Behold the Lamb of God: A Lenten Study Based on the Revised Common Lectionary (Scriptures for the Church Season)

This is the student book for the lectionary study for Lent 2008 entitled, Behold the Lamb of God, and based upon scriptures from the Revised Common Lectionary.

In this study written by  Simon Iredale, we are reminded the season of Lent is more like ascending the Himalayas than going for a pleasant walk in the park.  Iredale invites us to explore together the foundations of our faith and through reflection and prayer see how strong these foundations are in our hearts. As he guides us through the lenten texts, we pass through three gardens.

First, we will pass through the garden of paradise in Genesis and seek to understand how the events that Genesis describes affected every succeeding human generation. We will pass through Gethsemane, the garden of decision, and strive to understand what Christ has achieved for us through his suffering. When we reach Easter Day and the garden of Christ’s resurrection, we will discover that God gives us something -- a new resolve, a sense of sins forgiven, and a deeper insight into God’s compassion for us.

Chapters include the following:

• Humanity’s Problem, God’s Solution (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11)
• The Risk of Faith (Genesis 12: 1- 4a; Romans 4:1-5; 13-17; John 3: 1-17)
• The Faithful Life (Exodus 17:1-7; Romans 5:1-11; John 4: 5-42)
• Appearance and Reality (1 Samuel 16:1-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41)
• From Death to Life (Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45)
• Christ’s Humility (Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54)
• The Resurrection Light (Acts 10:34-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10)

Click here to view information about the separate leader's guide.

Simon Peter Iredale was born in the UK but spent his early years in Australia. He studied at Cambridge University and Oxford. He spent three years teaching English as a Foreign Language in Paris and then in Cairo, Egypt. He has been ordained for twenty years as a priest in the Church of England, serving as a parish minister and a hospital and prison chaplain. For the last fourteen years, he has worked as a Senior Chaplain in the Royal Air Force. He wrote The Interior Mountain: Encountering God with the Desert Saints (Abingdon, 2000). He lives in the British Midlands with his wife, two teenage children and a mischievous black cat called Hecate.

Simon Peter Iredale was born in the United Kingdom but spent his childhood in Australia. His most recent book is My Strength and My Song, a year’s reflective study of the Psalms. He was ordained in the Church of England and served as a parish priest, a hospital and prison chaplain, and a senior chaplain for the Royal Air Force and is now happily retired. He holds four degrees, including a Ph.D. in theology.

Simon lives in the British Midlands with his wife, a black cat, and three eccentric chickens. For more information about Simon and his books, go to simon-peteriredale.org.