Lay School
Sat, Sep 28th 9:30am - 3:30pm
United Lutheran Church 324 Chestnut St Grand Forks, ND 58201

Matthew can feel like a Gospel of extremes. Sometimes it highlights the deep comfort Jesus provides (“My yoke is easy, and my burden is light”). Other passages emphasize judgment, often in harsh terms (“Throw him into the outer darkness!”). As it tells its story about Jesus, it speaks, sometimes in jarring ways, about the fragility of faith, the importance of Christian community, and the threats that lurk in human nature and religious malpractice. On September 28 we will carefully examine Matthew's portrayal of Jesus and the good news he announces. We will pay attention to what makes this Gospel distinctive within the New Testament, explore its sense of urgency and its prominent themes, learn about the historical realities that influenced the book, and consider how Matthew can inform our faith and life. No matter what level of familiarity or unfamiliarity you might already have with Matthew’s Gospel, our time together will help you become a more insightful reader, teacher, and preacher of this influential book.