Mark, more than a biblical book, a call
Mark, more than a gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ (v.1)
Mark, more than 13 Sabbath School lessons, a life program
Sabbath June 15 saw the first fruits of these weekly studies, thanks to the quarterly introduction to Sabbath School.
For several years, this gathering of Bible text enthusiasts had fallen into oblivion. But here they are again, and with great enthusiasm in both the north and south of the country.
In Antwerp, the morning began with a sermon by Johan Delameillieure based on the opening verses of Mark, with particular emphasis on the notion of ‘good news’ and renewal, of a renewed attitude and discourse in the image of Jesus, the new teaching of whom the people emphasized (1:27).
After the lunch break, no fewer than 25 listeners from Flanders and the Netherlands were able to take part in two biblical illumination modules and one training module.
During the 1st part, Thirza van den Broek offered an introduction to the book of Mark: its place in the canon, its target audience and the different parts that compose it. She also highlighted the various styles of ‘storytelling’ present in the Gospel, such as the parables, and gave a few keys to reading each style with the right spectacles.
Part 2, presented by Rudy Van Moere, focused on the episode in which Jesus sleeps in the bottom of the boat while the storm rages (4:35-41). Anyone familiar with the Hebrew text, whether Jewish or not, can’t help but think back to a similar story in the Old Testament, namely an episode from the book of Jonah. Thanks to this sharp, comparative analysis, Rudy was able to demonstrate the richness of the biblical text through the ages, but also to encourage us to use the right decoding tools when tackling a text that is almost 2,000 years old.
After a break filled with sweets (in the plural!), it was Marcelo Reis’ turn to pass on several tools for Sabbath School and Bible study group leaders. For example, about getting to know your audience and adapting to them, or promoting exchanges to keep the momentum and attention.
All these presentations can be found on our website under the Bronnen section (NL).
In the south of the country, enthusiasm was just as high, with up to 40 people from various French-speaking churches gathering in the afternoon at the host church in Namur.
Already in the morning, interest had been aroused by the refreshing preaching of Jean-Claude Verrecchia, pastor and retired New Testament teacher from Newbold. He chose the story of the woman pouring expensive perfume on Jesus’ head (13:3-9). With great finesse and based on rigorous exegesis, he highlighted both structural elements and the points of interest for our lives as Christians today.
After a copious and assorted “auberge espagnole”, he developed certain aspects of Marc’s book, providing keys to reading, advice and warnings, and information on certain characters, places and concepts… Enough to maintain interest over the coming quarter.
After a break with sweets, similar to the one in Antwerp, it was Pascal Rodet’s turn, responsible for the French-Belgian Union’s Pôle Pastoral as well as the Adult Sabbath School department, to present the first part of his didactic module on group leadership. Here too, advice and exercises were skilfully interwoven to help animators. Pascal also presented additional material to the traditional guide to enhance the quality of study and leadership.
All these presentations can be found under the Ressources (FR) tab on this website.
The next meetings have already been scheduled and will enable us to take a closer look at “Symbols in the Gospel of John”.
– September 14 in Antwerp
– September 28 in Nivelles with Françoise Derome and Pascal Rodet