Introduction to 2013 Bible Reading Journey

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. This is one of my favorite prayers and is found in the Episcopal Church’s “Book of Common Prayer.” The prayer affirms that we believe the Bible comes from God. And we ask God to help us to HEAR it, to READ it, to MARK it, to LEARN it, and to INWARDLY DIGEST it. WHY? The message of the Bible is for us to embrace and hold fast to the hope of everlasting life – which comes through Jesus Christ. Jesus is God – in community with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Beginning in January, we will begin a journey through the Holy Scriptures – the Hebrew Scriptures (what we often call the Old Testament) and the scriptures of the New Testament or the Christian Scriptures. Each day, you are invited to read along with me (with a break on the seventh day.) Each Sunday, I will preach on one of the themes from that week’s readings. I am offering some “helps” along the way: • 3 little booklets are available to each family unit in our church (“The Bible and You,” “How the Bible Came to Be,” and “How to Study the Bible.”) In addition, I have two publications for use with children: “Let’s Learn About the Bible” and “Our Family’s Bible Time.” • I will be blogging at www.albrightumc.blogspot.com some of my thoughts each week on the readings. (These are available as emails or in printed form upon request!) The readings will also be available online at this sight. • Each week’s readings will be available in the bulletin, a monthly calendar will be sent out in the church newsletter, or you may request additional printouts through the church office. Are you ready for this journey through the Bible?