1-15 bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on Exodus 3:1-15 account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, Exodus 3:1-15 out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I Exodus 3:1-15 say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM Who I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations." Skipped The story of Moses skips forward. When Moses is grown, he goes out to see his people, kills an Egyptian, and flees when the killing is discovered. At a well in Midian, he drives off shepherds who are blocking the daughters of the priest of Midian, so that they can water their flock (Exodus 2:16-17; the priest is named Reuel there and Jethro elsewhere). Moses agrees to stay with him and takes a wife. Call Narrative of Moses In Midian the God of Israel's ancestors appeared to Moses and summoned him to take the lead in delivering Israel. God is renewing his covenant with the descendants of Abraham. The theophany of the bush on the “mountain of God” a/k/a Horeb and Sinai. This was probably a Midianite sacred place. Its location is unknown, but tradition places it in the eastern part of the Sinaitic Peninsula. The Divine Commission Moses is to take the people from Egypt. The reading has the first of Moses' four objections to his call. God's word will be confirmed by a sign which would be the return of Israel to Sinai for worship at that mountain. I AM WHO I AM Moses asks for the identity of the God who is dealing with him. Exodus 3:14 links “I AM WHO I AM” with the divine name YHWH, but the precise etymology remains debated. Ancient Hebrew was written primarily with consonants; later scribes added vowel points. “Yahweh” is the common scholarly reconstruction. Following Jewish reading practice, the NRSV represents YHWH as “the LORD.” “He causes to be” is one proposed meaning, not a settled translation. YHWH appears earlier in Genesis; Exodus 3 reveals and explains the name to Moses, while Exodus 6:2–3 adds a further narrative qualification. German Romanesque Glass Painter, Moses and the Burning Bush, c. 1150
Stained glass, 53 x 51 cm
Westfälisches Landesmuseum, Münster Netherlandish Miniaturist,
Page from the Très Belles Heures de Notre Dame de Jean de Berry, c. 1400
Top: Annunciation
Bottom: Burning Bush
Illumination on parchment,
203 x 284 mm
Museo Civico d'Arte Antica, Palazzo Madama, Turin Nicolas Froment,
The Burning Bush, 1476
Wood, 410 x 305 cm
Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, Aix-en-Provence
It is evidence of the extraordinary cult of the Virgin in the Middle Ages that it is she who appears before Moses, and not God, as in the Old Testament. Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c Confitemini Domino 1 Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; * make known his deeds among the peoples. 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, * and speak of all his marvelous works. 3 Glory in his holy Name; * let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4 Search for the LORD and his strength; * continually seek his face. 5 Remember the marvels he has done, * his wonders and the judgments of his mouth, Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c Confitemini Domino 6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, * O children of Jacob his chosen. 23 Israel came into Egypt, * and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham. 24 The LORD made his people exceedingly fruitful; * he made them stronger than their enemies; 25 Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, * and dealt unjustly with his servants. 26 He sent Moses his servant, * and Aaron whom he had chosen. 45c Hallelujah! Psalm 105 and Moses The selection from the Psalm celebrates Moses and his mission to take Israel out of Egypt. The Psalm is very long and covers the entire period before and during the sojourn in Egypt (Genesis 15:13 gives 400 years; Exodus 12:40 gives 430). This psalm along with Psalm 106 was used at major festivals and together they recite the basic events which created the nation of Israel. The emphasis on praise of the name of God also ties to the Exodus reading. Jeremiah 15:15-21 O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult. Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your Jeremiah 15:15-21hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail. Therefore thus says the LORD: If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them. Jeremiah 15:15-21 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless. Introduction to Jeremiah Jeremiah was active from perhaps 627 BC until 587 BC. Little is really known about him, and there are differing accounts of his death. The book is a series of oracles concerning the situations faced at the time. The oracles were dictated by Jeremiah to his aide Baruch. There is some biographical information in places in the text, including an incident in which the king summons the prophet before him where the prophet’s scrolls are cut up by the king and burned. The materials are not in chronological order and various ancient texts have substantial differences. It is thought by scholars that the book was assembled from a number of smaller texts gathered and compiled. The book’s very dark nature is in contrast to the prophet’s claim that the very unhappy present of his day would be replaced by better times with an enduring new relationship with God. The Text Jeremiah complains that he sits alone under the weight of God’s hand. In Jeremiah 15:19–21, God calls Jeremiah to return, distinguish what is precious from what is worthless, and continue as God’s mouth. God promises support and deliverance; the passage does not say his opponents will eventually concede that he was right. Hananiah’s conflicting prophecy in Jeremiah 28 concerned Babylon’s yoke and the promised return of exiles and temple vessels—not an alliance with Egypt. What can this say to us? Jeremiah was taken to Egypt after Jerusalem fell (Jeremiah 43); Scripture does not record his death. Who speaks unpopular truths and is rejected by religious authorities? Dissent is not automatically right, but unpopular claims should be tested rather than dismissed. Psalm 26:1-8 Page 616, BCP Judica me, Domine 1 Give judgment for me, O LORD,
for I have lived with integrity; *
I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. 2 Test me, O LORD, and try me; *
examine my heart and my mind. 3 For your love is before my eyes; *
I have walked faithfully with you. 4 I have not sat with the worthless, *
nor do I consort with the deceitful. Psalm 26:1-8 Page 616, BCP Judica me, Domine 5 I have hated the company of evildoers; *
I will not sit down with the wicked. 6 I will wash my hands in innocence, O LORD, *
that I may go in procession round your altar, 7 Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving *
and recounting all your wonderful deeds. 8 LORD, I love the house in which you dwell *
and the place where your glory abides. Psalm 26:1-8 Page 616, BCP Judica me, Domine The biblical superscription is “Of David.” “Plea for Justice and Declaration of Righteousness” is an editorial heading in the cited study Bible. Psalm 26 is a lament asking vindication against an unjust charge. Verses 6–7 portray a ritual action: washing hands in innocence and circling the altar while giving thanks. The vow to praise God before the congregation appears in verse 12, outside this lectionary selection. Association with wrongdoers is explicit in the psalm; ritual uncleanness is a possible interpretation, not an established fact. Romans 12:9-21 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Romans 12:9-21 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:9-21 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Marks of a true Christian Paul forbids vengeance and commands practical care for enemies. The “burning coals” image in Romans 12:20 is disputed: it may evoke shame leading to repentance or refer to judgment left to God. It should not be presented as permission to take revenge through kindness. Contrast In Romans 1:26–32, Paul includes sexual conduct within a wider catalogue of human disorder. Romans 1–11 develops an argument about universal sin and God’s saving righteousness; whether it teaches universal salvation is disputed. Romans 12 turns to Christian conduct: sincere love, hospitality, peace, refusal of vengeance, and care for enemies. The transition does not itself establish a hierarchy that makes the concerns of Romans 1 unimportant. Matthew 16:21-28 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Matthew 16:21-28 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? Matthew 16:21-28 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Peter again? Last week Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom. This week, immediately after that passage, Jesus calls Peter Satan (Matthew 16:23). Peter was tempting Jesus to think of himself and glory on earth rather than of His mission from God. The Gospels There are four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Three share common sources and contain similar, though not identical, sayings and incidents. These are known as the Synoptic Gospels. John, written later for a distinct community, draws on different sources. Synoptic Timeline A marked difference between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John is the plot or timeline. In the Synoptics, Jesus starts his ministry in the hinterlands, develops his message, and then makes a dramatic turn toward Jerusalem and his encounter with the cross. From this point forward, Jesus in Matthew is headed toward crucifixion.
Paolo Veronese,
The Vision of St Helena,
c. 1580
Oil on canvas,
166 x 134 cm
Pinacoteca, Vatican
The subject of the painting is the story of the dream, which, according to legend, brought St Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, to discover the True Cross in Jerusalem. Piero della Francesca, Discovery and Proof of the True Cross, c. 1460; fresco, 356 x 747 cm
San Francesco, Arezzo
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