SUGAR CREEK BIBLE CAMP SUMMER 2010 ON-CAMP BIBLE STUDY
Water is a powerful force in creating and sustaining life on this planet. It can also be destructive and earth-shaking. Throughout the Bible, water carries the promise of healing, deliverance, and eternal life. In Sugar Creekʼs 2010 Bible Study, campers will be invited to “Wade in the Water” as they are refreshed by Godʼs promises for them and encouraged to bring the waters of peace and justice to a thirsty world.
Day: Theme:
1 Creation
2 Deliverance
3 Promise
4 Service
5 Sending
OVERVIEW: Living it out:
Care for creation Work for justice Love your neighbor Serve those in need Tell the world
Text:
Genesis 1:1-2:3
Exodus 3:1-10, 14:1-31, 15:20-21 Acts 10:1-48
John 13:1-21, 34-35
Ezekiel 47:1-12
This summerʼs theme is about peace and justice. Our task as Christians is not only to spread the good news about Jesus Christ and the salvation of the world through words and actions, but also to respond to our own salvation by working for peace and justice in this life. There are countless people around the world living in poverty or oppression. We need to be advocates for these people, and we need to give them physical aid.
Wade in the Water
This African-American spiritual refers explicitly to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. It harkens to the Israeliteʼs flight across the Red Sea, God commanding them to “go forward” (Exodus 14:15) into the sea. It also conjures imagery of the River of Life from Ezekiel 47 (when the prophet actually wades in the water) and Revelation 22. As a spiritual for African-American slaves, the song had two meanings. First, it was a song of promise: as God delivered the Israelites from slavery and promises all of us an eschatological salvation, so too God would deliver the African- American slaves. Second, the song had a coded meaning for those seeking to escape slavery. When slaves tried to run away, they were often tracked down by dogs. If the escaped slaves waded through a stream, it would throw the dogs off their scent. God “troubling” the waters would also erase any footprints on the banks or the bottom of the creek bed, and the slaves would be free. Just as the Israelites passed through the waters to escape slavery, so too could the African-American slaves pass through waters to escape.
SUNDAY: Wade in the Water Focus Scripture: Amos 5:24 Supporting Scripture: John 7:37-38
The book of Amos is primarily concerned with peace and justice for all people. Amos prophesied in Israel during the first half of the 8th century BC. This was a particularly prosperous time for Israel under the reign of King Jeroboam II. The upper classes got extremely wealthy, widening the divide between rich and poor. Amos prophesied that God would judge Israel for this lack of concern for the poor and needy. The Lord is not concerned with a proper order of worship, costly sacrifices, or wonderful singing. The Lord wants justice and righteousness.
MONDAY: Waters of Creation
Focus Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:3
Supporting Scripture: Psalm 104, Psalm 107:33-38 Theme: Creation stewardship (Justice for Creation)
✦God created the world and gave it order.
✦Every person is a unique creation of God.
✦Part of our role in the created order is to practice good stewardship of Godʼs
creation.
✦Water is both creative and destructive.
Background on the Text:
Genesis 1 is part of the “Priestly” writings in the book of Genesis. God is referred to as “Elohim,” which is almost always translated “God” (with a capital G). The Priestly writer wrote after the Babylonian exile, which was arguably the greatest challenge to the Jewish faith. The people of Israel were defeated by the Babylonians in 587 BC, and many of the people were taken into exile in Babylon. The nation of Israel ceased to exist, the temple was destroyed, and the Jewish faith was in danger of disintegration. Prophets like Ezekiel and the writer of the second half of Isaiah assured people that God remained faithful. Still, the Jewish people wrestled with the difficult questions of, “Where is God” and “How could God let this happen to us?” In Genesis 1, the Priestly writer sought to assure people that God is in complete control. The first thing that strikes a reader of Genesis 1 is that God is powerful. God puts everything in its place on a cosmic level. To Jews living in the 6th century BC who were unsure about their future as a people, it was important and comforting to remember that our God is the God of the universe.
Water as Chaos:
In the ancient near-east, water was seen as chaotic. The sea was unpredictable and malevolent. Consider the shape of water. It is completely shapeless. It flows and moves in often unpredictable patterns. The great gods of many near-eastern nations were gods of the sea or the storms. In many biblical passages, YHWH is depicted as a storm god, oftentimes coming from the sea. Seeing water as chaos can help us to understand Genesis 1. When verse 2 says the earth was a “formless void,” think of water. Everything was formless like water. Everything was turbulent and unbreathable. When God creates the dome in verse 6, picture a bubble in the midst of the turbulent, unbreathable waters.
Order out of Chaos:
Genesis 1 is most clearly about God bringing order out of chaos. Everything is laid out perfectly and systematically. On each of the first three days, God defeats an agent of chaos. On the first day, God defeats darkness by creating light. On the second day, God defeats the primordial waters of chaos (every space that is unlivable, including outer space) by creating the dome in which people can live and breathe. On the third day, God defeats the chaotic waters of the sea by creating the dry land. The defeat of chaos allows life to exist and flourish, and so the chaos of lifelessness is defeated when God creates life.
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DAY 1: LIGHT
divides chaos of darkness
DAY 2: THE DOME
divides chaotic primordial waters
DAY 3: DRY LAND, PLANTS divides chaos of the sea
DAY 4: SUN, MOON, STARS the objects that give light
DAY 5: BIRDS, FISH
live in the sky and the waters
DAY 6: LAND ANIMALS, HUMAN live on the dry land
Day 1: Light
Darkness is one of the scariest things imaginable. Anything can happen in the dark. Anything can be lurking in the dark. Darkness is chaotic. Many children (and adults) are afraid of the dark. Hell is sometimes described as “darkness” (Matthew 25:30). The first thing that God takes care of is light. Without it, life cannot exist, since plants need light to photosynthesize.
Day 2: The Dome
The dome of Genesis 1 is a difficult concept to understand in todayʼs world. In the ancient world, people understood the world as surrounded by water. If you dig down into the ground, you hit water. If you look up at the blue sky, it looks like water is held up there by an invisible dome and, after all, water comes from the sky as rain, so there must be water up there. For the ancient people, if there was no dome, everything would be water (formless and void), and nothing could live. The dome is our habitable area.
As primitive as this notion of primordial waters and a special dome sounds to us, Genesis 1 describes our actual situation. Instead of primordial waters, think of outer space. Nothing can live in the vacuum of space. It is completely without form and, as far as we know, it is endless. The only place where life can exist is here on earth, within the “dome” of our atmosphere. We live in a bubble that God created in Genesis 1:6. Outside of this bubble, there is chaos.
Day 3: Dry Land and Plants
The sea is chaotic and scary to many people. It is beautiful, but it is also dangerous and unpredictable. We cannot live in the sea. For this reason, God creates the dry land. But God goes even farther on Day 3. In verse 11, God creates all of the plants. Do you see the message of this passage? God has defeated the chaos of darkness, the primordial waters, and the sea, so now life can thrive. Life exists only because God holds the chaotic forces at bay. Without light, air, and dry land, life as we know it could not exist.
Day 4: Celestial Lights
Day 4 corresponds to day 1, when God created light. Now God creates the sources of light: the sun, moon, and stars. Notice the order of this day. The lights divide the days,
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the seasons, and the years. All calendars, clocks, and other measurements of time are determined by the movement of the sun, moon, and stars. These give order to our lives.
Day 5: Birds and Fish
Day 5 corresponds to day 2, when God divided the primordial waters to make the sky and the water within the dome. Now God populates these places with life: birds for the dome of the sky and fish for the waters of the earth.
Day 6: Land Animals
Day 6 corresponds to day 3, when God created the dry land and plants. Now God creates animals to walk on the dry land and eat the plants.
Of course, day 6 does not end with the creation of the land animals. God saves the most special creation for the end. God creates humankind. It is important to note that humans do not get a special day. We are part of the created world and specifically part of the animal kingdom, so our place of creation is with the other land animals. However closely associated we are with the animals, we are also set apart in a very special way: we are created in Godʼs image (verse 27). As a species created in Godʼs image, we are given an important place as caretakers of Godʼs creation. As the Bible puts it, we are given “dominion” over the other living things (verse 28). This is not to be understood as a dominion of exploitation, but rather a dominion of oversight. We are put in charge to care for this amazing creation that God has made.
Day 7: Rest
It is important to note that Godʼs work is not complete until God rests on the seventh day. Our work is not complete without intentional rest on a regular basis. This becomes one of the ten commandments: “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Interestingly for us, water is often a part of our sabbath rest, whether we are relaxing on the beach, taking a swim, or enjoying a cool glass of iced lemonade.
TUESDAY: Waters of Deliverance
Focus Scripture: Exodus 3:1-10, Exodus 14 Supporting Scripture: John 9:1-12
Theme: God of the Oppressed (Justice for All)
✦God delivered his people Israel from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.
✦Our God takes special notice of those who are oppressed: orphans, widows, slaves, poor, etc.
✦As Christians, we are called to work for peace and justice in the world.
✦We are slaves to sin and cannot free ourselves. God saves us from our captivity
through Jesus Christ.
Background on the Text:
The Exodus story is the primal salvation story of the Old Testament. After Exodus, God is commonly referred to as “YHWH, who brought you out of Egypt.” In fact, this is how the 10 commandments begin (Exodus 20:2). This story is the reason the people of Israel believed in God and worshipped only God. The Exodus is continually referred to throughout the rest of the Bible, including many places in the New Testament. The Exodus story is incredibly rich, filled with great character development, magic duels, plagues, and more. The climax of the story is Exodus 14, when God delivers Israel at the Red Sea. This event makes Israelʼs escape possible, and so this is our focus text.
The Context:
To really get this Bible study, it is essential for the campers to know the story. Do not assume that they know it. Tell it to them (or have them tell you). Here are the essentials:
1. The people of Israel (descendants of Abraham) settled in Egypt
2. A king of Egypt (or Pharaoh) made the Israelites slaves
3. God heard the cry of the Israelites who were suffering in Egypt
4. God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery
5. Pharaoh did not want to let the people go, but he was forced to after 10 devastating plagues
6. Pharaoh changed his mind about letting them go and sent his army after them
7. The Israelites escaped when they miraculously crossed the sea on dry land,
while the pursuing army was drowned
8. God gave the Israelites the 10 commandments and other laws
9. Eventually, the Israelites settled in the “Promised Land” (promised to Abraham)
God of the Oppressed:
The Exodus story may be the most famous example, but God takes special notice of those who are oppressed throughout the Bible. There are special laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy to protect the poor and the foreigners. The prophets often predict doom not only because Israel worships other gods, but also because the people oppress the poor (Amos 4:1-2, 5:11). Jesus spends most of his earthly ministry caring for the poor and the outcast (lepers, widows, Samaritans, blind people, crippled people, etc).
“So that they may know”
Exodus 14:18 says, “The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh.” Some of the campers may ask, “What about the Egyptians? Doesnʼt God care about them, too?” The answer is in this verse. God is acting to set his people free and to make Godʼsself known to the Egyptians. After this event, the Egyptians, who did not believe in the Lord, can no longer question that the Israelitesʼ God is the Lord, God Almighty.
Slaves to Sin:
Slavery is impossible for most of us to imagine. We have not lived as oppressed people. However, the Bible says that we are slaves to sin. We cannot live sinless lives, despite how much we try. Because of our sinful nature, we deserve death and damnation. But our God delivers us from this slavery to sin and forgives us through Jesus Christ. This is our salvation story. Make this connection clear to campers on this day. It will help to foreshadow the day 3 Bible study. One great way to highlight this point is to read through the Confession and Absolution together from a Lutheran worship book: “We confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves...” (LBW, p. 77).
Workers for peace and righteousness:
Campers need to understand that as Christians, we are responsible to work for peace and justice in this world. Our God shows special concern for those who are poor and oppressed. Our God frees us from sin and death, though we have done nothing to earn this freedom. Because of this, we have the responsibility to work for peace and justice in this world. In the context of this Bible study, we are called to recognize when people are suffering injustice and then actually do something about it. The people of Israel were slaves in Egypt, and God did something about it. God works through us to do something about the suffering in the world today. First, we have to recognize where there is injustice. This discussion should foreshadow the day 4 Bible study, which is focused on action and service. In order to act, we need to know who is suffering. Exodus 3:9 says, “The cry of the Israelites has now come to me.” God hears the cries of those who are suffering. Do we hear those cries? How can we teach the campers to open their eyes and ears to recognize those who are oppressed and suffering?
Consider: Who is suffering oppression and injustice in the world today? Do I hear their cries, or do I ignore them?
WEDNESDAY: Waters of Promise
Focus Scripture: Acts 10:24-48 (verses 1-23 optional) Supporting Scripture: Galatians 3:27-29, Acts 8:26-40 Theme: Children of God
✦We are special! Through baptism, we are adopted as children of God, and there is nothing that can separate us from Godʼs love (Romans 8).
✦They are special! We are called to treat all of our fellow human beings as children of God, as our brothers and sisters.
✦Sometimes, it is difficult to believe that Godʼs promise can be for everyone, but we are called to forgive one another as God has forgiven us.
✦Omission is a form of oppression and often the beginning of terrible injustice.
✦Godʼs love in Christ Jesus is INCLUSIVE, not exclusive.
For this Bible study, make sure you define terms:
1. Baptism: What is it and why do we do it?
2. Gentiles: Who are they?
3. Profane and unclean: What are the Jewish dietary laws that set them apart?
Oppression by omission.This is a reality in our world, and we seldom talk about omission as a form of oppression. However, this is the form of oppression most familiar to our campers. We have all been left out, and we can all understand that being left out is often oppressive.