The St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowships welcome you.

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. You are invited to explore the Bible with us in a course authored by the United Council of Churches.

The Prime Timers are beginning a new unit, "Jesus as God's Son." Why don't you join us?

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!

Jesus as God's Son 

Prime Timers always begins by hearing our members Good News. Today Lynne brought news of her daughter, who is going on a mission with a Christian group to Budapest to spread the Gospel. Lynne sees this as a hopeful sign that her daughter will eventually come back to Houston! Our teacher Donn gave thanks that a former partner came back to join Donn's firm.

Donn Fullenweider taught the Prime Timers class today on the subject, Jesus as God's Son. Our reading from Hebrews 1:1-12 is a description of God's Son using many references to other Biblical texts. Donn went over some of Jesus' roles in our lives, as Intercessor for our sins, as our Redeemer, our Leader, our Teacher, our Healer, our Servant, as the Messiah, as Eternal Christ, as God's son in the Trinity. Donn asked the class if they had any particular image they associated with Christ, which brought responses about pictures that people had in their minds when they thought of Christ. The framed picture on the bureau they have had since college, for instance.

Next week Donn plans on bringing images of Jesus to class. You are invited to do the same!

While the reading from Hebrews 1 is short, its amazing the number of references to other Bible passages. Right off the bat Hebrews 1 has God speaking, similar to Genesis, where God's speaking creates Heaven and Earth. Or John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Or this section from Proverbs 8:22-31. Hebrews 1:5-12 contains seven quotations, five from Psalms, one from Deuteronomy and one from 2 Samuel. In the first part of Hebrews 1:5 the quote is from Psalm 2:7, while in the second half of verse 5 the quote is from 2 Samuel 7:14 "I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men." In verse 6 the reference is Deuteronomy 32:43 "Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people."

The rest of the quotes from Psalms are one about angels from Psalm 104:4 "He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants." Contrast this with the quote from Psalm 45:6-7 "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. ⁷You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."

Hebrews 1:10-12 is a quote from Psalm 102:25-27 "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ²⁶They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. ²⁷But you remain the same, and your years will never end."

Going beyond our reading to Hebrews 1:13-14 we find the final quotation, from Psalm 110:1. Since Psalm 110 plays a large role in the remaining chapters of Hebrews, here is the whole Psalm:

¹The LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet."

²The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

³Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty,
from the womb of the dawn
you will receive the dew of your youth.

⁴The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."

⁵The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

⁶He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.

⁷He will drink from a brook beside the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.

Donn discussed who was the author of Hebrews 1, was it Paul, or Apollos or Barnabus? He also tried to establish when it was written, before 90AD since Clement wrote about it, but after 50AD. The passage speaks about angels, and Donn suggested Billy Graham's book "Angels" as a reference for this.

Donn concluded class with a prayer.

The Lesson for Sunday, June 8th is "Christ as Intercessor"

Key Verse:  Hebrews 7:25

Focus of the Lesson: Sometimes we need someone to speak up for us, to take our side. Who speaks on our behalf? God chose Jesus to be the perfect and permanent intercessor for humanity.

The reading is Hebrews 7:20-28. This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)

Background Scripture:  Hebrews 7

   ²⁰And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
      "The Lord has sworn
      and will not change his mind:
      'You are a priest forever.' "
   ²²Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

   ²³Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; ²⁴but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

   ²⁶Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. ²⁷Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

NIV