Weeks of Oct 25 and Nov 1 Readings

I've posted two weeks of readings.

Keep up the good work. You are almost through Leviticus. I know, I know. It's tough reading, but you are almost there. At least you have Matthew.

Soon, you will be reading Mark. Mark is the earliest of the four gospels of the New Testament. Mark was a source used by Matthew and Luke as they composed their gospels.

Jesus' identity in Mark is announced early in the gospel. He is God's Son. However, this information is kept secret until Jesus' crucifixion. Throughout the gospel, everyone fails to comprehend who Jesus is and the nature of his mission.

The key to understanding Jesus in Mark is the Cross and Resurrection. Jesus' death on the cross for the sins of the world is God's will. God's resurrection of Jesus vindicates Jesus' life and death.

The readings:

Oct 25: Lev 8-10; Matt 25:31-46
Oct 26: Lev 11-12; Matt 26:1-25
Oct 27: Lev 13; Matt 26:26-50
Oct 28: Lev 14; Matt 26:51-75
Oct 29: Lev 15-16; Matt 27:1-26
Oct 30: Lev 17-18; Matt 27:27-50
Oct 31: Lev 19-20; Matt 27:51-66
Nov 1: Lev 21-22; Matt 28
Nov 2: Lev 23-24; Mark 1:1-22
Nov 3: Lev 25; Mark 1:23-45
Nov 4: Lev 26-27; Mark 2
Nov 5: Num 1-2; Mark 3:1-19
Nov 6: Num 3-4; Mark 3:20-35
Nov 7: Num 5-6; Mark 4:1-20

Week of Oct 18 Readings

Here are our readings for the upcoming week:

Oct 18: Ex 31-33; Matt 22: 1-22
Oct 19: Ex 34-35; Matt 22:23-46
Oct 20: Ex 36-38; Matt 23:1-22
Oct 21: Ex 39-40; Matt 23:23-39
Oct 22: Lev 1-3; Matt 24:1-28
Oct 23: Lev 4-5; Matt 24:29-51
Oct 24: Lev 6-7; Matt 25:1-30

Congratulations! You are about to complete your second full book of the Bible, Exodus.

Also, hang in there. You will be embarking on the book of Leviticus. Leviticus is filled with regulations designed to insure a holy life. Since God is holy, God's people are to be holy.

Leviticus provides instructions for the Israelites regarding religious sacrifices, what is clean and unclean, diet, religious festivals, ethics, sexual relations, blasphemy, Sabbath, jubilee years, blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.

Leviticus takes its name from the priestly tribe of Levi. Originally, the book was designated by rabbis as the manual for priests.

Leviticus forms the heart of the Jewish law, Torah. It is often used to introduce Jewish children to the basic elements of Judaism.

Week of Oct 11 Readings

Here are our readings for the week of October 11. Keep up the great work.

Oct 11: Ex 16-18; Matt 18:1-20
Oct 12: Ex 19-20; Matt 18:21-35
Oct 13: Ex 21-22; Matt 19
Oct 14: Ex 23-24; Matt 20:1-16
Oct 15: Ex 25-26; Matt 20:17-34
Oct 16: Ex 27-28; Matt 21:1-22
Oct 17: Ex 29-30; Matt 21:23-46

Happy reading.

Significance of the Exodus

The single most important event in the New Testament is the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ. The New Testament doesn’t make sense apart from God liberating us from the bondage of sin and death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The single most important event in the Old Testament is the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The Old Testament doesn’t make sense apart from God liberating the Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt through the exodus led by Moses.

Both the resurrection and the exodus tell us an awful lot about God. They tell us that God loves us deeply, hears our cries, and acts decisively to deliver us from bondage to freedom.

Peace.

Week of Oct 4 Readings

Well, we are three weeks in. Genesis, almost completed. Matthew, half-way point. Keep up the good work. Remember, a spiritual reading diet of four chapters of the Bible daily and in a year's time you will have read all sixty-six books of the Bible.

Hopefully, you are finding the project transformational as well as informational. I am enjoying all the questions and comments so many of you are sharing with me on Sunday mornings.

Here are the next week's readings:

Oct 4: Gen 49-50; Matt 13:31-58
Oct 5: Ex 1-3; Matt 14:1-21
Oct 6: Ex 4-6; Matt 14:22-36
Oct 7: Ex 7-8; Matt 15:1-20
Oct 8: Ex 9-11; Matt 15:21-39
Oct 9: Ex 12-13; Matt 16
Oct 10: Ex 14-15; Matt 17

Happy reading.

Week of Sept 27 Readings

Here they are:

Sep 27: Gen 31-32; Matt 9:18-38
Sep 28: Gen 33-35; Matt 10:1-20
Sep 29: Gen 36-38; Matt 10:21-42
Sep 30: Gen 39-40; Matt 11
Oct 1: Gen 41-42; Matt 12:1-23
Oct 2: Gen 43-45; Matt 12:24-50
Oct 3: Gen 46-48; Matt 13:1-30

At the end of next week, we will have nearly completed Genesis. Note that beginning with Genesis 36 we are in the Joseph cycle of stories, which reads like a novella. The Joseph stories can be a bit surprising and perhaps even disturbing to someone reading them for the first time. There is family strife, deceit, favoritism, jealousy, and violence. But there is also reconciliation and restoration.

Happy reading.

One Week Down

We are one week into our Bible in a Year reading program, meaning you have read 19 chapters in Genesis and six chapters in Matthew. Remember, four chapters a day means that in 365 days you will have read the entire Bible.

More than sixty persons are participating, that we know of. Some folks have said they are reading along, but have not registered their participation. Also, to date our blog has received more than 1000 visits. The visits are mostly by way of the church's website and the church's Facebook page. Other visits come from the Internet in general by way of a search engine.

In our Genesis readings, we have moved from the primeval history into the patriarchal history. The patriarchs of Israel are Abraham [Gen. 12-24], Isaac [Gen. 25-36], and Jacob [Gen. 25-36]. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the pioneers of biblical faith. According to biblical scholar Albrecht Alt, the religion of the patriarchs is a religion of God's guiding promise. In the patriarchal history, we read about God leading, guiding, and guarding the patriarchs and their community.

In our Matthew readings, we are in the middle of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount [Matt. 5-7]. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is one of five major discourses in Matthew's Gospel. Each discourse instructs and shapes the identity and lifestyle of Jesus' followers.

Happy reading.