Rebuilding Community, Remaking the World
Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the return home after the traumatic generations of forced exile under the empires of Assyria and Babylon. Through internal and external opposition, the descendants of Israel work to rebuild their city and their worshiping community and to learn how to be the people of God in a new era. Esther explores what it means to live faithfully outside of Israel. Esther navigates a setting that is dangerous due to her gender and her ethnicity, using the power she has to help her people. Song of Songs, a book of love poems, shows a biblical precedent for embodied joy and romantic love, as well as an allegory for the depth of intimacy between our souls and God.
lessons
1. Introduction to Ezra (Ezra 1; 3:1–3, 6–8, 10–13)
2. Persian Support for Ezra (Ezra 6:1–12; 7:1–5, 11–16, 25–28)
3. Worship Renewed, Foreigners Rejected (Ezra 6:13–22; 10:1–12)
4. Introduction to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1; 2:1–5, 8d, 13, 17–20)
5. Enemies and Oppression (Nehemiah 4:1–13; 5:1–12)
6. Penitential Prayer (Ezra 9:5–11; Nehemiah 9:6–7, 29–38)
7. Rituals Reinstated–and Ethnocentrism (Nehemiah 8:1–3, 9–17; 13:1–3, 10–12, 15, 19, 23–25, 30)
8. Introduction to Esther (Esther 1:1–5, 9–12, 15–16, 19; 2:2, 5, 7–8, 12–18)
9. Courage Despite Risk (Esther 3:1–10, 13; 4:1–3, 9–17)
10. Esther Takes Action (Esther 5:3–14; 7:1–10)
11. Celebration through Purim (Esther 9:5–17, 20–32)
12. Introduction to Song of Songs (Song of Songs 1:1–5, 9–15; 2:1–12)
13. Seeking Deep Love (Song of Songs 3; 4:1–4, 9–16)
writers
Cherice Bock, Mark Condo, Lynette Davis, Rhiannon Grant, Paul Houston Blankenship, Michael Jay, Jay David Miller, Jennifer Newman, Charity Sandstrom, Ed Schneider, Daniel Smith-Christopher, Ben Snyder, Scott Wagoner, Melinda Wenner Bradley