A Community of Belonging
The letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians are considered Paul’s prison letters, written while under arrest for preaching the good news of Jesus, a message that was good news to many who were marginalized within the Roman Empire. Written in a particular time and place, these letters also speak across the years, bringing to mind imprisonments experienced by early Friends in the 1600s and Civil Rights leaders in the twentieth century as they lived Jesus’ message as good news for the poor, stood for equality, and rejected empty religious practices. How will the Spirit speak to Friends through these letters today?
lessons
1. We Belong (Ephesians 1:3–23)
2. Grounded in Grace and Love (Ephesians 2:1–10; 3:14–21)
3. To That Which You Have Been Called (Ephesians 4:1–7; 4:25–32)
4. Shine and Rise (Ephesians 5:6–17, 21–33)
5. Spiritual Power and Prayer (Ephesians 6:10–24)
6. Citizens of the Good News (Philippians 1:12–30)
7. Be of the Same Mind (Philippians 2:1–18)
8. Keep Growing (Philippians 3:1–24)
9. Rejoicing Always (Philippians 4:1–9; 4:10–20)
10. Firstborn of All Creation (Colossians 1:3–29)
11. Wisdom and Knowledge in Christ (Colossians 2:6–23)
12. New Creations and Limitations (Colossians 3:1–11, 18–25)
13. Wisdom and Prayer (Colossians 4:1–18)
writers
Keith Barton,
Cherice Bock,
Brian Drayton,
Dennis Edwards,
Rhiannon Grant,
Jennifer Higgins-Newman,
Carolyne Jordan,
Geoff Knowlton,
Nate Macy,
Marcelle Martin,
Judy Maurer,
Jaimie Mudd,
Sammy Sanders,
Ed Schneider,
Sara Beth Terrell,
Scott Wagoner,
Melinda Wenner Bradley