When I first started offering this program in January 2007, I wasn't sure how much interest there would be in it.  The response, however, has been phenomenal.  From Cheyenne to Chicago, and many places in between, hundreds of people have turned out for this program,   "Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes:  Unlearning Christian anti-Semitism."  
           
Safe Discussions

Maybe it's because we feel pretty safe talking about anti-Semitism.  After all, there aren't that many Jews around in most of our towns and cities.  Or maybe it's because we've sensed there's more to Jesus than we've been taught.  Or maybe it's because we want to know how to authentically relate to people who are different than us. 

I think it's because people are ready for a vision of God's people that doesn't leave anyone out.

Church members show up

Church members consistently show up in large numbers for the program, night after night.  It piques their interest.  Brand new conversations unfold that might never have been broached otherwise.  One colleague told me how a member questioned a provocative email she received that bashed Muslims.  "I look at this email differently now than I would have before," she commented.  "Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes opened my eyes to our hidden prejudices."

 

Several churches have co-hosted the program and found that it built bridges between their congregations.  Long standing rivalries or hostilities were quieted and a new sense of cooperation was born. 

 

Often members of the Jewish community show up.  That takes a lot of trust.  But that's when it gets really interesting!  It's a good sign of the times when Jews and Christians can study side by side. 

Why not sign up to host a presentation at your church or synagogue?  You'll witness transformation happen right before your eyes! 

Relaxed, fun, and open

Relaxed, fun, and open, this study is interactive in nature.  It appeals to different learning styles through the use of scripture, story, song, ritual and visuals.  A balance of small and large group interactions are incorporated. 

Timing:  Fall Kick-off, Ordinary Season, Lent, Summer
Pre-requisite:  None.  This is the foundational course.

Find out about more about this program.

 

Ready to go deeper?

If your church has already done this course, go deeper in your study.  Consider our new Advent study, Christmas through Jewish Eyes.  Or our new Lenten study, Good Friday/Bad Friday: the Death of Jesus through Jewish Eyes.  Make Sunday morning come alive again with this worshipful study, Feasts and Holy Days:  Jewish Roots of Christian Worship.

Maybe you'd like to host a Jewish Passover Seder this Lent.  Or treat your people to a retreat, Care of Self, Care of Creation:  Sabbath and the Environment.  There is no pre-requisite for either of these. 

 

Contact us to learn how to bring transformation to your congregation and community!

 

"It's not easy being green," laments Kermit the Frog.  It's also not easy growing up Jewish in an interfaith household. 

"Be proud of who you are," my Jewish mom and Catholic dad told me.  "Just don't tell the other side of the family!" 

 

They never said the last part out loud, but they didn't have to.  After all, my parents had to run away to get married.  Neither side of the family thought it was a good idea for them to get hitched.  Peace has come slowly to the extended family.  I'm not sure it's fully arrived, even though they've been married over 50 years.

While I'm thankful for how I was raised, it was stressful at times!  Our family's collective identity crisis always reached new heights at Christmas time. 


Judaism sheds light on Christmas

It wasn't until I went to seminary that I began to fully explore all the traditions I had grown up with.  That's when I realized that even though Christmas is not a Jewish holiday, Judaism can shed a lot of light on the deeper meanings of the holiday.  That's what this study is all about. 

 

By looking at Christmas through Jewish eyes this Advent, you'll learn what savior and salvation really mean, how sin and social justice are connected, and what Chanukah can tell us about Christmas. 

Festival of Lights

You'll also get to experience the tastes, stories, and rituals of the Festival of Lights. 

Fun, insightful, and interactive, this Theologian-in-Residence program will help you experience Christmas with brand new insight.


Timing:  Fall, Advent or even Christmas in July. 
Pre-requisite:  Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes:  Unlearning Christian anti-Semitism

Read more about this program.  Then contact us to host it at your church.  Dates fill up fast so contact us soon.. 

Coming in 2010! 

But eternal life is not the only thing that has come from the death of Jesus.  His death has also given rise to an almost endless blame game-- with murderous results.  For centuries, generations of Jewish men, women, and children have been held personally responsible for Jesus' death.  Some of the darkest chapters in Christian history have been written as a result:  the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, and even the Holocaust.

 While great strides have been made in Jewish-Christian relations, this question still lingers.  Who killed Jesus and why?  

 

The New Testament actually offers four different explanations:  the Jews, the Romans, God, and no one--Jesus offered himself for death. So, which is it?  To the extent that the question remains unresolved, it has the power to harm. 

Join me as we study the last days of Jesus' life.  We'll read about the death of Jesus with Jewish eyes to discover ways to answer the question that heal instead of harm.  At the same time, we'll employ the model of emotional triangles to deal with unresolved issues.  Finally, we'll embrace the redemption of resurrection. 

 

My husband Jerry is Catholic so I have attended Mass with him quite a bit. It occurred to me at one Saturday evening service that the Catholics are more Jewish than the Jews! 

After all, the Catholic Church has a strong tribal identity, emphasizes tradition, observes lots of feast days, adheres to a church-wide lectionary and doesn't like to change very fast.  Not to mention that it holds a Saturday evening Mass. (Have you ever noticed that Jewish holidays all begin on the eve of the festival itself?) 

None of this is meant to be a criticism.  In fact, after realizing all this, I felt more comfortable there than before. 
 
Protestants are Not Left Out

Protestants, however, should not feel left out in any way by this comparison.  Even though we stress inclusivity, are always trying something new in worship, feel free to opt out of the lectionary, fully embrace female leadership, and vote on our church disciplines regularly, our worship also has strong Jewish roots.  In ways you may not even realize. 
 
Christian worship, both Catholic and Protesant, is deeply grounded in its Jewish ideas.  Through Torah and New Testament study, ritual and prayer, you're invited to experience the life-giving roots of Christian worship.  Re-connect with ancient understandings.  Enliven, deepen and refresh worship in your congregation.  Learn more about the Jewishness that gave rise to Jesus. 

 

Move beyond denominational boundaries in this interactive and worshipful experience.  Be prepared to move deeper into the sacred presence of the Holy One.  And to bring your congregation with you.  
 
Read on for more information

 
Timing:  Any time of year.  Especially good for Worship Teams, Choirs, before starting new worship services, and for Emergent Worship teams. 

Pre-requisite:  Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes:  Unlearning Christian Anti-Semitism.

 

 
"This is the Bread of Affliction.  Let all who are hungry come and eat.  Let all who are in need, come and celebrate the Passover."   With these stirring words, the Jewish Passover Seder begins.  Recognizing that God alone can free us from bondage, Jews all over the world, and not a few Christians, remember the Exodus from Egypt. 
 
Jesus at a Seder?

Although the modern Seder did not reach its finalized form until about two centuries after Jesus, Matthew 26 records many Seder-like actions at the Last Supper.  Jesus presided over the meal; they all reclined as they ate; they dipped foods, they blessed bread and wine and they sung a hymn.  Most of all, however, they theologized. 
 
God-talk is at the heart of the Seder.  The questions posed interest both Jews and Christians:  In what ways are you in bondage?  How has God set you free?  How can we pass on the knowledge of our faith to the next generation?  These questions lead us into the heart of our faith.
 
A Seder is not all Serious!

But a Seder is not all serious.  How can it be when you're eating foods that make you want to shout (horseradish), go back for seconds (charoses), and wish you had a Jewish mother (matzah ball soup.)  Not only that, four kid-oriented questions, lots of  participation, and a game of matzah hide-and-seek keep youngsters engaged. 
 
Jewish Seder

The United Methodist Book of Worship recommends that congregations partner with a Jewish leader or synagogue to host a Seder.  Perhaps this is the year to have a real Jewish Passover Seder at your congregation.  With a BridgeWorks Seder, you'll learn a little Hebrew, sing some songs, eat your fill, and deepen your understanding of the Jewish Jesus.  Lent will never be the same again. 
 
Read on for more information on hosting a Passover Seder 
 
Timing:  Pre-Lent, Lent, Holy Week

PrerRequisite:  None.

 

 
When's the last time you rested?  I mean really rested? 
 
Truthfully, we don't do a lot of it--especially in the church.  We pride ourselves on being busy.  But because we keep going, going, going, so do all our support systems.  Including the earth and her ecosystems.  That's taking a terrible toll on us, other creatures, and the life-giving air, water, and soil that nurture us all. 
 
It's time to give ourselves and the creation a break. 
 
Rest is God's plan

Don't feel guilty, though; it's all part of God's plan.  Natural cycles of rest are built into the biblical worldview.  Every seven days, a day of rest for people and animals.  Every seven years, a year of rest for the land.  And every 50 years, a year of release from debt, accumulation, and greed. 
 
Jewish Sabbath rituals

Begin to experience the kind of rest only Sabbath can bring.  And learn about the biblical teachings on caring for creation while experiencing Jewish Sabbath rituals.  It's good for you, good for your church, and good for the planet.  
 
Timing:  Lent, Summer, or any other time of year.  
Pre-requisite:  None 

Learn more about this retreat.

If you book any of the above programs by December 31, 2008. 

This offer does not include Holy Land Trip or Passover Seder.

 

Book a Passover Seder for 2010 and save $50.