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Sunday, July 27, 2025

Original Blessing

Original Blessing: Narrative I

by the Rev. AJ Ochart

Scripture

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon Notes

This week we continue the Summer Sermon Series, ‘How to Read the Bible’ based on the Bible Project series by the same name.

This week we will start looking at biblical narrative (story), what elements it contains, and how it is similar or different from the narratives that we are used to. Our case study will be from Genesis 3, the famous temptation narrative from the Garden of Eden cycle. We will look at the way that the plot, setting, characters, and design help us to understand more about who we are and who God is.

If you would like to explore the topic of Biblical Narrative more over the next two weeks, please see the following notes.

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Extra Resources

How to Read Narrative 1- “Plot”
How to Read Narrative 2- “Character”
  • Questions: 
    • Who is one of your favorite characters from a book, TV, or movie? Why?
    • What makes a character compelling? 
    • How are Biblical characters different? 
      • Not very detailed (and the details that are given are important)
      • Names have specific meanings (especially in Hebrew Scriptures)
      • Very little (if any) emotion, motive, etc given.
        • Anti-didactic literature. Often does not outright state if something is good or bad, the reader must discern (e.g. poligamy) 
    • Who is the main character of scripture? 
    • How is biblical narrative similar to our daily lives? (how much information do we get about other people’s motives, emotions, etc). 
How to Read Narrative 3- “Setting”
  • Questions: 
    • How does the setting of a story change the expectations and even meaning?
    • What do some of the place settings in scripture mean?
      • The East
      • The Wilderness
      • Garden, Forest, Trees
      • The Town Well
    • What might be the significance of a particular time or timing in Scripture?
      • In the time when the judges ruled (Ruth 1:1)
      • 40 years/days
      • At night/during the day
      • The year king Uziah died (Isaiah 6:1)
    • Are there settings which might be connected thematically in scripture?
      • Wilderness/Exile
      • The Empires of Egypt, Babylon, Rome (and others?) 
      • The Garden and the Great City
How to Read Narrative 4- “Design Patterns”
How to Read Narrative 5- “Gospel”
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Sunday, July 20, 2025
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