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Prime Timers is a St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowship (A.B.F.) geared towards people in the Prime of Life, ages 50-64. We meet in the Payne Education Center in rooms 207-209 from 10:15am to 10:50. Our course this year is authored by the United Council of Churches, our current quarter is a unit titled Images of Christ.

Its summer, its hot, its vacation time. We all have excuses for not attending church. Come on in to St. Martin's! Its cool inside!

Our readings in June are from Hebrews, its a new lesson plan titled "Images of Christ in Hebrew's." If you can't wait, the reading for next week is at the bottom of this page!

Christ as Redeemer 

Prime Timers always begins by hearing our members Good News. Donna gave thanks today for fathers! Its fathers day and whether or not you are a father, its likely you have a father, so its a good time to give thanks.

Ben Welmaker taught the Prime Timers today in the difficult topic "Christ as Redeemer."  Our reading from Hebrews draws a parallel to the Hebrew High Holy Days and Jesus' death. Yom Kippur is the day of Atonement, when a feast was prepared and animals sacrificed to cleanse the spirit. Its an annual event. Christ's blood was spilled as an eternal sacrifice to cleanse our souls forever. The reading calls Christ the mediator (Hebrews 9:15) of a new covenant. Ben reminded us of the Old Testament's cycles of grace, rebellion, terrible consequences, and redemption. God makes covenants with Adam and Eve, offering them the Tree of Life, but they fail, God destroys the earth with Noah's flood, and then finally makes a covenant with us in Genesis 12:1-3 "The LORD had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. ²"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' "

Christ establishes a place where God and man meet. Christ is a mediator, not a negotiator for us. Did Christ have to die on the cross to absolve our sins? As the son of God why couldn't he have just absolved us and ascended to heaven? The writer of our lesson plan seems to think the death on the cross was necessary to save us. Is this just a mystery of the Bible? The class agreed that for Christ's message to echo through the ages He did need to be sacrificed on the Cross.

On the matter of sin Ben pulled out our Prime Timers reminder card, with the Seven Deadly Sins (with an extra three):  1. Pride, 2. Greed, 3. Gluttony, 4. Lust, 5. Envy, 6. Sloth, 7. Anger, 8. Fear, 9. Despair, 10. Dishonesty. Sin has four characteristics: self-sufficiency instead of faith, self-will instead of submission, self-seeking instead of benevolence and self-righteousness instead of humility. Does this sound like the Old Testament rebellion?

Ben concluded class with a prayer.

The Lesson for Sunday, June 22nd is "Christ as Leader"

Key Verse:  Hebrews 12:1c-2a

Focus of the Lesson: People want to follow leaders who will give them direction. What makes a leader credible? By his action and godly discipline, Jesus demonstrates that he is a leader who can be trusted.

The reading is Hebrews 12:1-13. This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)

Background Scripture:  Hebrews 12:1-13

   ¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

   ⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
   "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
   ⁶because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
    and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

   ⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! ¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

   ¹²Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ¹³"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

NIV