Bible Study Companion Guide“Faith Growing, Love Increasing”
Week of November 16, 2025 — St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC
Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen, Pastor
 
Opening ReflectionThis week’s scriptures celebrate how faith and love grow through perseverance and shared ministry. The early church in Thessalonica faced persecution, yet Paul’s words ring with gratitude: “Your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” Stewardship, then, is not merely about sustaining the church but deepening the bonds that sustain one another. It is an act of endurance, gratitude, and shared witness—a testimony that even in challenging times, love multiplies.
Centering QuestionWhere have you seen your faith grow through hardship, and how has love increased because of your generosity or someone else’s?
2 Thessalonians 1:1–4, 11–12 — “Faith That Grows in Community”Paul opens his letter with thanksgiving for a congregation that continues to thrive despite opposition. Their endurance becomes a sign of God’s righteousness—faith and love strengthening each other in the soil of perseverance.
·       Key Verse:
“We must always give thanks to God for you… because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” (v. 3)
·       Reflection:
Growth in faith is not always visible in numbers or success. It is measured in patience, forgiveness, and commitment. How might your generosity—time, presence, or resources—help someone else’s faith to grow?
Psalm 100 — “Make a Joyful Noise”This psalm invites the community into collective thanksgiving. Gratitude and service are intertwined—entering God’s presence with singing becomes an act of stewardship, reminding us that we belong to one another as we belong to God.
·       Key Verse:
“Serve the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.” (v. 2)
·       Reflection:
Worship and giving are not separate acts; both are songs of gratitude. What does it mean to give with gladness in a season when needs feel heavy?
Luke 21:5–19 — “By Your Endurance You Will Gain Your Souls”Jesus speaks of upheavals and trials, but he reframes fear into faith. The temple may fall, but God’s presence endures. Discipleship is not about avoiding hardship but standing firm in love.
·       Key Verse:
“By your endurance you will gain your souls.” (v. 19)
·       Reflection:
Endurance is more than survival—it is the spiritual strength to keep loving, building, and hoping. How might endurance be an act of stewardship for you or for our church community?
Community ReflectionIn a time when many grow weary, the Thessalonian church and the words of Jesus remind us that faith and love grow not in ease, but in shared struggle. Our giving—of resources, time, encouragement—becomes the soil where hope takes root. As St. James continues its restoration, may this week remind us that generosity is not depletion but growth, not loss but increase.

When faith grows, love increases. When love increases, the community becomes the living temple of God.
Practice• Give Thanks: Write or share a note of gratitude with someone who has strengthened your faith.
• Grow Faith: Choose one ministry or person to support with prayer or tangible help this week.
• Endure Together: Reflect with others on how your congregation has endured and flourished through challenges.
• Increase Love: Do one act of kindness for someone beyond your immediate circle—make love visible.
Closing PrayerGracious God,
You have planted faith in our hearts and watered it with your steadfast love. Help us to endure with joy, to give with gratitude, and to grow together in grace. May your faith keep expanding and our love keep increasing, until our whole community becomes a song of praise to your name.
Amen.
​
This Lectionary Study does not include a Psalm which led me to study how the two Isaiah Passages may speak to one another, as well as the other texts.  I am including and extra bit of commentary to speak to this directly. ~Rev. Derrick

​Bible Study Discussion Guide – Year C: From Exile to New Creation
1. Isaiah 12 and Isaiah 65 as Literary Bookends
Isaiah 12 functions as a liturgical doxology concluding 'First Isaiah' (chapters 1–12), celebrating deliverance from divine anger and anticipating restoration. Isaiah 65:17–25, from 'Third Isaiah' (post-exilic period), envisions a new creation—a theological reimagining of Zion after the return from exile. Together, they frame the entire Isaianic corpus: from repentance and trust to radical renewal.
Prompt: How might your community hold both deliverance remembered and deliverance still hoped for?
 
2. Historical-Critical Context: From Exile to Reconstruction
Isaiah 40–66 arises during the Babylonian exile and early Persian period. Returnees faced ruin, trauma, and disappointment. Rebuilding the temple under Cyrus and Darius marked the beginning of prophetic hope, but Isaiah 65 broadens this vision to cosmic transformation. This invites reflection on rebuilding both sanctuary and imagination for holiness in communities today.
Prompt: In what ways can rebuilding physical space also renew spiritual and communal identity?
 
3. Theological Motifs: Covenant Re-Creation, Not Replacement
God’s promise in these texts is not a new contract but a renewed relationship—grace continuing through brokenness. The 'new creation' does not erase history but redeems it, much like Jeremiah 31:31–34 and Ezekiel 36–37. It invites discussion about collective memory, repentance, and sacred repair.
Prompt: How does your faith community embody covenant renewal rather than mere restoration?
 
4. Literary and Poetic Imagery
Isaiah 12’s imagery of water, joy, and song evokes temple worship and rituals like the Festival of Booths. Isaiah 65’s 'new heavens and new earth' mirrors Genesis 1 but inverts its direction: creation arises from salvation. God’s creative work continues after destruction, transforming chaos into joy.
Prompt: What symbols or rituals today capture the sense of 'new creation' in our worship?
 
5. Socio-Ethical Implications
Isaiah 65:20–23 emphasizes long life, just labor, and equitable flourishing. This is not merely eschatological but grounded in justice. The prophet’s vision imagines a society where exploitation ends and human dignity is restored. This speaks directly to economic, racial, and ecological justice in contemporary communities.
Prompt: What 'former things' must be left behind for God’s justice to flourish among us?
 
6. Christological and Liturgical Link (Luke 21:5–19)
The Gospel reading mirrors Isaiah’s tension between destruction and hope. Jesus’ prophecy of the Temple’s fall reaffirms divine presence beyond buildings. As the Temple falls, the Body of Christ rises—transforming sacred space into living community.
Prompt: How does this text deepen our understanding of stewardship as both faith and transformation?
7. Community Application: Singing Between Ruin and Renewal
Participants can identify where they are in the prophetic arc—exile, rebuilding, or new creation. Isaiah teaches that hope is a discipline: faith builds even before the walls are finished. For Harlem’s faith communities and beyond, this offers a mirror for resilience and creative renewal.
Prompt: Where do you see signs of God’s new creation breaking into your community’s story?

​Bible Study Companion Guide“Giving for What Endures”
Week of November 9, 2025 – St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC
Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen, Pastor

Opening Reflection: This week’s scriptures draw our eyes from what fades to what lasts. The prophet Haggai calls a weary people to rebuild not for splendor but for promise. The psalmist reminds us that God’s faithfulness stretches across generations. Paul urges believers not to be unsettled by rumors or fear, and Jesus, in conversation with the Sadducees, points to a life beyond decay or possession. In each passage, God redirects our energy toward what endures—faith, love, and the presence that fills even the ruins with glory.

Centering QuestionWhere might God be inviting you to invest your time, gifts, or hope—not in what impresses today, but in what gives life tomorrow?
Haggai 1:15b – 2:9 — “Rebuilding in Glory”After years of disappointment, the people return to a half-built temple. God speaks through Haggai: “Take courage… for I am with you.” The promise is not of gold or grandeur but of divine presence that will fill the new house with greater glory than before.
Key Verse: “The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts.” (v. 9)
Our faith is not nostalgia but renewal. What might we rebuild—not as a copy of the past, but as a dwelling for God’s living presence in our own time?

Psalms 145:1–5, 17–21 and 98:1–9 — “Songs That Last”The psalmist proclaims praise that endures: one generation telling another of God’s mighty acts. Creation itself joins the chorus—rivers clapping, hills singing, hearts made glad.
Key Verse: “One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (145:4)
Praise is our most enduring architecture. When buildings crumble, the song remains. How can we ensure that our witness—our worship and justice—resounds through the generations?

2 Thessalonians 2:1–5, 13–17 — “Stand Firm in the Truth”Paul comforts a shaken community, warning them not to be swayed by fear or false reports about the end. He grounds them in gratitude: they are beloved and chosen for holiness through the Spirit.
Key Verse: “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught.” (v. 15)
When the world trembles with misinformation and despair, faith becomes a steadying act. Where do you need to hold fast—not out of rigidity, but to preserve the truth that gives life?

Luke 20:27–38 — “God of the Living”Jesus faces those who deny resurrection and reminds them that God is the God “not of the dead, but of the living.” The promise of life eternal reshapes how we value this one: relationships, generosity, and love are not lost but transformed.
Key Verse: “Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.” (v. 38)
Faith in resurrection is faith in continuity—life that cannot be hoarded, only shared. How might our giving, loving, and serving today reflect that everlasting life already stirring among us?

Community ReflectionTogether these readings turn our gaze from anxiety to endurance. The people of Haggai’s day rebuilt hope from rubble; the psalmist turned gratitude into song; Paul steadied a community on the edge; and Jesus lifted faith beyond mortality. To give for what endures is to trust that God is already at work transforming ruins into sanctuary and endings into beginnings.

Practice• Rebuild with Hope: Do one small act this week that repairs or restores—something physical, relational, or spiritual.
• Sing the Story: Share a hymn, psalm, or prayer that sustained a loved one; pass it to the next generation.
• Hold Fast: Write down one truth or value that anchors your faith. Keep it visible as a compass in times of uncertainty.
• Give Toward Life: Make or plan a gift—time, resources, forgiveness—that invests in someone else’s future joy.

​Closing Prayer: Living God, you are the glory that endures when all else fades. Teach us to build with faith, sing with gratitude, and give with courage. Fill the ruins of our hearts with your presence until every stone and song proclaims: you are God of the living, and your mercy stands forever. Amen.