Religion, theology, and the Bible don’t make it into the song, but from the reports that emerge from recent polls and surveys, American Christians “don’t know much about religion” either. In fact, it may be that this isn’t a recent phenomenon either. We seem to be quite happy with a faith that is focused on love and not understanding and knowledge.
Of course, one need not choose between love and understanding. The Shema, that confession of faith that defines the Jewish faith, calls for adherents of the faith to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” It then goes on to suggest that the people of God should keep the commandments, recite them to one’s children, talk about them, bind them on your hands, fix them on the foreheads, and write them on the doorposts and gates (Deut. 6:4-9). In other words, our faith should involve both love and understanding.
This book offers a study of the Letter to the Ephesians that seeks to combine mind and heart. It is part of the Participatory Bible Study series that was developed by Henry Neufeld, which seeks to build upon the devotional principles of the lectio divina model of reading scripture. It is an invitation to inhabit the text of Scripture, so that one might experience oneness with God. Although this has a strong devotional foundation to it, the method also invites critical investigation of the text.
The Ephesian letter offers an interesting opportunity to bring these two elements of biblical study together. There is much here that stirs the soul and draws one into the life of faith. It is both theological and practical. It is in many ways a pastoral letter that has been written to a number of churches, offering encouragement and advice. At the same time there are important critical questions to be answered. These include the identity of the author – is it Paul or a disciple of Paul? There are conversations about slavery and gender roles, the wrath of God and the grace of God, and even spiritual battles that will attract some and repel others. The hope is that at the end of the study, one will not only have a better understanding of the text, but they will also be moving toward a more mature faith in God. We have been invited by the author of this letter to see ourselves as part of a body, with Christ as its head. Our calling is to work together, having been equipped by the Holy Spirit, to build up the body so that it might fulfill its purpose (Eph. 4:11-16).
Faith and understanding are not mutually exclusive categories, and this study seeks to draw them together. It is a study that can be undertaken by individuals in the quiet of their own homes, but it is also designed for use by groups. So, whether in groups or alone, my prayer is that you will experience the blessings of God’s continuing grace.
Before the journey is undertaken, I must give thanks to Henry Neufeld, my publisher and editor for inviting me to participate in this series of studies. Henry laid the format of the study, which I have followed closely, but he also gave me the freedom to set my own tone and texture in writing this study. I’d like to also thank the members of my Wednesday Bible Study groups at Central Woodward Christian Church, who have been attentive to the study of scripture and have pushed themselves and me into new understandings of the faith. Finally, I wish to thank my wife Cheryl who has given me room to write works such as this, but most of all has been a constant companion in life.
“Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 6:23-24).
Using this Book
This study guide consists of three sections:
1 Introductory information
2 Study sheets
3 Appendices
It is recommended that you first read Appendix A: Participatory Bible Study, to learn the approach to Bible study used in this series. This guide is built around that approach. You may have other ideas, or even a completely different method, and that is fine, but it will still help if you understand the starting point.
You should also have some kind of guideline for how you will approach your study. That guide is going to suggest a process of study, which I’ll repeat briefly here:
1 Preparation, including materials, prayer, and opening your mind
2 Overview
3 Background
4 The inner cycle (or central loop): Meditate, Question, Research, Compare
5 Sharing
This is a study process and it says very little about what you might do at each step of the process. It is, however, built on the principles of lectio divina, or “holy reading.” Let’s summarize those principles first and then look at the steps and see how they will help you apply these same principles to your study.
HOLY READING: A MODEL FOR BIBLE STUDY
Lectio divina, which means holy reading, is an ancient practice of studying scripture. There are many ways to practice lectio divina. Ithas been done in many ways since Origen described it around 220 CE. The great monastic traditions of the church further developed it into distinct phases and practices. The basic principle is that reading and studying the Bible should be remarkably different than reading the morning paper or studying Shakespeare. The Bible is a sacred text; it is a Living Word. It should not be, therefore, studied like as if it were a collection of dead pages from history.
When the two men were walking down the Road to Emmaus, they met the risen Christ, but did not recognize him (Luke 24). As they were walking down the road, Jesus interpreted to them the biblical story. Only later, as they were breaking bread, did they realize that Christ was with them the entire time.
Lectio Divina is a practice that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, invites the risen Christ to interpret scripture to us anew. It is a prayerful reading of scripture that expects God to speak once again through this Holy Word. Prayer should influence the way you study the Bible, and studying the Bible should influence the way you pray. In lectio divina, it is impossible to tell when you are studying and when you are praying, as there is no difference.
This practice is usually applied on small passages of scripture for an extended period of time. However, in this study lectio divina is used as a strategy to study an entire book of the Bible. This is somewhat challenging because the scripture text is so large, but the prayerful approach is still crucial to Christian study of the scripture. In these lessons, the ancient practice of lectio is blended with modern study methods that take into account the historical, cultural, and literary contexts.
The historical methods are important to us because they help connect us to people of a different time and place who experienced the same God that we do, learned from the same texts, and were led by the same Spirit. In this context we do not study history for its own sake; we study history so that we might meet those who wrote the texts and those who have studied the passages before us. The lessons in this guide are designed around the four movements of lectio divina established by Guigo II, a 12th century Carthusian monk, in a book called The Monk’s Ladder. He organized the practice around four rungs that help us draw closer to God through reading the Bible.
Reading (lectio): The first rung of the ladder is reading. Believe it or not this is the step most often skipped or diminished. It is important to do the Bible reading for each lesson in order to get the most out of it. Ideally it should be read several times so that you can become familiar with the language and themes of the text. This book is a guide to help you study the biblical text. It is a supplement to the text itself, and the text of scripture should be the primary focus in your study. The steps of the participatory study method emphasize different ways of reading to help the text become part of you as you study.
Meditating (meditatio): The next step is to prayerfully meditate on the text. Dig deep into it. Study the words. Break it down into pieces. In this study this is where most of the background information is located. Look up words to find their meaning. Notice if there are any words or actions that the Holy Spirit may be leading you to examine further.
Praying (oratio): Third, we learn to pray the text. Use what you have learned from the scripture to formulate a prayer. It may be helpful