NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passage: Psalm 23:4
Discussion Questions: Has our present-day culture made death more or less fear-inducing than it was when your parents were your age? Have you been witness to a “good” death? How did that experience differ from a “bad” death? How have you experienced God’s presence in the valley of the shadow of death?
Food for Thought, with writing from Max Lucado:
“Carlos Andres Baisdon-Niño lay down with his favorite Bible storybook. He began with the first chapter and turned every page until the end. When he finished, he blew his good-night kisses to Mami and Papi, to his three ‘niñas,’ and then, as always, he blew one to Papa Dios. He closed his eyes, drifted off to sleep, and awoke in heaven.
“Carlos was three years old.
“When Tim and Betsa, his parents, and I met to plan the funeral, they wanted me to watch a video of Carlos. ‘You’ve got to see him dancing,’ Tim told me. One look and I could see why. What little Carlos did to the rhythm of a Latin song can’t be described with words. He shook from top to bottom. His feet moved, his hands bounced, his head swayed. You got the impression that his heart rate had switched over to his native Colombian beat.
“We laughed, the three of us did. And in the laughter, for just a moment, Carlos was with us. For just a moment there was no leukemia, syringes, blankets or chemotherapy. There was no stone to carve or grave to dig. There was just Carlos. And Carlos was just dancing.
“But then the video stopped, and so did the laughter. And this mom and dad resumed their slow walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” (Excerpted from Lucado’s “Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear.”)
We all pass through that valley sooner or later. Most of us already have, perhaps on more than one occasion. And when we do, we often feel like we make the trek alone, wandering without guidance or comfort. In Traveling Light, a detailed look at Psalm 23, Lucado leads us to examine verse 4 of the Psalm. That verse offers assurance that though the believer’s journey through the valley might be grief-filled, it will not be solitary or comfortless. God travels with us.
MasterWork
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at www.lifeway.com/masterwork.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.
