Creating the Covenant

Relationships

Reading the Bible to live and love well

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE COVENANT EXPERIENCE

During the first group meeting experience (Episode 1), you should try to accomplish the following things:

1. Give the participants a taste of the Covenant group experience.

2. Explain why covenant is a very important concept and pattern throughout the Bible.

3. Establish the expectations for the group: regular attendance, confidentiality, and respect for each other in conversation.

4. Show the brief orientation video presented by the cohosts.

5. Explain how to use the episodes in each participant guide and how they establish a daily and weekly rhythm for in-depth Bible study.

6. Talk briefly about the parts of a study Bible (table of contents, maps, notes, and so on) and other tools for Bible study (concordance, Bible dictionary, CEB Gospel Parallels). Direct participants to CovenantBibleStudy.com for other reliable online resources for Bible study.

7. Explain that you are signing up the group at CovenantBibleStudy.com to receive daily readings, calendar information, and more via e-mail. You will need each participant's e-mail address to register the group. Encourage participants with mobile devices to visit the website and find direction on where to purchase the Covenant Bible Study app. They can view the participant guides digitally within the app. Other digital tools can be purchased there as well.

8. Collect contact information for each participant (and have the group record e-mail addresses and phone numbers in their participant guides). Discuss childcare needs, transportation concerns, and so on.

9. Pray for each other.

THE GOAL AND SCOPE OF COVENANT BIBLE STUDY

This Covenant experience will guide participants in a comprehensive, in-depth study of the Bible over the next several months. Unlike the learning participants may have experienced in other groups, this in-depth study of the whole Bible emphasizes the biblical concept of covenant as a unifying pattern through all the books in the Old and New Testaments. It underscores the unique relationship that God chooses to have with us as God's people. This relationship is grounded in the faithfulness of God's love and in our ongoing commitment to stay in love with God while we share signs of that love with others.

Each episode connects to an aspect of this covenant relationship, which is summarized in the heading of each participant guide:

Creating the Covenant: The first participant guide explores in eight episodes how a biblical covenant is created and established. It covers the stories about our origins in Genesis, the critical Exodus narrative about the freedom of God's people, the stories of a new teacher in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, and other biblical books that highlight foundational aspects of Christian belief and practice.

Living the Covenant: This participant guide builds on the concept of covenant by applying it to actual relationships in everyday life. The books included in this set of eight episodes are instructive, such as the accounts of emerging leadership problems first among the tribal chieftains, and then among the kings and prophets. It presents the spiritual and political crises that formed the early church; it searches for practical wisdom in the teachings of Israel's sages; and it considers the practical guidance found in Paul's letters as the emerging church learned how people of very different cultures can join together in a common mission.

Trusting the Covenant: This final participant guide tackles the loss of hope, which is restored by faithfulness in the midst of suffering. It explores the many ways that the biblical narrative encourages commitment to God when it is unreasonable and costly. The compelling story of Job, the stirring prophetic oracles during the Hebrew exile, and the imaginative symbolism of apocalyptic literature challenge and encourage us to faithful living.

During this first meeting, pass out participant guides (or point to the digital equivalent), and ask your group to open them. They should fully read Episode 1 (the overview) and Episode 2 (Torah: Genesis) before the next meeting.

Point out these features:

1. Notice the three distinct participant guides. There are three guides because some groups will meet for eight weeks, take a break, and then meet for the next set of episodes. A cautious participant may limit her investment to an eightweek experience, though the life-giving relationships formed in the group will usually draw reluctant participants into the full transforming experience.

2. Open the first guide, Creating the Covenant, and look at Episode 2 together. Describe the rhythm of the daily readings.

3. Note the title (Torah: Genesis), episode theme (Who Are We?), learning objective (Creating covenants with God and others), list of daily Bible Readings, and "Our Longing for Relationship." Highlight the Covenant Prayer section where they will read aloud the prayers and scripture passages at the beginning of the session. Explain that the space between each prayer and scripture is for writing down individuals who come to mind as needing prayer. Let the participants know you will write down prayer concerns at the end of their session each week.

4. Point out the genre and scripture book introductions (such as Torah and Genesis) that participants will read on Day 1 each week. Emphasize that each daily scripture reading includes questions for thoughtful reflection. They will want to write any questions they have about the reading in the shaded area beside each reading summary. These questions and thoughts will stimulate group discussion at the weekly group meeting where the group will study a particular passage together.

5. Describe the Covenant Meditation exercise on Day 6 and how it may occasionally be done with the group in the...