Product Overview
What do you think of when you think of a blood sacrifice? Do you consider mysterious rituals of sacrificing chickens and goats, the enemy defeated in battle, or perhaps Abraham's willingness to kill his son Isaac to please God? The very term "blood sacrifice" sounds somewhat barbaric in these modern times, yet at the very center of Christian faith and worship stands a profound act of violence--Christ's crucifixion.
In this study for adults, we'll consider images of a vindictive, angry God who demands blood and suffering as the price of redemption and work toward resolving those images with the conviction that God is love. Yes, God is love but, as we all learn sooner or later, love can be quite complicated!
Participants will also be encouraged to contemplate how Christ's blood sacrifice serves to redeem us. Why was such a violent end necessary to redeem us? And how do such concepts inform our own suffering? Is suffering violence simply a penalty for bad behavior? Does it "build character," as we're often told by our elders? Does God ultimately reward our suffering in heaven?