Sunday (6/12)

This week we will continue reading the book of 1 Samuel. Samuel was a prophet and the last judge of the people of Israel before the twelve tribes became unified as a monarchy. Samuel was chosen by God to anoint the first two kings of Israel. The book tells the stories of the prophet Samuel, King Saul, and King David.

Sunday (6/5) The Day of Pentecost

During worship services on June 5th, we are celebrating the Day of Pentecost. The day is described in Acts 2 as the time when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’ disciples as they were gathered together in Jerusalem about ten days after Christ ascended to heaven. Jesus talked about it in this way in the first chapter of Acts, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised…For John {the Baptist} baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5 NIV). Just as we read the Christmas story from Luke’s Gospel during Christmas Eve worship services and family gatherings, you may want to read Acts 2:1-41 as a way of celebrating and remembering the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

Sunday (5/29)

This week we will conclude our reading of the book of Judges as we continue in the story of Gideon and read Samson’s story as well. This book from the Old Testament includes stories of moral decline as well as the failures of the Israelites and the judges who were their leaders during hundreds of years between Joshua’s death and the beginning of the monarchy in 1050 BC. Throughout the disturbing, violent, and tragic tales of the book the Israelites become more and more like the Canaanites who reside in the Promised Land. If you did not read the previous books of Genesis through Joshua, you are encouraged to watch the Bible Project video about the Old Testament. The video is a summary of the Hebrew scriptures. It is available on YouTube.

Sunday (5/22)

This week we will begin reading the book of Judges. This book from the Old Testament includes stories of moral decline as well as the failures of the Israelites and the judges who were their leaders during hundreds of years between Joshua’s death and the beginning of the monarchy in 1050 BC. Throughout the disturbing, violent, and tragic tales of the book the Israelites become more and more like the Canaanites who reside in the Promised Land. If you did not read the previous books of Genesis through Joshua, you are encouraged to watch the Bible Project video about the Old Testament. The video is a summary of the Hebrew scriptures. It is available on YouTube.

Sunday (5/15)

Since January of 2022 we have been reading Old Testament books as part of this Your Faith Journey devotional. This week we will conclude our journey through the book of Joshua, which tells the story of the Israelites finally arriving in the Promised Land after forty years of wandering through the wilderness. If you did not read the previous books of Genesis through Deuteronomy, you are encouraged to watch the Bible Project video about the Old Testament. The video is a summary of the Hebrew scriptures. It is available on YouTube.

Sunday (5/8) Mother’s Day

The prophetic words of the scriptures of the Israelites that pointed towards the coming Messiah and suffering servant of the Lord were fulfilled in and through Christ. As the apostles were interacting with their resurrected Savior in the days after the first Easter Sunday, Jesus “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45 NIV). We too are searching and studying the Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament in 2022. May the Spirit of Christ open our minds so that we understand and then respond to them in a way that pleases our Lord.

 

Since January we have been reading Old Testament books as part of this Your Faith Journey devotional. This week we will conclude our journey through the Torah, which is also known as “the Law of Moses” (Luke 24:44). If you did not read the books of Genesis and Exodus, nor parts of Leviticus and Numbers, before today, you are encouraged to watch the Bible Project video about the Old Testament. The video is a summary of the Hebrew scriptures. It is available on YouTube.

Sunday (5/1)

Jesus’ earliest disciples had a living relationship with the holy scriptures. Those of us who are Jesus’ followers today need a living relationship with The Holy Bible. As part of our living relationship with the Bible, we are reading and studying the Old Testament in 2022. This Your Faith Journey devotional will provide you with a reading plan to help you to read and study much of the Old Testament this year. Throughout January and February, we read and studied the books of Genesis and Exodus. During the Lenten season, we turned our focus to the Gospel According to Luke, but now we are returning to the Old Testament books. Since Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are a continuation of the story in Exodus, we will turn our attention to Numbers this week. If you did not read the books of Genesis and Exodus, you are encouraged to watch the Bible Project video about the Old Testament. The video is available on YouTube.

Sunday (4/24)

Before there was a Holy Bible with both the Old and New Testaments there were sacred Hebrew scriptures of the ancient Israelites. Jesus said this about the Hebrew scriptures and himself, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17 NIV). The phrase “Law and Prophets” was a first-century way of describing what we know of today as the books of the Old Testament. In the decades after Jesus ascended to heaven documents were written by Christians that formed the New Testament. Centuries later they were combined with the Hebrew scriptures into what became The Holy Bible.

 

Jesus’ earliest disciples had a living relationship with the holy scriptures. Those of us who are Jesus’ followers today need a living relationship with The Holy Bible. As part of our living relationship with the Bible we are reading and studying the “Law” and “the Prophets,” a.k.a. The Old Testament, in 2022. This Your Faith Journey devotional will provide you with a reading plan to help you to read and study much of the Old Testament this year. Throughout January and February, we read and studied the books of Genesis and Exodus. During the Lenten season, we turned our focus to the Gospel According to Luke, but now we are returning to the Old Testament books. Since Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are connect with the story in Exodus, we will turn our attention to Leviticus and Numbers this week. If you did not read the books of Genesis and Exodus, you are encouraged to watch the Bible Project video about the Old Testament. The video is available on YouTube.

Easter Sunday (4/17)

Although the gospel accounts reveal that Jesus endured torture and experienced an excruciating death upon the Roman cross, that was not the end of the story. Just as Jesus foretold, he arose from the grave. Hallelujah, Christ arose! The angels at the tomb told the women who had gone there that first Easter morning, “He is risen!” Yes, Jesus conquered sin and death. Through faith in Jesus, we can too. Hallelujah!

 

During the season of Lent we have been on a journey through the Gospel According to Luke, reading and studying it as part of worship services and the Your Faith Journey weekly devotionals. Our read through of Luke will conclude this week. Even if you have not read the previous chapters, you are strongly encouraged to read chapter 24.