‘Experience The Passion of Jesus Christ’.
'It is a powerful study as you walk the path that Jesus trod.'

Lent is upon us once more and many of you will no doubt have found resources that you can make use of over this season. If you have not yet found suitable resources, or if you need to add to your existing resources then Richard Armiger offers some suggestions

You will I am sure already have looked at the excellent ‘Count Your Blessings’ resources that Christian Aid have available from this website. If you have not yet had a chance to do so I suggest that this is your first port of call. Click here to see their resources.

To aid in this months resources review I have been provided with a range of materials from CPO’s collection of resources, which can be found at here. Next month I will be taking a look at Easter resources.

CPO have a number of study resources based on Mel Gibson’s film ‘The Passion’ which can by used in conjunction with the film itself. Whilst it is now nearly a year since the film was first screened in the UK with the DVD readily available this is an ideal opportunity to pick up on a topic which made national headlines last year.

Some of the material is designed as handouts to highlight the areas that the film touched on and provide information for people who may have seen the film and now have questions. Two of these leaflets are: ‘The Passion of The Christ – True or False?’ at £1.25 per booklet and ‘Experience the Passion of the Christ’ again at £1.25. These can be obtained directly from CPO’s website.

Journey

The first of these is a four lesson study guide called ‘Experience The Passion of Jesus Christ’. This book takes you on a journey through the issues and characters from the film linking in with the relevant Bible passages.

One thing that I particularly like is that when Bible passages are referred to they are provided for you in the workbook, this saves having to turn from page to page in the Bible and somehow helps the flow of the studies.

The importance for me when undertaking Biblical study of this nature is not how quickly you can find the passages, but spending time on the words themselves.

The other advantage of the approach taken with this study guide is that everyone is discussing the same version of the Bible. We often find within the housegroup that I belong to that when we study God’s word it can at times be difficult if we have four of five different versions on the go.

To offset this there are of course times when a different version can be helpful in looking at a passage from a slightly different stance. Each of the four lessons is relatively short with the structure for each lesson being the same. The lesson starts by reviewing the relevant part of the film, this would require those participating in the study to have seen the film and so the first session may be to sit and watch the film. The next session links the film to the relevant Bible verses and then there are around

Eight discussion questions followed on by a section which helps apply the study to real life with a choice of applications and follow up. There is a useful section on study notes around the Bible verses and also helpful tips for the facilitator of the study. All in all a good all round study resource. Not only suitable for Lent but could be used at other times of the year as well. (£2.99 or £2.50 for 2 or more copies)

Guide

‘The Passion of Jesus Christ – True or False?’ is a discussion and Bible study guide by Brian Mavis, a series of four bible studies based on the film, The Passion of Christ, by Mel Gibson.

Each study follows a similar approach to the previous study guide. Using Mel Gibson’s film as the starting point each study moves on to examine the original script from the relevant Biblical passages with discussion questions to trigger discussion and provoke thought around the subject and then you are challenged to apply the things that have been studied to the real world – ‘Moving from Reel to Real’.

The last section in each study is some additional study notes to aid the preparation and discussions. Again there is the need for those working through the study to have seen the film and so this would prove a good starting point. A good resource for those who have watched the film and want to engage with it in a real way. (£2.99 or £2.50 for 2 or more copies).

‘In the Shadow of the Cross’ a Lent study guide by Trevor Partridge. This study guide comprises of a six study series for use during Lent. Topics covered include: The Pharisees and Priests; The Common People; The Roman Authorities; The Dying Thieves; The Faithful Followers; Seek Soul.

As with the previous study all Biblical references are printed in the study book. The guide encourages the sharing out of the various sections in each study amongst the group members with the leader of the study guiding the main questions section.

This approach helps to divide up the study and also encourage several members of the study group to take an active role in the study. The study sessions are divided into sections and come complete with suggested ‘opening prayers’, ‘eye openers’, ‘icebreakers’, ‘Bible readings’, ‘the characters seen at Calvary’, ‘discussion starters’, ‘final thoughts’, ‘closing prayers’ and ‘for further study’.

Timings

The suggested timings for each study show that the material should last for around 1½ hours. As with all timings these are only approximate and as I am sure you will have experienced some times discussions can easily fill the time as people get fired up and enthusiastic and at other times there may little that people say. Therefore use the times as guides to aid the flow of the studies rather than an exact science.

Again I like the format for the studies. My only negative feeling is that by providing written opening and closing prayers there is the risk of being closed to allowing time for more general prayers to be shared by the study group.

Therefore ensure that you allow freedom to bring the prayer needs of the group to the fore and not feel constrained by a rigid approach. The price for the study guide is relatively high at £4.99 should you have a large study group. That being said the quality of the material justifies the higher price. (ISBN: 1-85345-247-5).

 ‘Meekness and Majesty – the humanity of the Servant King’ a Lent study guide by Elizabeth Rundle. Provided in the same format as the Lent study guide by Trevor Partridge the format is easy to follow and leads the discussions/study well from section to section.

The guide covers the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem through to his death and burial over six studies. The topics include: ‘Hosanna!’, ‘Washing the Disciple’s Feet’, ‘Betrayal’, ‘Denial’, ‘The Way of Sorrows’ and ‘Crucified, Dead and Buried’.

It is a powerful study as you walk the path that Jesus trod. The inclusion of suggested music for each study adds to the atmosphere each week and really helps you to engage afresh with the story that we know so well. Again the price for the study guide is relatively high at £4.99 should you have a large study group and the quality of the material justifies the higher price. (ISBN: 1-85345-283-1).

Tour

‘The Most Important Story Ever Told’ published directly by CPO. A whistle stop tour of the Bible for children with colourful images and a cartoon/story feel to it. Covering creation, Adam and Eve and the original sin the book moves swiftly on to cover the life of Jesus and the fact that he enables us to have a relationship with God.

The book uses a cartoon family to link the various sections together. The children get their dad to tell them the ‘most important story’ and so dad starts to read to them. Interspersing each of the biblical stories we see the children reacting and questioning what they have heard with mum and dad filling in the gaps.

The book portrays the story in an accessible way which may well appeal to many young people. My only thought on the way that the story is told is that to have a family with three children, mum and dad may be a little too perfect for some of the children and families that the Church wants to engage with.

That being said the booklet has sold over 40 million copies world-wide so I would still recommend that you get hold of a copy and see if it suits your situation. At the back of the book there is an opportunity for the person reading it to make a commitment with God by sharing in the prayer of commitment and filling in their name and date that they ‘became God’s child’.

There is also useful advice for the young person to move them on from the point of commitment. (Up to 4 £ 0.95, 4 to 20 £ 0.85, 20 to 40 £ 0.75, Over 40 £ 0.60)

The last more general resource that I want to mention is a leaflet titled ‘Preparing for Emergencies – an alternative guide’ this leaflet can provide you with a way to reach out to those outside the church and tell them what God offers them.

Emergency

Presented in an eye catching format and design the leaflet talks through the kind of emergency that people may go through and the way that Jesus offers assistance even in the worst of times. The leaflet has space for the local church to put their contact details and also makes use of the Premier Lifeline number run by Premier Christian Radio that people can call in confidence about the issues that the booklet has raised for them.

A useful booklet to hand out to people at events over the Lent and Easter season. Prices vary according to the number of packs ordered, each pack comes in a bundle of 10 booklets: Up to 2 £ 4.99, 2 to 10 £ 4.50, 10 to 100 £ 3.99, Over 100 £ 3.60.

I am conscious that there are many more resources available and that I haven’t been able to cover all of the printed resources let alone the online ones. In next months article we will look at more of the media based and online Easter resources as this article has focussed on the printed resources.

Richard Armiger runs his own training consultancy and media production company, Armadillos, and is a Co-Editor of eChurch Active. Tel: 0845 2268507 or visit www.armadillos.biz