Lent Studies begin this week

Join one of our friendly groups!

Wed 8.30am Palmwoods with Rev’d Deb – God’s Own Country (ABM study) Beginning Feb 28. (Min no of 5 to proceed.)
Wed 10.30am Montville with Rev’d Deb – The Last Week (Marcus Borg) (Min no of 5 to proceed.)
Wed 5pm Zoom with Rev’d Deb – The Last Week (Marcus Borg)
Thu 10.30am Kenilworth with Maureen – God’s Own Country (ABM study)
Sat 9.30am Maleny with Rev’d Kaye – God’s Own Country (ABM study)

God’s Own Country
”Based on the Seven Days of Creation and with stunningly beautiful paintings by the Rev’d Aunty Robyn Davis, First Nations theologians and clergy from the Australian Anglican Church, offer theological insights and personal reflections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of faith in ‘God’s Own Country.’”

The Last Week – Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan
Top Jesus scholars Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan join together to reveal a radical and little-known Jesus. Using the gospel of Mark as their guide, Borg and Crossan present a day-by-day account of Jesus’s final week of life.

Other recommended reads:

Entering the Passion – Jill Amy-Levine
Jesus risked his reputation when he entered Jerusalem in a victory parade. He risked his life when he dared to teach in the Temple. His followers risked everything when they left behind their homes, or anointed him with costly perfume. We take risks as we read and re-read these stories, finding new meanings and new challenges. In Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week, author, professor, and biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine explores the biblical texts surrounding the Passion story. She shows us how the text raises ethical and spiritual questions for the reader, and how we all face risk in our Christian experience. Entering the Passion of Jesus provides a rich and challenging learning experience for small groups and individual readers alike. The book’s six chapters include: Jerusalem: Risking Reputation, The Temple: Risking Righteous Anger, Teachings: Risking Challenge, The First Dinner: Risking Rejection, The Last Supper: Risking the Loss of Friends, Gethsemane: Risking Temptation

A Different Kind of Fast – Christine Valters Paintner
Clarify your true hungers–and nourish your soul. Fasting is not just the physical practice of giving up food. Fasting can also be a way to combat our culture of endless distractions and busyness. Fasting is an act of letting go, of making more internal space to listen to the sacred whispers of our lives. Join Christine Valters Paintner, online abbess of Abbey of the Arts, on a spiritual journey through seven different kinds of fasts, including fasting from control, from our attachments, from ego-investment, and more. When we practice these fasts, we can discover unexpected spiritual gifts, as well as answers to deeper questions, leading us to ask: “What is my true hunger?” Perfect for Lent, or any period when a deeper intention to clarify your true hunger is needed, A Different Kind of Fast helps us enter our hearts, stripping away old patterns and habits. Featuring striking woodcuts from artist Kreg Yingst, the book draws on the wisdom of the desert elders, Paintner offers practical contemplative practices like lectio divina, breath prayer, visio divina, meditation with desert wisdom, contemplative walks, and creative rituals. As we fast from rushing, planning, being strong, holding it all together, seeking certainty, and control, we can softly reorient ourselves toward that which nourishes and fulfills us, for the reflective Lenten season and beyond.