Care for Creation

Transportation Month

“On the Way” Bible Study

•Opening Prayer: Gracious God, we have gathered here from many places.  Thank you for safe travels.  Bless this time together.  Amen.

•Introductory discussion: Much of Jesus’ ministry took place on the way from one place to another.  Thus, transportation is an important aspect of the Gospel stories.

-What might inhibit us from thinking about transportation as an opportunity for living out our faith? (Isolation in cars?  Transportation as simply a means of getting from here to there?  Competition for road space?  Stresses of traffic?  “Road rage”?  Etc.)

•Reading and discussion: Read Luke 24:13-32 (The Road to Emmaus).

-Why do you think the disciples fail to recognize Jesus?

-What does it mean to meet Jesus on the way from place to place?

-How can we understand the meaning of this story in light of car culture?

•Reading and discussion: Read Luke 10:29-37 (The Good Samaritan).  Jesus regularly taught with parables like this one.

-Why do you think the priest and the Levite neglected to help the suffering man? (On the way to an important engagement?  No time to spare?  Social expectations?)

-How can we understand the meaning of this story in light of car culture?  How might we identify the neighbor given current transportation habits?

•Reflection: What would it take to be faithful on the way from place to place?

-How might we reconsider our transportation habits to provide for more opportunities to encounter Christ, to encounter the neighbor?

-Do we have nonhuman neighbors?  How does our mode of transportation affect how we encounter them?

•Closing Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for your vast creation, of which we are a part.  Hold your creation in mercy and love.  Amen.