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The Gospel of Luke alone tells the story of the birth of Jesus set against the background of a census taken on the orders of Caesar Augustus. This historical setting has always raised serious questions: Was there ever really such a census? Why does Luke describe the census as being carried out in a manner that does not fit with what we know of Roman practices and policies?
This book struggles with questions like those in a creative way which leads to some surprising new ways to understand Luke's timeless story of Mary and Joseph and their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Part investigation, part exercise in creative imagination, this book will help you to see the Christmas story in a whole new way.
The discussion will be held on Wednesday evenings from Wednesday, October 15 through to Wednesday December 3, 2014
We will meet at 7:30 pm in the Foyer at St. Andrew's Hespeler Presbyterian Church, 73 Queen St. E., Cambridge, ON
These are the planned sessions:
October 15: The Journey from Nazareth to BethlehemOctober 22: Should the Two Birth Accounts be Harmonized?October 29: When is Luke Saying that Jesus was Born?November 5: The Old Testament Ideal of JubileeNovember 12: The Jubilee in the Gospel of LukeNovember 19: Two Nonviolent InsurgenciesNovember 26 : The Call to JubileeDecember 3: What is Truth? and Jesus’s Coin TrickProvided you have read the book, you should be able to join in the discussion at any point
Participation in this group is free of charge but participants will need to have read the book to participate. The book is available in print at Amazon.ca and at select local book stores. You may also purchase a copy at St. Andrew's Hespeler. The e-book is available through many online e-book sellers including Amazon, iBooks and Kobo. Please call the church at 519-658-2652 or contact [email protected] if you need any assistance finding the book or if you have any questions. The print edition sells for $11.95. The price of the e-book varies accord to the vendor, but should be approximately $4.
In addition I will be leading a parallel discussion in a Facebook group called Caesar's Census, God's Jubilee Discussion Group.
I will be posting discussion starters on the chapters at around the same time that I am preparing for the discussion group at the church. The group is public (I hope that doesn't get me into any trouble!) and everyone is invited to join in.
