WINTER QUARTER SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS: DEC. 2011; JAN, FEB. 2012

ESTABLISHING A FAITHFUL PEOPLE

UNIT I: GOD’S COVENANT                                TIME             PLACE

12/04/2011      A BLESSING FOR ALL NATIONS            Genesis 12:1-9                  2090 B.C. Haran; Canaan

12/11/2011      A PROMISE TO ABRAM                            Genesis 15:1-6                  2085 B.C. Canaan

12/18/2011      THE LORD PROVIDES                               Proverbs 15:21-33             2050 B.C. Beersheba : Moriah

12/25/2011      ACCORDING TO GOD’S PROMISE (CHRISTMAS) Proverbs 25:1-11   6 or 5 B. C. Jerusalem

 

UNIT II: GOD’S PROTECTION

01/01/2011      A MAN OF INTEGRITY                              Genesis 39:7-21                 1897 B. C. Egypt

01/08/2011      THE SUCCESS                                             Genesis 41:37-45, 50-52    1884 B.C. Egypt

01/15/2011      PRESERVING A REMNANT                      Genesis 45:3-15                 1875 B.C. Egypt

01/22/2011      THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS              Genesis 50:15-26               1858; 1804 B.C. Egypt

01/29/2011      DELIVERED OUT OF EGYPT                   Exodus 15:1-3, 19, 22-26  1445 B.C.  By the Red Sea

UNIT II: GOD’S REDEMPTION

02/05/2011      JUSTIFIED BY FATIH                                 Galatians 2:15-21    Possibly A.D. 48 from Syria Antioch

02/12/2011      FREED FROM LAW THROUGH CHRIST    Galatians 3:1-14      Possibly A.D. 48 from Syria Antioch

02/19/2011      HEIRS TO THE PROMISE                   Galatians 3:15-18; 4:1-7  Possibly A.D. 48 from Syria Antioch

02/26/2011      FRUITS OF REDEMPTION                     Galatians 5:22-6:10     Possibly A.D. 48 from Syria Antioch

LOOKING AHEAD

If your December is anything like what many of us experience, the days become busier as the annual celebration of Jesus' birth approaches. Both your denominational affiliation and congregational traditions will affect how much emphasis is placed upon Christmas themes during this particular month.

In our December lessons, however, we have only one study directly related to the birth of Christ. That lesson will actually come on Christmas Day, and it will be a text that is not often studied during the Advent season.

The three lessons prior to Christmas are not as unrelated to our usual seaŽsonal themes as one might think, though. These lessons all come from the life of Abraham, the father of the Hebrew people. Since Israel was the nation from which the Messiah sprang, it is certainly apropos that we study the man at the fountainhead of the Jewish people.

While many see Abraham only as the founder of a race of people, Christians correctly understand him to be the father of all the faithful. While some of the promises made to the great patriarch related primarily to the nation of Israel, other promises found fruition in the coming of Jesus Christ.

This will be more evident in the final unit of the quarter, which deals with God's redemption. The last four lessons all come from Galatians, one of the most significant writings of the Apostle Paul. Among other things, our study in Galatians will remind us that salvation is by faith, a kind of faith that was exemplified in Abraham. Indeed, Christians are heirs to the promise made to Abraham.

Sandwiched between studies of Abraham and Paul's Galatian letter are five lessons dealing with God's protection. This unit includes one lesson about God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage and four lessons from the life of Joseph, a favorite character of many Bible students.

That the account of Joseph covers a large portion of Genesis indicates its importance. Not only does it provide background information relating to Israel's arrival in Egypt, but it is also an important reminder of God's providential care of His people and thus especially encouraging to us all.

Diligent study of these lessons will not only bless you spiritually but also aid you in discovering God's plan for your own life. -John Alva Owston.